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Onykia robusta

species of mollusc

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 15, 2026
Entity authorityQ2934325
Source-derived summary

Onykia robusta, also known as the robust clubhook squid and often cited by the older name Moroteuthis robusta, is a species of squid in the family Onychoteuthidae. Reaching a mantle length of 2 m (6.6 ft) it is the largest member of its family and one of the largest of all cephalopods. The largest specimen with reliable catch data was found in the Bering Sea, a male with a total length of 3.72 m (12.2 ft) and weighing 41.73 kg (92.0 lb). The tentacular clubs are slender, containing 15–18 club hooks. Arms of the species contain 50–60 suckers, and grow to 90–100% of the mantle length. It is found primarily in the boreal to Temperate Northern Pacific.

Size

O. robusta can reach up to 2 m (6.6 ft) in mantle length. Nesis gave a maximum mantle length of 2.3 m (7.5 ft), however Roper and Jereb wrote that "this might be in error"; it commonly grows up to 1.6 m (5.2 ft) in mantle length. If the tentacles are measured from the tip to the tip of the mantle, Glaubrecht, M. & M. A. Salcedo-Vargas provided the maximum estimated to be 4–6 m (13–20 ft) in overall length. This species weight is up to 50 kg (110 lb).

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Onykia robusta” is species of mollusc. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Onykia, robusta and species, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA practical orientation to terminology and classification, particularly when read beside dated observations, specimens or technical literature. The current 208-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. For this dossier, Onykia, robusta and species is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “species of mollusc” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2934325. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Onykia robusta”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Onykia robusta primary sources, Onykia robusta archive and Onykia research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Onykia robusta”?
  2. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
  3. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Onykia robusta” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.