Total mercury (Hg) concentrations in beaks and muscle of the giant warty squid Moroteuthopsis longimana (Southern Ocean)

In this study we used beaks and buccal masses (muscle) of the giant warty squid Moroteuthopsis longimana to evaluate if squid beaks can be used as a proxy for mercury (Hg) concentrations in the muscle. Beaks and respective buccal masses were collected from the diet of Antarctic toothfish Dissostichus mawsoni captured at the South Sandwich Islands (Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean; CCAMLR Subarea 48.4) in 2019 (ML1 to ML12) and 2020 (ML13 to ML21).

We analysed Total Hg concentrations in the wing of the lower beak, hood tip of the upper beak, both upper and lower beaks, and in muscle sampled from buccal masses.

This dataset includes the size of the beaks, the estimated mantle length, the estimated mass, and total Hg concentrations analysed in beaks and buccle mass in 21 individuals of M. longimana.

This dataset is associated with the article: Lopes-Santos S, Xavier JC, Seco J, Coelho JP, Hollyman PR, Pereira E, Phillips RA, Queirós JP (2025) Squid beaks as a proxy for mercury concentrations in muscle of the giant warty squid Moroteuthopsis longimana. Marine Environmental Research 204:106841. Doi 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106841