CHOREOGRAPHY OF THE SQUIDS NUPTIAL DANCE

A mass spawning of squid resembles, at first glance, a chaotic ''nupti al dance'' (1). But for the first time, we have applied 3-D, radio-lin ked acoustic positioning (RAP) to this confusing process, and our earl y results now reveal a choreography that is, in fact, well organized i n time and space. Remote tracking with RAP of individual Loligo vulgar is reynaudii off South Africa has provided insights into the daily seq uence of behaviors that lead these animals to aggregate for sexual sel ection. Each dawn, the squid navigate for several kilometers, toward t he shore, to small, well-defined zones near egg beds on the substrate After several hours of circling above these egg beds, a pelagic, 3-D l ek-like aggregation of large males forms; females are drawn in, and th e aggregation condenses as the females and males pair, mate, and lay e ggs. Smaller ''sneaker males'' remain on the periphery of the mating a rena and from this station, attempt extra-pair copulations (EPCs). The mating system of squids is thus unexpectedly complex, rivaling those of mammals and birds (2, 3). Commercial squid-jigging fishermen in Sou th Africa have recently been attracted to the spawning grounds, and th ey have been successful. Moreover, their activities may be selective f or large males. Thus, attention should be devoted to ensuring that suc h targeted fishing does not alter the characteristics of squid populat ion genetics. Remote tracking and video observations, in combination w ith genetic analyses, may offer a new opportunity to monitor mating ef fort and reproductive success, and thus to manage the fishery.