Zoological Studies

Geographical Variations in the Chemical Compositions of Veined Squid Loligo forbesi Statoliths

Chia-Hui Wang, Audrey J. Geffen, and Richard D.M. Nash (2012) The chemical composition of statoliths of the veined squid Loligo forbesi Steenstrup (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae) was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine geographical differences.  Statolith samples from the North Sea and Irish Sea were collected, and samples of 2 consecutive years from the Irish Sea were also included in the analyses to test temporal stability of the statolith chemical composition.  Seven trace elements were detected, including strontium, barium, lithium, lead, manganese, nickel, and cobalt, in decreasing order of abundance.  The elemental compositions of the statoliths significantly differed among sampling areas, and no significant difference in chemical composition was found between the 2 consecutive yearly Irish Sea samples.