Nototodarus gouldi can be identified by their maroon-red colouring, and the presence of a dark, narrow stripe along the midline of upper mantle. The mantle is torpedo shaped with diamond-shaped fins. The suckers on the tentacle clubs possess hard rings with large sharp teeth to help grip their prey. Mantle up to 40cm.

Restricted to the north island and the southern Australia. N. gouldi are found at many depths- the larvae and juveniles more often in shallow coastal waters, while the adults appear to spend much of their lives off the deeper continental slope and in oceanic waters.

Feeds on small fish, crustaceans, molluscs and is a cannibal. Commercially harvested with Southern Arrow Squid. Current quota for both species is about 129,000 tonnes.

Probably only lives for one year. Individuals in all maturity stages are encountered throughout the year, but there is at least one spawning season from February to March when large aggregations are formed. Interestingly its abundance in the surface waters of the open ocean is thought to correlate with the lunar cycle, in full moon nights the squid tend to remain in deeper waters. Unlike most squids, whose hatchlings look like miniature adults, squid in the family Ommastrephidae have a distinct larval stage, known as ‘rhynchoteuthion’ meaning ‘nose squid’. This name comes from the fact that in the early life stages the two feeding tentacles are fused into one long feeding tube with small suckers around the opening.

http://australianmuseum.net.au/Red-Arrow-Squid-Nototodarus-gouldi-McCoy-1888#sthash.ElT8f46e.dpuf accessed 12/02/14