ID my new friend?

[sedna]

So the guys at the LFS said this octo came from the same place as my last 3 aculeatus, but they couldn't be more specific than that. It's not very big, the mantle is about 2 inches, the arms are long and spindley but all together it could sit in the palm of my hand. It looks a lot like the picture on p. 138 of Nancy and Colin's book. Any takers?

 

[Taollan]

It looks rather Octopus macropus-ish to me with the reddish coloration and large white spots on the arms. , so my first guess is something in the macropus species complex. Any idea where (s)he was collected? that would help greatly.

 

[sedna]

Not positive where it came from, just "the same area that the aculeatus came from- near the Phillipenes" is the best they could tell me. Looks like the pictures on pp. 87 and 138 in Nancy and Colin's book. They said that they have seen it eat crayfish, in the open during the day. It isn't much bigger that a crayfish itself. Do macropus get large?

 

[sedna]

It is very red, and the spots on the arms are iridescent blue...

 

[DWhatley]

I am going Bocki - look for some black spots on the underside of the body. Unfortunately, if I am correct, it is an adult. Look or enlarged suckers for a male. Females lay small eggs.

I will guess further since I have no reputation to defend and suggest it is female (from the fullness of the mantle) and that you will likely need to keep the hatchers accessable for another small egged trial.

 

[sedna]

Cool, so it's either a giant dwarf or a tiny giant. I'll throw in some jumbo shrimp and we'll call it oxymoron stew! Anyway, this bad boy was out last light- very friendly after 11pm. Can't list any more color distinctions because I was viewing under red lights. It was still out this morning at 8, but went to bed 1/2 hour later. The front two arms are stupid long compared to the rest of it, it just seem "daintier" than the aculeatus I've had. It doesn't look grown into it's suckers or something... it moves like an awkward teen- ager!

 

[Animal Mother]

Just a guess for the sake of throwing it out there... O. luteus.

 

[DWhatley]

Sedna,
If he is out this week, get a tape measure (we already know you have the typical female's perspective of size ) and see if you can get a measurement of the arms and the mantle. The current length (possibly eliminating some dwarf species) and proportions may help ID Thing 2.

 

[Taollan]

I have never seen O. bocki with such large white spots on the arms (http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/i...e-taxon=Octopus+bocki&title_tag=Octopus+bocki). As for the size if it is in the macropus species complex, O. macropus sensu stricto gets very large, but there are quite of few smaller examples, and several undescribed species in this species complex. O. luteus is in the macropus species complex, so I think Animal Mother is onto something there. O. luteus is a smaller species whose spotting pattern on the arm roughly match yours.

 

[DWhatley]

From your photo group, the arms appear far to short proportionatly for Thing 2 to be bocki. Is there a macropus that shows the blue green iridescence (note the eyes and Sedna's note that says the spots also show this highlighting).

I found this O. luteus photo that would suggest a better arm match and has tons of iridescence.