Octopus balboai
| Octopus balboai | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Octopus balboai | ||||||||||||
| Voss , 1971 |
Octopus balboai is a cephalopod from the genus of octopus . He lives in the Pacific Ocean . The species was first described by Gilbert L. Voss in 1971.
etymology
The specific epithet balboai honors Vasco Núñez de Balboa , the first European to see the Gulf of Panama .
features
Octopus balboai is known to date only from a single preserved animal from the collection of the US National Museum. Live animals have not yet been examined. All known features therefore relate to this specimen.
anatomy
Octopus balboai has a coat length of 34 millimeters. The total length is 143.5 millimeters. The coat bends backwards and has an elongated-oval shape. The end of the mantle is blunt and ovoid. The widest point is in the middle. The head has a smaller width than the coat and is separated from the coat by a narrow point in the neck area. The mantle opening is of moderate size.
The length of the arms varies greatly. The shortest arm is around 50 millimeters long, the longest arm was measured at 88 millimeters in studies. The arms are covered with two rows of suction cups that are close together. The suction cups are relatively large, but none of them are noticeably enlarged. In male animals, however, the modified suction cups in the distal third of all arms are characteristic of this species . In males, this also affects the hectocotylus , which is formed by the third right arm. The fleshy edges of these altered suction cups are surrounded by small, pointed protrusions made of wart-like growths called papillae. These can only be observed when the arms are in liquid. The papillae then stand out clearly and give the suction cups a star-like or flower-like appearance. The change only affects the edges of the suction cups, which are rigid and their shape cannot be changed. Researchers suspect a sexual character behind the modified arms, similar to that of species in the genus Eledone. However, this assumption has not yet been proven, as no female animals have yet been examined. The hectocotyluse arm of the males is short, provided with a strongly curved ventral thin skin that forms the spermatophore groove. The ligula is small and of a slender, pointed shape. The length is five millimeters. The calmus is short and thick. He is clearly standing upright. The penis is large and has the shape of a crescent moon. At the center of its exit, the course of the spermatophore groove begins, which extends over the Hectocotylus.
The velar skin is poorly developed. It is only located between the individual arms, it is not present on the tentacles themselves. It is trained differently, but the deviations are very small. Octopus balboai has long arms that are strong at their bases and taper to long, slender tips.
The gills have six lamellae per demibranch . The funnel organ is small but powerful. It has a W-shaped appearance and is exposed halfway along its length. At the ends it is thick in appearance with narrow pointed protrusions. An ink pouch is provided and is embedded deep within the liver. The excretory canal connects to the rectum near the anal opening.
Appearance
When immersed in alcohol, the body has a purple-brown hue. On the back of the mantle, Octopus balboai is covered with faintly iridescent purple spots.
The skin is covered with small to large simple papillae on the arms, head, and back of the mantle. The largest are on the mantle surface. The edges of the eyes are also covered with papillae. These form individual groups and are close to one another. However, they do not form an ocular cirrus .
distribution and habitat
Octopus balboai occurs in the Pacific Ocean on the coasts of El Salvador and Panama , where, depending on the tide, it lives in intertidal or shallow subtidal coastal zones.
Systematics
Molecular studies show that there are currently numerous different genera within the genus Octopus . The taxonomic status of balboai has not yet been clarified and meaningful studies have not yet been completed. The assignment of the species to a genus is still pending. Until final results are available, the species is listed as Octopus balboai , so Jereb and colleagues put the genus name in apostrophes ( 'Octopus balboai' ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ P. Bouchet: Octopus balboai Voss , 1971. In MolluscaBase (2015). ( Online at Worldregister of Marinespecies )
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n G. L. Voss: Cephalopods collected by the R / V JOHN ELLIOTT PILLSBURY in the Gulf of Panama in 1967. 1971, In: Bulletin of Marine Science. Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 16-19. ( Online )
- ↑ a b c P. Jereb, CFE Roper, MD Norman, JK Finn (eds.): Cephalopods of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalog of cephalopod species known to date. Volume 3. Octopods and Vampire Squids. 2014, E- ISBN 978-92-5-107989-8 , S 207. ( PDF Online)
- ↑ a b c Clyde FE Roper, Katharina M. Mangold: O. Schutzi: A redescription with designation of Aphrodoctopus new genus (Cephalopoda, Octopodidae). ( Online )
- ↑ a b Cephalopods of the World. P. 187.
- ^ MD Norman, FG Hochberg: The current state of octopus taxonomy. 2005. In: Phuket Marine Biological Center Research Bulletin 66. p. 133. ( Online ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. )
