[3] It has a long, narrow and muscular mantle, which has a width which is roughly a quarter of its length, tapering posteriorly to a pointed tail.

This portion has the suckers transformed to papillae and tubercles,[4] a ventral protective membrane and an expansive development of trabeculae.

[3] The Antarctic flying squid has a circumglobal distribution in the Southern Ocean south of 35°S[4] and it is common in the waters of the subtropical convergence zone.

Studies in South African waters indicate a similarly extended spawning period running from February to August.

The adult Antarctic flying squids may bear large parasite loads of encysted nematodes and cestodes in their mantle tissue.