Opisthoteuthis persephone | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Cephalopoda |
Order: | Octopoda |
Family: | Opisthoteuthidae |
Genus: | Opisthoteuthis |
Species: | O. persephone |
Binomial name | |
Opisthoteuthis persephone Berry, 1918 [2] | |
Opisthoteuthis (Exsuperoteuthis) persephone is a cirrate octopus found off southern Australia [3] . The species was described by S. Stillman Berry from eight specimens captured by the F.I.S. Endeavour in the early 1910s [4] [5] . In describing O. persephone, Berry called it an "exceedingly interesting octopod" [4] . The species has recently been redescribed and allocated as the type of genus Exsuperoteuthis [6] .
According to the first description as given by Berry, Opisthoteuthis persephone was neither very small nor very large when compared to other octopuses, with the largest measuring 330 mm in arm span [4] [7] .
The species (like others of its family) is soft and gelatinous and is somewhat flat, almost disk-like given the extensive arm webbing, and has small fins. The arm suckers are sexually dimorphic, with males having enlarged suckers. The species has 80–90 suckers per arm, and on males 30–40 suckers on each arm are greatly enlarged (spanning most of the proximal and central arm regions). This pattern of male sucker enlargement is unique to the species [6] . The species has 6 (rarely 7) lamellae per gill, and has a bilobed digestive gland [5] [6] . Externally, the animal is white or grey over the body, head and outer arm faces, with small spots along the arms, and is a greyish blue-purple on the oral faces of the arms and webbing [6] .
In 1993, John M. Healy described the spermatozoa of this species (using museum specimens) [8] .
Exsuperoteuthis persephone was originally described from material collected in the Great Australian Bight (southern Australia) and off southeastern Australia [4] [6] . With collection of additional material the species is now known from most of southern Australia, including off Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia. The species is benthic (occurring on or just above the seafloor) from 274–595 m depth [5] [6] .
Cirroteuthidae is a family of pelagic cirrate octopuses comprising at least three species in two genera.
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.
Opisthoteuthis californiana, also known as the flapjack octopus, or flapjack devilfish is a species of umbrella octopus.
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.
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 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 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 depressa, also known as the Japanese flapjack octopus, is an octopus found in waters near Japan.
Opisthoteuthis dongshaensis is a species of octopus located in the South China Sea.
Opisthoteuthis extensa is a species of octopus found off the west coast of Sumatra, an Indonesian island. It lives at a recorded depth of 768 m (2,520 ft). O. extensa lives in a benthic habitat, like many other cirrate octopuses. It occupies a deep part of the ocean where little sunlight penetrates.
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 pluto is a deep-sea cirrate octopus found off southern Australia in the bathyal zone. The species was described by S. Stillman Berry in 1918, and has recently been re-described. The species 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.