Opisthoteuthis hardyi

Opisthoteuthis hardyi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Octopoda
Family: Opisthoteuthidae
Genus: Opisthoteuthis
Species:
O. hardyi
Binomial name
Opisthoteuthis hardyi
Villanueva, Collins, Sánchez, & Voss, 2002[2]

Opisthoteuths 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.[3]

The specimen was medium-sized, with a mantle of 45 mm (1.8 in) long. The whole body was 250 mm (9.8 in) long.[4] It had some enlarged suckers, which is typical for male octopuses belonging to Opisthoteuthis. It also had a web connecting its long arms, which is common for cirrate octopuses and some incirrate octopuses.[3]

The specimen was found in the open ocean between 800 m (2,600 ft) and 1,000 m (3,300 ft) deep.[3] However, the true depth range is wider. After 2002, dozens more specimens, likely O. hardyi, were discovered on the Patagonian Shelf from 630–1,390 m (2,070–4,560 ft) deep.[5][6][7]

References

  1. ^ Lyons, G.; Allcock, L. (2014). "Opisthoteuthis hardyi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T176051A1425381. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T176051A1425381.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Opisthoteuthis hardyi Villanueva, Collins, Sánchez & Voss, 2002". World Register of Marine Species. Flanders Marine Institute.
  3. ^ a b c Roger Villanueva; Michael Vecchione; Richard E. Young (May 2003). "Opisthoteuthis hardyi". Tree of Life Web Project.
  4. ^ Sánchez, P.; Villanueva, R.; Voss, N.A. (2002). "Systematics, distribution and biology of the cirrate octopods of the genus Opisthoteuthis (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) in the Atlantic Ocean, with description of two new species". Bulletin of Marine Science. 71 (2): 933-985. ISSN 0007-4977.
  5. ^ Jereb, Patrizia; Roper, Clyde F.E.; Norman, Mark D.; Finn, Julian K. (2016). Cephalopods of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Cephalopod Species Known to Date (PDF). Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. 256. ISBN 978-92-5-107989-8.
  6. ^ Alan J. Southward; Craig M. Young; Lee A. Fuiman (June 2006). Advances in Marine Biology: Volume 50. Elsevier Science. ISBN 9780080463339.
  7. ^ Ashton Acton, Q. (2012). "New marine biology data have been reported by M.A. Collins and co-authors". Issues in Life Sciences: Aquatic and Marine Life: 2011 Edition. ScholarlyEditions. ISBN 9781464965487.

Further reading