Long time no see...need an ID...

[AW2EOD]

It's been a long time...glad to see everyone still here, from when I was. My old Bimac died, unfortunately, but I picked this guy up from a local reefer, who didnt want it.

I know it's not a Bimac, but I'm stumped for an ID.

Can anyone help?

 

[corw314]

Awww....He's really cute. I want to say some type of dwarf.

Carol

 

[AW2EOD]

I was under the impression, from talking to numerous friends that have kept Dwarfs, that they never come out and are hardly active. They typically just find a certain spot they like and stay put. And, they're mainly nocturnal.

This guy is pretty active...building his home up, quite nicely, in the PVC. If the lights are on, he's out and about. Once the lights go out, he heads straight for the PVC and barricades himself in for the night.

 

[AW2EOD]

This has been up since Dec. 30th and I've had one reply??

 

[Tintenfisch]

I think a lot of people aren't online as much over the holidays.
Don't suppose there's any location data for the little guy... is he wild-caught or captive-bred? Carol's right in any case, he is really cute.

 

[Colin]

Has the octopus grown much since you got it? Still acting the same?

Funny, i was just recently saying that we dont get as many octopus IDs to do these days!!!

Not sure, wouldnt like to stab a guess at it yet, the activity is unusual compared to the dwarf octos i had... how is it when you are near it?

 

[Nancy]

Was this a hitchhiker octo - you say you picked him up from a local reefer?

And how large is he: mantle length, legs?

He's a fine little octopus - does he have a name?

Nancy

 

[Neogonodactylus]

Octopus digueti

From the color, size and papillae under the eye, my guess would be Octopus digueti, a very common lower intertidal octopus from Baja. With luck, it could be a female that has mated. This species has relatively large eggs that hatch into bottom-living young that can be raised. Life span is short, a little over half a year and maximum size is a mantle length of around 5 cm.. We have one in the lab currently and while she will eat during the day, we never see her out except at night. Like a few other species, this beast has a habit of sitting with its two front arms pulled up between its eyes and over its head.

Roy

 

[AW2EOD]

Wow...lots of responces, all the sudden.

To answer some questions...

Tintenfisch: I'm not sure if he was wild caught or aquacultured. The person I got him from bought him from a LFS.

Colin: He has grown since I've gotten him...quite a bit, in fact. He still acts the same (is out quite a bit during the day, isnt shy, likes to play in the culerpa).

Nancy: Mantle is probably 2" - 2.5" and arm tip to arm tip, I'd say about 4" - 5". I havent named him as I dont have good luck with naming fish. It seems that every fish that me or my ex girlfriend ever named has died, for some reason. The fish that I currently have dont have names and they're all fine. lol

Dr. Roy: Glad to see you here...I didnt think you were apart of this board. From what you described, of yours, it sounds just like mine. Mine will sit, exactly like you're describing...with 2 legs wrapped up between it's eyes.

Here are some new pics:

 

[main_board]

I'm sorry to all other octo owners out there, but I have to say that this is the cutest octopus I've ever seen. And what a personality to match! Great find!

It'd be interesting to see if her (if its a her) babies (if she's been fertilized) display any similar personality traits, such as being more active than normal. Enjoy you time with this special creature.

Cheers!