[4] Its fourth left arm is hectocotylized and has 19–22 suckers in two series in its basal two-thirds where there is a weak protective membrane and there are two pointed knobs rather than suckers on its tip where the ventral protective membrane is more developed than that on the dorsal side.

The largest suckers on the tentacular clubs have either a smooth margin or a single large tooth.

The apparatus for locking the funnel organ to the mantel is forked towards the front and is fused to the rear, but only in individuals who have a mantle length over 9 mm.

[4] The striped flying squid is found in the epipelagic and upper mesopelagic zones, occurring from near the surface to a depth of 400 m. It lives in open waters mostly over depths of over 200 metres (660 ft), and it appears to be nektonic rather than benthic.

This varies widely over the squid's range and they grow larger at lower latitudes.