Bathypolypus sponsalis

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Bathypolypus sponsalis
Bathypolypus octopus vintage poster.jpg
Illustration of related species Bathypolypus valdiviae, from "Die Cephalopoden" (1910–1915) by Carl Chun
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Octopoda
Family: Bathypolypodidae
Genus: Bathypolypus
Species:
B. sponsalis
Binomial name
Bathypolypus sponsalis
(P. Fischer & H. Fischer, 1892)
Synonyms

Octopus sponsalis P. Fischer & H. Fischer, 1892

Bathypolypus sponsalis, commonly called the globose octopus, is a deep sea cephalopod that can be found in both the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It possesses many morphological traits adapted to a deep sea environment, including large eggs, reduced gills, no ink sac, and subgelatinous tissues. A distinguishing factor are the relatively large reproductive organs. Their diet consists of predominantly crustaceans and molluscs, but they sometimes consume fish as well. Bathypolypus sponsalis usually dies quickly after reproduction and only spawns once in their lifetime. Sexually mature females have a mantle length of at least 34 mm and sexually mature males have a mantle length of about 24 mm. Juveniles are white and transition to dark brown then to dark purple once maturity is reached.

Contents

Range and habitat

Bathypolypus sponsalis are found in areas ranging from the eastern Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. [1] They typically reside in the deep-sea at depths ranging from 200 meters to 1835 meters, however, they are most commonly found between 400 meters to 700 meters, which is considered to be the bathybenthic zone of the deep-sea. [1] [2] Predominantly residing in the benthic and demersal deep-sea communities, they also inhabit the upper slope, lower slope, and abyssal plains. [3] Within their habitats, they resided in water temperatures of 12 °C and a salinity ranging from 38.40 to 38.50 parts per thousand. [2] [4] Bathypolypus sponsalis resides in habitats that contain rocky bottoms in order to yield for stable and safe environments in order to spawn. [1] Females of this species were mainly found in the west and males were found in the eastern portions of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. [5]

Diet

The diet of Bathypolypus sponsalis consists mostly of crustaceans and molluscs with the occasional bony fish. [4] On examining the stomach contents, about 76% contained crustaceans and about 49% molluscs, with bony fish only appearing in about 6% of the stomachs. [4] About 37% of the individuals examined had empty stomachs, which may indicate that food sources in their habitat are few and far between. [4]

Life cycle

The species plays an important role in its ecosystem because it serves as both predator and prey in its habitat. [6] Because they reside in benthic habitats, they rely a lot on the resources that they can find in that region, however they frequently undergo vertical migration in order to have access to pelagic prey that are found in other areas of the water column. [7] The larger organisms of the species were found at shallower depths than the smaller members of the species which indicates that the juveniles remain at deeper depths and then gradually throughout their life they move to shallower depths. [1] One of the biggest triggers that initiates sexual maturation of females is mating behavior displayed by the males. [1] During the early stages of their lifecycle, the Bathypolypus sponsalis hatches into planktonic organisms that float in the water column until they eventually mature and become adults that reside in benthic habitats on the sea floor. [8]

Reproduction

Bathypolypus sponsalis have very large eggs and spermatophores in order to cope with living in a benthic deep-sea environment. [9] [10] Specifically the size of a mature egg at maximum was greater than 15 mm and the oviducal gland was greater than 11 mm, which indicates a synchronous ovulation in that species which then leads to a simultaneous terminal spawning strategy. [3] Not only are the eggs large, they are also rich in yolk which aids in increasing the larval survival. [11] During the reproductive stage of a female's life, she displays solitary behavior in order to prepare a den. [11] This solitary behavior not only provides a place for the eggs to be safe, it also reduces the risk of predation and fishing activities to the female. [11] Bathypolypus sponsalis has a reproductive period that lasts from April to November. [1] In order to attract a mate, males often put on different displays. [8] In order to reproduce, the male fertilizes the female by grasping onto her and then he proceeds to insert his hectocotylus into the mantle cavity of the female. [8] After they mate, both the male and the females usually die after spawning and brooding. [3]

Adaptations

The species has many different adaptations to enable it to live in the deep sea. One of these adaptations is that they lack an ink sac because this organ costs energy that is not necessary for the octopus to spend because being able to produce an ink cloud is not a very good defense mechanism in an environment where light is absent. [12] Other deep sea adaptations are the reduction of gills, which occurs in deep-sea environments because of the decrease in metabolic activity due to the cold temperature of the water in that ecosystem.; [12] and large eggs, since the young hatch with no or a very brief planktonic stage which in turn limits their geographical distribution. [12] The species also has subgelatinous tissues which reduce metabolic requirements by replacing energetically costly muscle tissue. [12]

Predators

There are many different organisms in the ocean that eat cephalopods including sharks, seals, dolphins, and some bony fish. [13] Of these various predators, the species that is the largest threat to the Bathypolypus sponsalis are Mediterranean monk seals, indicating that these predators have the ability to dive sufficiently deep to prey on these molluscs. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Octopus</span> Soft-bodied eight-limbed order of molluscs

An octopus is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda. The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like other cephalopods, an octopus is bilaterally symmetric with two eyes and a beaked mouth at the center point of the eight limbs. The soft body can radically alter its shape, enabling octopuses to squeeze through small gaps. They trail their eight appendages behind them as they swim. The siphon is used both for respiration and for locomotion, by expelling a jet of water. Octopuses have a complex nervous system and excellent sight, and are among the most intelligent and behaviourally diverse of all invertebrates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squid</span> Superorder of cephalopod molluscs

A squid is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting these criteria. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, and a mantle. They are mainly soft-bodied, like octopuses, but have a small internal skeleton in the form of a rod-like gladius or pen, made of chitin.

<i>Grimpoteuthis</i> Genus of cephalopods known as the dumbo octopuses

Grimpoteuthis is a genus of pelagic cirrate (finned) octopods known as the dumbo octopuses. The name "dumbo" originates from their resemblance to the title character of Disney's 1941 film Dumbo, having two prominent ear-like fins which extend from the mantle above each eye. There are 17 species recognized in the genus. Prey include crustaceans, bivalves, worms and copepods. The average life span of various Grimpoteuthis species is 3–5 years.

<i>Ocythoe tuberculata</i> Species of cephalopods

Ocythoe tuberculata, also known as the tuberculate pelagic octopus or football octopus, is a pelagic octopus. It is the only known species in the family Ocythoidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glass octopus</span> Species of octopus

Vitreledonella richardi, also known as the glass octopus, is an incirrate octopus. It is in the genus Vitreledonella and of the family Amphitretidae.

<i>Argonauta argo</i> Species of cephalopod known as the greater argonaut

Argonauta argo, also known as the greater argonaut, is a species of pelagic octopus belonging to the genus Argonauta. The Chinese name for this species translates as "white sea-horse's nest".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argonauta nodosa</span> Species of mollusc

Argonauta nodosus [previously known as Argonauta nodosa], also known as the knobby or knobbed argonaut, is a species of pelagic octopus. The female of the species, like all argonauts, creates a paper-thin eggcase that coils around the octopus much like the way a nautilus lives in its shell. The shell is usually approximately 150 mm in length, although it can exceed 250 mm in exceptional specimens; the world record size is 292.0 mm. A. nodosus produces a very characteristic shell, which is covered in many small nodules on the ridges across the shell, hence the specific epithet nodosus and common name. These nodules are less obvious or even absent in juvenile females, especially those under 5 cm in length. All other argonaut species have smooth ridges across the shell walls.

<i>Bathypolypus</i> Genus of molluscs

Bathypolypus is a genus of octopuses in the monotypic family Bathypolypodidae.

<i>Velodona</i> Genus of octopuses

Velodona togata is a species of octopus in the monotypic genus Velodona. First described by Carl Chun in 1915, with a second subspecies discovered by Guy Coburn Robson in 1924, it was named for the distinctive membranes on its arms.

<i>Cirroteuthis</i> Genus of octopuses

Cirroteuthis muelleri, also known as the big-finned jellyhead, was the first cirrate octopus species to be scientifically described. It is closely related to the genus Cirrothauma within the family Cirroteuthidae. At present the genus contains a single recognized species restricted to the Arctic Ocean and northern basins of the Atlantic and Pacific, but other species may be present in the southern hemisphere.

<i>Eledone moschata</i> Species of cephalopods

Eledone moschata, the musky octopus, is a species of octopus belonging to the family Octopodidae.

<i>Muusoctopus levis</i> Species of octopus

Muusoctopus levis is a species of octopus in the family Enteroctopodidae. It was first described by William Evans Hoyle in 1885 in an article in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History detailing the new species of octopus found on HMS Challenger as part of the Challenger expedition; the type specimen was retrieved from the Southern Ocean. The species is found in subantarctic waters in the Southern Ocean, particularly surrounding Heard Island and Kerguelen Island, but specimens comparable to M. levis have also been found at the Antarctic Peninsula.

Stauroteuthis gilchristi is a species of small pelagic octopus found at great depths in the south Atlantic Ocean. It is believed to be one of a very small number of octopuses to exhibit bioluminescence, like its sister taxon Stauroteuthis syrtensis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curled octopus</span> Species of cephalopod

The curled octopus, also known as the horned octopus, lesser octopus or northern octopus, is a species of cephalopod found in the northeast Atlantic, ranging from Norway to the Mediterranean, including the British Isles. The total length of an adult is around 50 cm, but their arms are often tightly curled. It immobilises and eats large crustaceans by drilling a hole through their shell. It is mainly by-catch in commercial fisheries of the north eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, where the common octopus is the preferred species.

Eledone gaucha is a species of octopus from the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a predator of fish, crabs, lobsters and molluscs.

<i>Octopus salutii</i> Species of octopus

Octopus salutii or the spider octopus is a species of cephalopods in the family Octopodidae. It ranges from 4.0 to 13.0 cm ML in males and 3.5 to 16.5 cm ML in females. Octopus salutii are found at depths ranging from 100 to 700m however, they are most abundant at depths of 250 to 500m.

<i>Sepia elegans</i> Species of cuttlefish

Sepia elegans, the elegant cuttlefish, is a species of cuttlefish in the family Sepiidae from the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is an important species for fisheries in some parts of the Mediterranean where its population may have suffered from overfishing.

<i>Neorossia caroli</i> Species of mollusc

Neorossia caroli, the Carol bobtail squid, is a species of bobtail squid belonging to the family Sepiolidae.

Opisthoteuthis calypso or calypso flapjack octopus is a species of genus Opisthoteuthis, which are known as the cirrate octopuses. Octopuses in this genus are known as the flapjack octopuses and can be found in a variety of oceans across the world.

<i>Opisthoteuthis agassizii</i> Species of octopus

Opisthoteuthis agassizii is a lesser-known, deep-sea octopus first described in 1883 by Addison E. Verrill.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cuccu, D.; Mereu, M.; Follesa, M.C.; Deiana, A.M.; Cau, A. (March 2011). "Bathypolypus sponsalis (Cephalopoda: Octopoda) from the central western Mediterranean Sea". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 91 (2): 549–553. doi:10.1017/S0025315409000976. ISSN   0025-3154. S2CID   85628442.
  2. 1 2 Villanueva, Roger (June 1992). "Deep-sea cephalopods of the north-western Mediterranean: indications of up-slope ontogenetic migration in two bathybenthic species". Journal of Zoology. 227 (2): 267–276. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1992.tb04822.x.
  3. 1 2 3 Barratt, I. M.; Johnson, M. P.; Allcock, A. L. (January 2007). "Fecundity and reproductive strategies in deep-sea incirrate octopuses (Cephalopoda: Octopoda)". Marine Biology. 150 (3): 387–398. doi:10.1007/s00227-006-0365-6. ISSN   0025-3162. S2CID   84568180.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Quetglas, A.; González, M.; Carbonell, A.; Sánchez, P. (2001-04-23). "Biology of the deep-sea octopus Bathypolypus sponsalis (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) from the western Mediterranean Sea". Marine Biology. 138 (4): 785–792. doi:10.1007/s002270000495. ISSN   0025-3162. S2CID   84247057.
  5. ↑ Quetglas, A; Carbonell, A; Sánchez, P (June 2000). "Demersal Continental Shelf and Upper Slope Cephalopod Assemblages from the Balearic Sea (North-Western Mediterranean). Biological Aspects of Some Deep-Sea Species". Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 50 (6): 739–749. Bibcode:2000ECSS...50..739Q. doi:10.1006/ecss.1999.0603.
  6. ↑ Guerra, Ángel; Allcock, Louise; Pereira, João (November 2010). "Cephalopod life history, ecology and fisheries: An introduction". Fisheries Research. 106 (2): 117–124. doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2010.09.002. hdl: 10261/47919 . ISSN   0165-7836.
  7. ↑ Fanelli, Emanuela; Cartes, Joan E.; Papiol, Vanesa (2012). "Assemblage structure and trophic ecology of deep-sea demersal cephalopods in the Balearic basin (NW Mediterranean)". Marine and Freshwater Research. 63 (3): 264. doi:10.1071/MF11157. ISSN   1323-1650.
  8. 1 2 3 "Bathypolypus sponsalis, globose octopus". www.sealifebase.se. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  9. ↑ Barratt, Iain M.; Allcock, A. Louise (2010-10-01). "Ageing octopods from stylets: development of a technique for permanent preparations". ICES Journal of Marine Science. 67 (7): 1452–1457. doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsq047 . hdl: 10379/10359 . ISSN   1095-9289.
  10. ↑ Roura, Álvaro; Guerra, Ángel; González, Ángel F.; Pascual, Santiago (2009). "Sperm ultrastructure in Bathypolypus bairdii and B. sponsalis (Cephalopoda: Octopoda)". Journal of Morphology. 271 (2): 143–51. doi:10.1002/jmor.10787. hdl: 10261/48868 . PMID   19722250. S2CID   9779391.
  11. 1 2 3 P., D'Ongha, G. Tursi, A. Matarrese, A. Panetta (1993). Some aspects of the biology of Bathypolypus sponsalis (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) in the North Aegean Sea (Eastern Mediterranean Sea). Université Paris. Laboratoire Arago. OCLC   1228814813.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. 1 2 3 4 Quetglas, Antoni; Ordines, Francesc; González, María; Franco, Ignacio (August 2009). "Life history of the bathyal octopus Pteroctopus tetracirrhus (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) in the Mediterranean Sea". Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 56 (8): 1379–1390. Bibcode:2009DSRI...56.1379Q. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2009.02.007.
  13. ↑ Steven., Benjamins (1999). Multiple secondary defenses used by Octopus vulgaris when crypsis fails. Marine Biological Laboratory, Marine Resources Center. OCLC   839258698.
  14. ↑ Karamanlidis, Alexandros (2011-09-01). "Stomach Contents of a Subadult Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus) from the Aegean Sea". Aquatic Mammals. 37 (3): 280–283. doi:10.1578/am.37.3.2011.280. ISSN   0167-5427.
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