 | This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: Better lead and overall cleaning.(May 2016) |
| Common New Zealand octopus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | P. cordiformis |
| Binomial name | |
| Pinnoctopus cordiformis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832) | |
Pinnoctopus cordiformis is a species of octopus found around the coasts of New Zealand. It is one of the most common species of octopus in the country.
Pinnoctopus cordiformis is identifiable by its orange-brown or purple-grey colouration; iridescent white spots are found on the arms and web. No white spots can be seen on the mantle. [1]
Pinnoctopus has been seen to reach sizes of over 1m in length and 9 kilograms in weight, however, specimens of this size are seldom seen, due to residing in deeper waters.
Pinnoctopus cordiformis's closest relative is Octopus huttoni . The two can be easily distinguished by comparing a range of features: Octopus huttoni is about the size of a fist when fully mature, so is considerably smaller than the P, cordiformis; Octopus huttoni has a single row of suckers, which run up each tentacle, as opposed to Pinnoctopus, which has two rows of oppositely-arranged suckers. [2] [3] Octopus species have no bone structure, which allows easy escape from confined spaces; they also can avoid towed nets, making them difficult to study in the wild. [4]
Pinnoctopus cordiformis has a globe-shaped mantle, which contains the vital organs. it also has a mouth and sharp beak which is used for killing prey. The skin of the octopus is smooth and can change colour slightly to hide from both predators and prey. As a form of self-defense, the octopus can release ink to deter a predator. The eyes of an octopus are considered to be far more developed than those of many other marine species, they are primarily nocturnal and undertake a range of techniques to both escape predators and find prey.
Pinnoctopus cordiformis is primarily found in New Zealand, however they have also been recorded to have been recognized off the coast of South Australia. [5] [6]
Pinnoctopus cordiformis is known as a reef octopus, and has been found around New Zealand in Stewart Island (47˚S) to the south of Leigh (36˚S); they have also been found in the Chatham Islands (35˚S to 48˚S). [5] [6] It is one of the most common species of octopus in the country. [7]
Pinnoctopus has been found in waters as deep as 300m, however, it can be found in shallow waters close to coastlines. [8] They are commonly found on the sea floor and occasionally in shallow tidal rock pools. As it grows it ventures into subtidal reefs, here they are among the largest predators feeding off crayfish, crabs, and shellfish. [9] Seagrass and seaweed beds are also common habitats for the Pinnoctopus cordiformis.
The life cycle of Pinnoctopus cordifomis is relatively short. Once they reach full size, they find a mate. The male dies after mating; females brood their eggs in a den for approximately 80 days. She does not feed for the duration or leave the den. A short time before the eggs hatch, the female ventures out and dies a short distance away from the den. [8]
Pinnoctopus cordiformis can have 56,000–232,000 eggs; other octopuses such as Thaumeledone zeiss , a rare deep-sea octopus only has tens of eggs.
Octopods have two different strategies in terms of spawning, the female can either hatch a few large eggs which are well-developed hatchlings and adopt the benthic promptly, or spawn large quantities of small eggs that hatch into 'planktonic free-swimming paralarvae', which have small suckers, few chromatophores, and a translucent musculature. [2] [3] [10]
The eggs of Pinnoctopus cordifomis are of intermediate size (6.43 ± 0.21 mm L; 1.45 ± 0.11 mm W; 6.41 ± 0.52 mg TW) the yolk can be seen through the wall of the egg and represents approximately 57% of the eggs size, they are pear-shaped. Once the eggs are hatched paralarvae are released which survive without intervention for the duration of their life cycle. [8]
The lifespan of Pinnoctopus cordiformis has been seldom studied; however, it is predicted to be between 12–24 months, depending on mating time.
Pinnoctopus cordiformis leaps on any potential prey, wraps its tentacles around it, and paralyzes it with a salivary toxin. The octopus then uses its 'parrot-like' beak to break up and digest the prey. They generally wait by the entrances of caves or crevasses for unsuspecting fish, crustaceans, mollusks, octopuses, and other edible invertebrates. [11] [12]
Pinnoctopus cordiformis has the ability to break open shellfish with its beak or by pulling it apart to eat the fish inside. [9]
Rock lobster and blue cod are two of the primary prey options for Pinnoctopus cordiformis, they get into fishing pots and devour the catch before the fisherman gets a chance. In spring 1970 the Hokianga mean morality rate for blue cod and rock lobster increased to 35%. [1]
Pinncotopus cordiformis has a large number of predators which are largely the reason for the relatively small and dispersed population. New Zealand sea lions, Buller's albatross, sharks and whales all prey on Pinnoctopus.
A Maori legend states that the Polynesian navigator Kupe followed a giant octopus known as Te Wheke-o-Muturangi. This octopus was eating all the fish needed for the tribe. Kupe eventually tracked it down in the Cook Strait and killed it by tricking it into holding some water containers while he struck it on the head.
Early Maori used to catch octopus by hand. One hand would act as bait whilst the other was used to pick it up and kill it. [13]
Pinnoctopus cordiformis has been regarded as a synonym of Octopus maorum and there is no existing type specimen of P. cordiformis. There do appear to be consistent differences between specimens identified as P. cordiformis and those identified as O. maorum which suggests that there is a second species but this species more closely resembles a species of the genus Enteroctopus , with the description closely resembling Enteroctopus zealandicus . [14] The name the name Pinnoctopus cordiformis is regarded as unresolved, a nomen dubium , [15] by some authorities. [14]
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.
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.
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot. Fishers sometimes call cephalopods "inkfish", referring to their common ability to squirt ink. The study of cephalopods is a branch of malacology known as teuthology.
The vampire squid is a small cephalopod found throughout temperate and tropical oceans in extreme deep sea conditions. The vampire squid uses its bioluminescent organs and its unique oxygen metabolism to thrive in the parts of the ocean with the lowest concentrations of oxygen. It has two long retractile filaments, located between the first two pairs of arms on its dorsal side, which distinguish it from both octopuses and squids, and places it in its own order, Vampyromorphida, although its closest relatives are octopods. As a phylogenetic relict, it is the only known surviving member of its order.
The Gonatidae, also known as armhook squid, are a family of moderately sized squid. The family contains about 19 species in three genera, widely distributed and plentiful in cold boreal waters of the Pacific Ocean. At least one species is known from Antarctic waters, and two from the North Atlantic. The genus Eogonatus was created for the species known as Eogonatus tinro because it did not have hooks on the tentacular club and it has 5 rows of teeth on the radula. Molecular studies in allozymes and mitochondrial DNA have indicated that this species nests within the genus Gonatus, although other authorities treat it as a synonym of Gonatopsis okutanii.
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 to 5 years.
Opisthoteuthis californiana, also known as the flapjack octopus, or flapjack devilfish is a species of umbrella octopus.
Doryteuthis opalescens, the opalescent inshore squid or market squid, is a small squid in the family Loliginidae. It is a myopsid squid, which is the near shore group and that means that they have corneas over their eyes. The species lives in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Mexico's Baja California peninsula to Alaska, United States, and as an inshore squid it can be found with a range of 200 miles (320 km) off the coast.
The giant Pacific octopus, also known as the North Pacific giant octopus, is a large marine cephalopod belonging to the genus Enteroctopus. Its spatial distribution encompasses much of the coastal North Pacific, from the Mexican state of Baja California, north along the United States' West Coast, and British Columbia, Canada; across the northern Pacific to the Russian Far East, south to the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea, the Sea of Japan, Japan's Pacific east coast, and around the Korean Peninsula. It can be found from the intertidal zone down to 2,000 m (6,600 ft), and is best-adapted to colder, oxygen- and nutrient-rich waters. It is, arguably, the largest octopus species on earth and can often be found in aquariums and research facilities in addition to the ocean.
Cephalopods, which include squids and octopuses, vary enormously in size. The smallest are only about 1 centimetre (0.39 in) long and weigh less than 1 gram (0.035 oz) at maturity, while the giant squid can exceed 10 metres (33 ft) in length and the colossal squid weighs close to half a tonne (1,100 lb), making them the largest living invertebrates. Living species range in mass more than three-billion-fold, or across nine orders of magnitude, from the lightest hatchlings to the heaviest adults. Certain cephalopod species are also noted for having individual body parts of exceptional size.
The Gonatus onyx is in the class Cephalopoda, in the phylum Mollusca. It is also known as the Clawed arm hook squid or the Black-eyed squid. It got these names from the characteristic black eye and from its two arms with clawed hooks on the end that extend a bit further than the other arms. It is a squid in the family Gonatidae, found most commonly in the northern Pacific Ocean from Japan to California. They are one of the most abundant cephalopods off the coast of California, mostly found at deeper depths, rising during the day most likely to feed.
Enteroctopus megalocyathus, also known as Patagonian red octopus (EN), Pulpo del sur (Chile) and Pulpo colorado (Argentina); is a medium-sized octopus, and the type species for the genus Enteroctopus.
Macroctopus maorum is known more commonly as the Maori octopus or the New Zealand octopus. It is found in the waters around New Zealand and southern Australia. M. maorum is one of the largest and most aggressive octopus species living in the New Zealand and Australian waters. They feed mainly on crustaceans and fish. Although they have a short life span, the females lay thousands of eggs and are very protective of them.
Octopus aquaculture describes the captive-raising of octopuses and commercial sale of their meat. A complex and labor-intensive form of farming, octopus aquaculture is being driven by strong market demand in the Mediterranean and in South American and Asian countries. Annual global demand for octopus more than doubled from 1980 to 2019, from roughly 180,000 to about 370,000 tons. The supply of octopus has been constrained by overfishing in many key fisheries and proponents of farming suggest human-induced culturing could help restock natural populations. Opponents of the nascent industry argue that cephalopod intelligence and emotional capacity, as well as the solitary and carnivorous character of octopuses, make them particularly ill-suited to intensive, captive breeding. Commercial sale may stimulate market demand, hastening rather than offsetting the decline in wild stocks. An announcement that a Spanish firm would begin octopus aquaculture as early as 2022 prompted ethical and scientific controversy.
Illex coindetii, commonly known as the southern shortfin squid or broadtail shortfin squid, is a species of neritic squids in the family Ommastrephidae. They are found in the Mediterranean Sea and on both sides of the north Atlantic Ocean.
Octopus maya, known colloquially as the Mexican four-eyed octopus, is a shallow water octopus that can be found in the tropical Western Atlantic Ocean. It is common to sea grass prairies and coral formations. The species was initially discovered in an octopus fishery in Campeche Mexico, where its close external resemblance to Octopus vulgaris led to its mistaken grouping with the other species. O. maya makes up 80% of octopus catch in the Yucatán Peninsula, while O. vulgaris makes up the remaining 20%.
Wunderpus photogenicus, the wunderpus octopus, is a small-bodied species of octopus with distinct white and rusty brown coloration. 'Wunderpus' from German “wunder” meaning ‘marvel or wonder’.
Octopus bimaculatus, commonly referred to as Verill's two-spot octopus, is a similar species to the Octopus bimaculoides, a species it is often mistaken for. The two can be distinguished by the difference in the blue and black chain-like pattern of the ocelli. O. bimaculatus hunt and feed on a diverse number of benthic organisms that also reside off the coast of Southern California. Once the octopus reaches sexual maturity, it shortly dies after mating, which is approximately 12–18 months after hatching. Embryonic development tends to be rapid due to this short lifespan of these organisms.
Opisthoteuthis agassizii is a lesser-known, deep-sea octopus first described in 1883 by Addison E. Verrill.
Octopus sinensis is a mollusk belonging to the class Cephalopoda. Octopus sinensis is a well-known shallow-water benthic octopus species found in the coastal, temperature waters of South Korea, China, and Japan, with the species name, sinensis being Latin for Chinese. Octopus sinensis is closely related to the Atlantic and Mediterranean common octopus, Octopus vulgaris. Because of the morphological similarities, O. sinensis was considered synonymous with Octopus vulgaris until 2017. Octopus sinensis are carnivores that prey upon on many shallow-water animals such as crustaceans and mollusks.