| Flapjack octopus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Octopoda |
| Family: | Opisthoteuthidae |
| Genus: | Opisthoteuthis |
| Species: | O. californiana |
| Binomial name | |
| Opisthoteuthis californiana | |
Opisthoteuthis californiana, also known as the flapjack octopus, [3] or flapjack devilfish [4] is a species of umbrella octopus.
Flapjack octopuses usually appear pinkish. [5] They have fins above their eyes, similar to those found on some species of squid. Their maximum size is 20 cm (7.9 in) mantle length. [5] They have eight arms (like any other octopus), but these affixed together in an umbrella shape. [6] However unlike other octopus, they are unable to camouflage by changing skin color and texture. [7] They have a gelatinous body, which spreads into a parachute shape when maneuvering through dimly lit water. [6] They swim by moving their fins, pulsing their webbed arms, pushing water through their funnel for jet propulsion, or all three at once. [8]
O. californiana has a distribution in the northern and northeastern Pacific Ocean, ranging in the west from off central Honshū (Japan) and the Sea of Okhotsk, its northernmost range is the Bering Sea, and its eastern range is along the western coast of North America as far south as Eureka Bar, California (the type locality, at 350 m depth). [9] The depth at which the species occurs typically ranges from 124 to 823 m, [10] but more recent records indicate that they may occur down to 1500 m. [5] Lives at the muddy seafloor off coast of the northern pacific ocean. [4] [7]
Opisthoteuthis species (like other cirrate octopuses) use continuous spawning, where the female lays one or two large eggs at a time over several years (rather than a large batch near the end of her lifespan). These eggs have a hard, protective outer shell (unlike the eggs of incirrate octopus) and are not brooded or protected by the mother, the hatched young undergo direct development (lacking the paralarvae stage of incirrate octopus) and are likely benthic. [11]
Mature O. californiana females carry about 1400–2380 eggs in their ovary, with the individually spawned mature eggs measuring 11 mm long. Estimations of egg hatching time (using water temperature and egg size) for O. californiana are up to 1.4 years at 4°C. [11] [12]
Mating has never been observed in O. californiana; the males lack the hectocotylus of typical octopus, instead having a series of enlarged suckers that presumably have a role in mating or competition. [11] Males move seasonally, and occur in shallower waters during the summer. [13]
O. californiana is one of 14 species in the genus Opisthoteuthis, these species are also collectively known as the flapjack devilfishes (due to the anterior-posterior compression of their bodies). [14] O. californiana is morphologically very similar to Opisthoteuthis albatrossi , and they may be the same species, but the two have never been critically compared (due to the latter being historically placed in the genus Stauroteuthis ). [15] If they are conspecific, O. californiana would be a synonym of O. albatrossi (as the latter was described first in 1920, the former in 1949). Another undescribed Opisthoteuthis species may occur in the north-east Pacific, overlapping the distribution of O. californiana; this species is still being described, but in the media was given the name 'Opisthoteuthis adorabilis' (but this is not yet a valid scientific binomial name, as it lacks a published description). [16]
The stomach contents of eight members of O. californiana were found to contain small benthic/epibenthic crustaceans, including copepods, isopods, mysids, and small shrimp (crangonid or hippolytid). From observations of other Opisthoteuthis species, the extensive arm webbing is possibly used to trap small crustaceans, with the cirri and suckers moving small prey items towards the mouth (a fairly low-energy feeding strategy compared to shallow-water octopus). [11] [17]
In the Finding Nemo franchise, one of Nemo's classmates, Pearl, is a flapjack octopus. [18] Flapjack octopuses also appear in ABZU along the sea floor. [19]
Currently, [20] in Monterey Canyon, research is going on with scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, with several Opisthoteuthis sp. specimens (including a fertile octopus) that resemble O. californiana (in media these were given the informal name Opisthoteuthis 'adorabilis'). Due to the challenges of mimicking their deep sea environment in captivity, some of the octopuses lived only for a few months, but some hope remains, as some of the eggs from the octopus have been incubating for a year (as of 2015) and they may yet hatch. [20]
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.
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.
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.
Opisthoteuthis is a genus of cirrate octopuses, sometimes known as flapjack octopuses, which are found in all the world's oceans.
Opisthoteuthis chathamensis, commonly known as the roughy umbrella octopus, is a species of cirrate octopus restricted to demersal habitats surrounding the Chatham Rise in New Zealand.
Opisthoteuthis mero, commonly known as Mero's umbrella octopus, is a species of cirrate octopus from demersal habitats surrounding New Zealand. O. mero is the most documented New Zealand Opisthoteuthis species, with over 100 reference specimens. O. mero reaches a maximum length of 34 cm (13 in), and a mantle length of 9 cm (3.5 in).
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.
Opisthoteuthis agassizii is a lesser-known, deep-sea octopus first described in 1883 by Addison E. Verrill.
Opisthoteuthis albatrossi is a cirrate octopus originally found off Kinkasan in Japan. This species was described from only four specimens. It is similar to Opisthoteuthis californiana; the two may be the same species. It is also similar to Opisthoteuthis japonica.
Opisthoteuthis borealis is a lesser-known species of octopus found near Greenland and Iceland, especially in the Davis Strait. The species was described from 9 specimens, and is one of the most recent Opisthoteuthis species described. Not much is known about it besides its anatomy and habitat.
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.
Opisthoteuthis grimaldii is an octopus found near the Azores.
Opisthoteuthis hardyi is a lesser-known octopus species. It was described in 2002 from a male caught off the Shag Rocks, which are far south in the Atlantic Ocean near the Falkland Islands.
Opisthoteuthis massyae is an octopus living in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Opisthoteuthis medusoides is a cirrate octopus living off the coast of Tanzania near Dar es Salaam. However, its actual range may be more extensive.
Opisthoteuthis persephone is a cirrate octopus living south of Australia. In particular, it lives in waters off Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia. The octopus has been found 270–540 m (885.8–1,771.7 ft) deep. It lives near and directly above the seafloor. S. Stillman Berry was the first to scientifically describe this species after capturing eight specimens while aboard the F.I.S. Endeavour in the early 1910s. In describing O. persephone, Berry called it an "exceedingly interesting octopod".
Opisthoteuthis philipii is an octopus of the Indian Ocean. It lives off the coast of Kerala, India. Known specimens were found between 275–365 m (902–1,198 ft) deep in the Arabian Sea near Alappuzha.
Opisthoteuthis pluto is a deep-sea cirrate octopus found in the Great Australian Bight south of Australia. They live 270–810 m (890–2,660 ft) below the surface in the bathyal zone. Although their habitat is threatened, it is unclear how the species is affected, if at all. O. pluto is named for the Greek and Roman god of the Underworld.
Opisthoteuthis robsoni, also known as the deep-water umbrella octopus, is a deep-sea octopus living off New Zealand on the Chatham Rise. It has been found from 1,178–1,723 m (3,865–5,653 ft) below the surface. Not much is known about the octopus' habitat or life cycle, as only four specimens have been found. It occupies the benthic zone, or the seafloor and the water directly above it. O. robsoni eats large amphipods.
Octopus californicus is an octopus in the family Octopodidae. It is provisionally assigned to the genus Octopus, but some scholars have concluded it belongs in other genera. O. californicus was first documented by S. Stillman Berry in 1911.
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