Architeuthis dux

Architeuthis sanctipauli was described in 1877 based on a specimen found washed ashore in Île Saint-Paul three years earlier. The taxonomy of the giant squid, as with many cephalopod genera, has long been debated. Lumpers and splitters may propose as many as seventeen species or as few as one. The broadest list is: Architeuthis dux, Atlantic giant squid Architeuthis (Loligo) hartingii Architeuthis japonica Architeuthis kirkii Architeuthis (Megateuthis) martensii, North Pacific giant squid Architeuthis physeteris Architeuthis sanctipauli, southern giant squid Architeuthis (Steenstrupia) stockii Architeuthis (Loligo) bouyeri Architeuthis clarkei Architeuthis (Plectoteuthis) grandis Architeuthis (Megaloteuthis) harveyi Architeuthis longimanus Architeuthis monachus? Architeuthis nawaji Architeuthis princeps Architeuthis (Dubioteuthis) physeteris Architeuthis titan Architeuthis verrilli It is unclear if these are distinct species, as no genetic or physical basis for distinguishing between them has yet been proposed. In the 1984 FAO Species Catalogue of the Cephalopods of the World, Roper, et al. wrote: "Many species have been named in the sole genus of the family Architeuthidae, but they are so inadequately described and poorly understood that the systematics of the group is thoroughly confused." In Cephalopods: A World Guide (2000), Mark Norman writes: "The number of species of giant squid is not known, although the general consensus amongst researchers is that there are at least three species, one in the Atlantic Ocean (Architeuthis dux), one in the Southern Ocean (A. sanctipauli) and at least one in the northern Pacific Ocean (A. martensi)." In March 2013, researchers at the University of Copenhagen suggested that, based on DNA research, there is only one species: "... researchers at the University of Copenhagen leading an international team, have discovered that no matter where in the world they are found, the fabled animals are so closely related at the genetic level that they represent a single, global population, and thus despite previous statements to the contrary, a single species worldwide."

No narrative description available for this taxon yet.