For the #SciArtSeptember prompt: illuminated and a bonus mesopelagic #invertebrate for #InsertAnInvert2024 it’s my #linocut of the #bioluminescent firefly squid! The firefly squid (Watasenia scintillans), also called sparkling enope squid or hotaru-ika in Japan, live at depth (200 to 400 m) and are bioluminescent and emit blue light from photophores. 1/
The print shows the squid against a white background so you can see the whole animal and then its reflection is shown against dark blue so you can see how its #bioluminescence would appear underwater with fluorescent blue spots. Each print is 8" x 8" (20.3 cm x 20.3 cm) on white Japanese kozo (or mulberry) paper. When they spawn on the shores of Japan visitors come to see the blue glow and they are a boon to fishermen who collect the dying squid.