European Common Squid

Alloteuthis subulata has a long, narrow mantle with a long tail which is pointed in adult females and even longer and rather spike-like in adult males. The fins are rhomboid-shaped, with pointed sides, and their rear ends are concave and extend along the tail. The short tentacles are delicate, with small, narrow clubs. Its color is normally pale grey with many brown or purplish spots. Length is up to 21 cm and the maximum mantle length is 14 cm.

Alloteuthis subulata is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean as far south as North-west Africa, the North Sea, the western Baltic Sea, and Mediterranean Sea. In British waters, it has a southernly bias to its distribution but has been found as far north as the Solway Firth and the Firth of Clyde.