Ocythoe tuberculata

For the harpy of Greek mythology, see Ocypete.

"Football octopus" redirects here. For the oracular animal, see Paul the Octopus.

Tuberculate pelagic octopus

Specimen preserved in formaldehyde

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Cephalopoda
Order:	Octopoda
Superfamily:	Argonautoida
Family:	Ocythoidae Gray, 1849
Genus:	Ocythoe Rafinesque, 1814
Species:	O. tuberculata
Binomial name
*Ocythoe tuberculata* Rafinesque, 1814

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.

Ocythoe tuberculata is found in warm and temperate seas, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, such as the North Pacific Ocean off California.

Description

The females are around 1 metre (3.3 ft) long when full-grown. The males are considerably smaller at around 10 centimetres (3.9 in).

As a species, they are unique among cephalopods in possessing a true gas bladder . They are also one of the only known ovoviviparous cephalopod species. It is relatively unresearched in terms of behaviour and life cycle.

Young females and mature males have been observed residing inside salps, although little is known about this relationship.

Gallery

Male with attached hectocotylus that has broken free from its sac.
Cut-away drawing of the viscera.
Details of the hectocotylus.
O. tuberculata paralarva.

Lower (left) and upper beaks of female Ocythoe tuberculata in lateral view

3D red cyan glasses are recommended to view this image correctly.

External links

"CephBase: Ocythoe tuberculata". Archived from the original on 2005.
Tree of Life web project: Ocythoe tuberculata

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, January 03, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.