Penelope - O.Vulgaris

[cuttlegirl]

After poring over a even more complex paper... it mentioned Octopus insularis from the Caribbean. http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/octopus insularis.php

http://www.cebc.cnrs.fr/publipdf/2010/2010_GICESJMR.pdf
The paper also mentioned that

Other taxa found within the O. vulgaris clade (Figures 1 and 2)
came from Costa Rica, both Pacific and Caribbean sides
(AJ012125 – AJ12127), northern Brazil (AJ012123 and
AJ012124), Rio de Janeiro (AJ616312), southern Brazil
(AJ012122), and Isla Margarita, Venezuela (AJ250478).
Therefore, from our results, the animals from Rio de Janeiro,
southern Brazil, and Isla Margarita are O. vulgaris s. str., agreeing
with the findings of Warnke et al. (2004). However, the current
distribution of Octopus spp. in the western Atlantic is unclear.
Clarifying the geographic range of O. vulgaris s. str. in these
waters, as well as its phylogenetic relationship with other octopuses
such as Octopus insularis (Leite and Hamovici 2008) or Octopus
maya (Voss and Solis 1966), requires further study.

 

[cuttlegirl]

Ok, I think I found the motherlode... paper by Nesis from 2003 http://www.geo.fu-berlin.de/geol/fachrichtungen/pal/eigenproduktion/Band_03/19.pdf

Table 3 Closely related cephalopod species inhabiting seas along both sides of the Panama Isthmus but absent outside the Eastern
Pacific (including the Gulf of California) and Western Atlantic (including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean)

Eastern Pacific
Lolliguncula (L.) panamensis Berry, 1911
Pickfordiateuthis vossi Brakoniecki, 1996
Octopus oculifer Hoyle, 1904
O. bimaculatus Verrill, 1883
O. digueti Perrier & Rochebrune, 1894
O. chierchiae Jatta, 1889
O. alecto Berry, 1953
O. mimus Gould, 1852
Euaxoctopus panamensis Voss, 1971

Western Atlantic
L. (L.) brevis (Blainville, 1823)
P. pulchella Voss, 1953
O. hummelincki Adam, 1936 (=filosus Howell, 1867)
O. maya Voss & Solís, 1966
O. joubini Robson, 1929
O. zonatus Voss, 1968
O. briareus Robson, 1929
O. vulgaris Cuvier, 1797
E. pillsburyae Voss, 1975

 

[CaptFish]

Do Penn's arm still appear to quickly taper or have they become more rope like, similar to the briareus?

They taper less than Ichi's(but ichi may have lost all his arms as they seemed very short his was about 1:2 ), but definitely more than Briareus. . 5"-6" mantle and arms ~16" so a ratio of 1:3

When do you start classes?

Not til January, and I think I don't actually get to even see a lab until my second year.

After poring over a even more complex paper... it mentioned Octopus insularis from the Caribbean

LOL, Thanks for pouring! Insularis is what we cam up with early on but they seemed to live too far south, and we just couldn't find anyone that seemed to know about them. but it is definitely a possibility.

Ok, I think I found the mother-load

 

[DWhatley]

Great find Jenn, I made a copy of the post in the species section. Tonight I have to looking for pictures of the ones I have never seen.

Interesting that only bimaculatus is mentioned and not bimaculoides.

 

[CaptFish]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! close call. As soon as he felt my hand he started too pull me toward his beak of death! He was about to get me when he let go because I had him half outta the water.

 

[DWhatley]

KRAKEN!
I lean toward NOT hand feeding (at least until they know my hand) in the thought that it might avoid confusion. I can't tell you if that helps though. When I read your post (via email without the video) I wondered if he really intended to bite you or just wanted to check you out but since you were feeding, I suspect the former.

 

[SabrinaR]

Man hes amazing. It was almost like he was telling you... So you wan a piece of me? LOL The beak of death dun dun DUUUUN

 

[CaptFish]

wondered if he really intended to bite you or just wanted to check you out but since you were feeding, I suspect the former

I'm leaning toward attack not exploration. In Fact, I'm pretty sure he was hell bent on getting me. He knows my hand well and knew exactly who it was. You can tell the difference between exploring and grabbing. The second he felt my finger he immediately tried to pull me in. In the split second it took me to pull my hand outta the water, he had all his arms on me, usually it is just 4 not all 8. But as soon as he left the water 100% his eyes got huge and he let go.

 

[DWhatley]

I still think you need to try to pet him between the eyes when you are NOT feeding (and have the camera running on a well secured tripod ). I so would like to have time with this one just because of the challenge I can't remember another that remained agressive. Many do not interact but the constant attacks are unique.

 

[CaptFish]

I have before but you can tell he doesn't like it. He puts on defensive colors and textures and I can feel him trying to blow my finger away. He just freezes and deals with it.

Today he has been very skittish all day.

 

[CaptFish]

 

[DWhatley]

I put your pictures side by side with the mimus after I noticed the blue lines and saw two things that make me think he is not mimus (I wish Crissy and Roy would chime in with corrections if I am headed in the wrong/right direction ). The eyes on mimus show a star pattern that Penn does not seem to have AND he does show in one of the photos three small cirri below the eye. I have noticed these three markings on Monty and have been wondering if they are species diagnostic (which still could include a number of species, not just one).

 

[CaptFish]

Good observations. He does show the star pattern around his eye but only with certain coloration. As for the cirri below the eye, Whats that? clouds?

 

[DWhatley]

NOT THIS Definition:

a high wispy white cloud usually of minute ice crystals formed at altitudes between about 20,000 and 40,000 feet

THIS one:

a slender usually flexible animal appendage or projection

 

[CaptFish]

Pem in great. Huge! his arms are 18". he continues to be very social and very interested in life outside the tank, I think he enjpys watching me as much as I enjoy him. I had a huge wate rcannon episode the other day. I was cleaning the corners of the tank and I had the lid propped up just enough to get my arm in there. a was scrubbing away with my eyes locked on Pen's den the second I saw movment I knew i had to pull out. So I was scrubbing away and my brush needed to be rinsed so i pulled my arm out turned around rinsed my brush in my bucket, then I turned back around and SPLASH! Evil Skunktopus and his water cannon nailed my square in the face. It would have only been a quick blast but the lid got stuck open a little and I got a good 15 second shower before i got it closed. I was completely soaked from head to toe. Evil pure evil I tell you, I still need to finish cleaning but I'm not looking foward to my salt shower.