Long-finned squid

A squid of the family Scutidae of the class Cephalopoda of the phylum Mollusca. It is commonly known as the red squid around Tokyo and the Goto squid in Kyushu. It is found in the central and southern parts of Honshu and throughout Southeast Asia, and is caught in large quantities around the Goto Islands in Japan. Its mantle length reaches about 35 cm. Its mantle is long and thin with thick flesh, and its fins make up about 70% of the mantle length. When the left and right lobes are put together, they form a long and thin diamond shape. It looks similar to a spear squid, but its arms are stronger and thicker, and its mantle is also thicker. The horny rings of the suckers on its arms have blunt teeth. It also has a light-emitting organ on top of its ink sac. In early spring, it moves closer to the coast and lays eggs in finger-shaped agar-based sacs on the seabed. A type with particularly thick arms found in the western part of the Sea of ​​Japan is called L. e. budo (local name: white squid). The species known as Mawashikko in the Miura region of Kanagawa Prefecture and Mehikari in the Tokai region are also thought to be local forms of the Japanese flying squid.

[Takashi Okutani]

The flesh is thick and when dried it has a particularly strong sweetness in addition to its umami taste, so in addition to being eaten raw, it is also processed into dried squid. Dried squid from the swordtip squid is also called the first dried squid and is considered the highest quality of all dried squid. The ones from Goto Island in Kyushu are particularly the best, and are known as Goto dried squid. Dried squid with the skin and fins removed is called "polished swordtip squid."

[Tomomi Kono]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

軟体動物門頭足綱ジンドウイカ科のイカ。東京付近ではアカイカ、九州ではゴトウイカと俗称される。本州中部以南、東南アジア一帯に分布し、日本では五島(ごとう)列島周辺で多く漁獲される。外套(がいとう)長35センチメートルぐらいに達する。外套膜は細長く肉は厚く、ひれは外套長の約70％を占め、左右両葉をあわせると細長い菱(ひし)形となる。外見はヤリイカに似ているが、比較すると腕は強く太く、外套膜も太めである。腕の吸盤の角質環には鈍歯がある。また、墨汁嚢(のう)の上に発光器をもっている。春先になると沿岸に寄り、指状の寒天質の袋に入れた卵を海底に産み付ける。日本海西部に分布する腕のとくに太い型をブドウイカ（地方名シロイカ）L. e. budoと称する。神奈川県三浦地方でマワシッコ、東海地方でメヒカリというのもケンサキイカの地方型と思われる。

［奥谷喬司］

　肉が厚いうえ、乾燥すると、とくにうま味に加えて甘味が強く出るので、生食のほか、するめに加工される。ケンサキイカのするめは一番するめともよばれ、するめのなかでは最高級品とされている。とくに九州五島産のものが最上で、五島するめの名がある。また、外皮、ひれを除いて干したものは「みがきけんさき」という。

［河野友美］

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