Cirroteuthis

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Cirroteuthis
Cirroteuthis muelleri.jpeg
Cirroteuthis muelleri observed during the Arctic 2005 Exploration, NOAA-OE
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Octopoda
Family: Cirroteuthidae
Genus: Cirroteuthis
Eschricht, 1836
Species:
C. muelleri
Binomial name
Cirroteuthis muelleri
Eschricht, 1836 [1]
Synonyms
  • Sciadephorus Reinhardt and Prosch, 1846

Cirroteuthis muelleri, also known as the big-finned jellyhead, [2] was the first cirrate octopus species (and genus) to be scientifically described (in 1836). It is closely related to the genus Cirrothauma within the family Cirroteuthidae. [3] 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. [4] [5]

Contents

Description

Cirroteuthis muelleri can reach a maximum length of 400 mm (mantle length 170 mm). [6] Statements that C. muelleri reaches up to 1.5 m total length are erroneous (and involve unidentified Cirrothauma , then regarded as Cirroteuthis sp., [7] being mistakenly assumed to be C. muelleri). [5] [6] It is off white or pale purple, with the inner side of the arms and the webs being brownish-purple. [4]

The head has well developed eyes with lenses. The upper and lower beaks are thin and relatively weak. The body is gelatinous and fragile. The arms are nearly equal in length. A pair of translucent webs joins the dorsal and ventral sides of the arms together and the webs terminate at a nodule. The first 7 or 8 suckers are cup-shaped and raised on thick stalks, numbers 2 and 3 being the largest. There are a further 30 or so smaller suckers with delicate stalks. Between the suckers are conspicuous cirri up to 19 mm (0.75 in) long. These are elongate, fleshy tendrils set along the sides of the oral surface of the arms, the longest being in the mid-arm region. Both the suckers and the cirri do not extend as far as the tip of the arm. [4] [8]

The fins are elliptical when viewed from the side. They are wide, and longer than the width of the head. The aperture of the mantle is narrow and the funnel is long. [8]

Various views of C. muelleri from a Census of Marine Life cruise to the Canadian Basin Cirroteuthis muelleri NOAA.jpg
Various views of C. muelleri from a Census of Marine Life cruise to the Canadian Basin

Distribution

Cirroteuthis muelleri is a deep sea species. It is found in cold seas in the boreal Arctic, the north Atlantic Ocean, and the north Pacific Ocean. [1] In the southern hemisphere at least three specimens have been captured of Cirroteuthis cf. muelleri from New Zealand and Australia, which may represent a new species. [5] [9]

Habitat

Cirroteuthis muelleri is benthopelagic, meaning it is found swimming or drifting in the 10 m (33 ft) or so immediately above the sea bed. It is usually found at depths of over 2,000 m (6,600 ft). [8] At these depths, practically no light penetrates, the temperature is about 4 °C, and observation is only possible by submersible, which makes these octopuses difficult to collect. Their ecology and biology are little known, but they seem to be fairly common in the seas around Greenland.

Biology

In a study of Arctic cephalopods, three specimens of Cirroteuthis muelleri, all female, were caught near the ocean floor at 3,000–3,300 m (9,800–10,800 ft). The eggs were found to be large and were laid on the bottom, singly. [10] The diet of C. muelleri (from stomach contents of 18 specimens) was found to comprise small crustaceans (Calanoida, Mysidacea, Isopoda) and polychaetes (Polynoidae), all small benthic or epibenthic prey items. The largest mysids consumed were estimated at 14.6 mm long, and the largest polychaete was estimated at 24.3 mm. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirroteuthidae</span> Family of octopuses

Cirroteuthidae is a family of pelagic cirrate octopuses comprising at least three species in two genera.

<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.

Luteuthis dentatus, also known as Lu's jellyhead, is a medium-sized species of cirrate octopus found in the southwestern Pacific, originally described by Steve O'Shea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Umbrella octopus</span> Family of molluscs

Umbrella octopuses are a group of pelagic octopuses. Umbrella octopuses are characterized by a web of skin between the arms, causing them to somewhat resemble an opened umbrella when the arms are spread.

<i>Stauroteuthis</i> Genus of octopuses

Stauroteuthis is a genus of deepwater cirrate octopus, a cephalopod mollusk. This is the only genus in the family Stauroteuthidae, and only three species have been described in this genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teuthology</span> Study of cephalopods

Teuthology is the study of cephalopods. Cephalopods are members of the class Cephalopoda in the Phylum Mollusca. Some common examples of cephalopods are octopus, squid, and cuttlefish. Teuthology is a large area of study that covers cephalopod life cycles, reproduction, evolution, anatomy and taxonomy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirrina</span> Suborder of octopuses

Cirrina or Cirrata is a suborder and one of the two main divisions of octopuses. Cirrate octopuses have a small, internal shell and two fins on their head, while their sister suborder Incirrina has neither. The fins of cirrate octopods are associated with a unique cartilage-like shell in a shell sac. In cross-section, the fins have distinct proximal and distal regions, both of which are covered by a thin surface sheath of muscle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Incirrata</span> Suborder of octopuses

Incirrata is a suborder of the order Octopoda. The suborder contains the classic "benthic octopuses," as well as many pelagic octopus families, including the paper nautiluses. The incirrate octopuses are distinguished from the cirrate octopuses by the absence in the former of the "cirri" filaments for which the cirrates are named, as well as by the lack of paired swimming fins on the head, and lack of a small internal shell.

<i>Stauroteuthis syrtensis</i> Species of octopus

Stauroteuthis syrtensis, also known as the glowing sucker octopus or bioluminescent octopus, is a species of small pelagic octopus found at great depths in the north Atlantic Ocean. It is one of a very small number of octopuses to exhibit bioluminescence.

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">Cirrate shell</span> Internal shell of cirrate octopuses

Cirrate octopuses possess a well-developed internal shell that supports their muscular swimming fins. This is in contrast to the more familiar, finless, incirrate octopuses, in which the shell remnant is either present as a pair of stylets or absent altogether.

Cryptoteuthis brevibracchiata, the short-arm flapjack octopod, is a deepwater species of octopod. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Cryptoteuthis one of the cirrate octopuses of the family Grimpoteuthidae, the umbrella octopuses. It is known from a single specimen which was collected in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. It has characteristics which are shared with two other genera, Opisthoteuthis and Grimpoteuthis, but is sufficiently distinctive from either of these to warrant the erection of a new genus.

Luteuthis is a small genus of cirrate octopuses currently placed in the family Grimpoteuthidae. There are two species classified in this genus one from waters west of New Zealand and the other from the South China Sea.

<i>Cirrothauma magna</i> Species of octopus

Cirrothauma magna, also known as the big-eye jellyhead, is a species of deep-sea cirrate octopus that has been found in the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans. It is known from four damaged specimens. Their shells are somewhat saddle-shaped. C. magna is the sister taxon of Cirrothauma murrayi, but can be readily distinguished by having large and well developed eyes.

Grimpoteuthis abyssicola, commonly known as the red jellyhead, is a species of small deep-sea octopus known from two specimens. The holotype specimen was a female collected on the Lord Howe Rise, between 3154 and 3180 meters depth. A second specimen was collected on the continental slope of south-eastern Australia between 2821 and 2687 m depth.

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.

Opisthoteuthis bruuni is a species of finned cirrate octopus found along the western coast of South America. Their tissue is almost jelly-like, and they have short, round bodies.

Opisthoteuths massyae is an octopus living in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

Grimpoteuthis greeni is a dumbo octopus found in deep waters off southern Australia. The species was initially described from three specimens, with a further three specimens identified since then.

References

  1. 1 2 Cirroteuthis muelleri - Eschricht, 1836. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
  2. ↑ O'Shea, Steve (March 9, 2019). "Deep-sea finned Octopoda of New Zealand". Octopus News Magazine. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020.
  3. ↑ Piertney, Stuart B.; Hudelot, Cendrine; Hochberg, F. G.; Collins, Martin A. (2003-05-01). "Phylogenetic relationships among cirrate octopods (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) resolved using mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA sequences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 27 (2): 348–353. doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(02)00420-7. ISSN   1055-7903. PMID   12695097.
  4. 1 2 3 Vecchione, M. & R.E. Young 2003. Cirroteuthis Eschricht, 1836. The Tree of Life Web Project.
  5. 1 2 3 Verhoeff, Tristan Joseph (2022-06-17). "Finned octopus Cirroteuthis Eschricht, 1836 (Cephalopoda: Cirrata: Cirroteuthidae) confirmed from Australian waters". Molluscan Research. 42 (3): 205–211. doi:10.1080/13235818.2022.2087143. ISSN   1323-5818. S2CID   249837870.
  6. 1 2 3 Golikov, Alexey V.; Artemev, Gleb M.; Blicher, Martin E.; Gudmundsson, Gudmundur; Jørgensen, Lis L.; Olafsdottir, Steinunn H.; Walkusz, Wojciech; Zakharov, Denis V.; Zimina, Olga L.; Sabirov, Rushan M. (2022-03-01). "Deep and cold: are Boreal and Arctic finned octopods, Stauroteuthis syrtensis and Cirroteuthis muelleri (Cephalopoda, Octopoda, Cirrata), ecological analogues?". Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 181: 103706. Bibcode:2022DSRI..18103706G. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2022.103706. ISSN   0967-0637. S2CID   246465250.
  7. ↑ Roper, Clyde F. E.; Brundage, Walter L. (1972). "Cirrate octopods with associated deep-sea organisms: new biological data based on deep benthic photographs (Cephalopoda)". Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 121 (121): 1–46. doi:10.5479/si.00810282.121.
  8. 1 2 3 Cirroteuthis muelleri. Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
  9. ↑ O'Shea, Steve (1999). "The marine fauna of New Zealand: Octopoda (Mollusca: Cephalopoda)". NIWA Biodiversity Memoirs. 112: 5–278.
  10. ↑ Nesis, Kir N. (2001). "West-Arctic and East-Arctic distributional ranges of cephalopods" (PDF). Sarsia. 86: 1–11. doi:10.1080/00364827.2001.10420456. S2CID   86994226. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
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