White octopus
| White octopus | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Praealtus | ||||||||||||
| Allcock , Collins , Piatkowski & Vecchione , 2004 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Praealtus paralbida | ||||||||||||
| Allcock , Collins , Piatkowski & Vecchione , 2004 |
The white octopus ( Praealtus paralbida ) is a cephalopod and the only species of the genus Praealtus that is monotypical with it. He lives in Antarctica . Described the species was first described by Louise Allcock , Ken Collins, Uwe Piatowski & Michael Vecchione in 2004. In the same year the species was established.
features
anatomy
The white octopus has a coat length of 82 millimeters and reaches a total length of 38 centimeters. The coat has a roughly spherical to round shape and is wider than the head.
The tentacles are of medium length and reach 2.5-3.4 times the length of the mantle. A species and genus-specific feature are the suction cups that cover the arms at irregular intervals. They are small and reach six percent of the length of the jacket. The species has no enlarged bowls. There are 66 suction cups on each arm. In the male paralbid prealtus , the third right arm forms the hectocotylus , which is usually a little shorter than the other arms. It forms between 38 and 42 suction cups. The ligula is round, flat and makes up five percent of the arm's length. It has no cross ribs. The Calmus is clearly visible and is about 50-70% the size of the ligula.
The webbing reaches around 30 percent of arm's length. There is no interbrachial swim bladder, or an ink bag or anal valves. The gills have 7–8 lamellae per demibranch . The funnel organ has a V-shaped appearance. The posterior salivary glands are much smaller than the pharynx. The radula consists of seven elements and seven rows of teeth, all of which are single-pointed. The central rhachis is also single-pointed and has three slightly smaller, single-pointed elements on each side. There are no side plates. The esophagus forms only a slight swelling, with no visible goiter.
Appearance
The color of the white octopus is uniform, ranging from slate gray to a pale, almost white purple. Like all real octopuses, Praealtus paralbida can adapt its appearance to its surroundings. This camouflage is based on a combination of different chromatophores and a change in the texture of the skin.
On the back, the surface of the skin is covered with numerous wart-like structures, so-called papillae. There are no papillae in the supracular area.
habitat
The white octopus lives in Antarctica. So far, however, it has only been detected in the waters around the Antarctic Peninsula at depths between 2896 and 3222 meters below sea level. The habitat of this species is unknown.
Reproduction
The spermatophores of males are elongated and almost double the length of the mantle. They are transmitted to the female with the hectocotylus. It is likely that the females will die after laying eggs. Older female animals have not yet been found. This process has been observed in many species of the real octopus.