Opisthoteuthis massyae explained
Opisthoteuths massyae is an octopus living in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
O. massyae occupies the benthic zone (seafloor and water immediately above) of the open ocean. The octopus lives from 600m (2,000feet) to 1500m (4,900feet) deep. It's found as far north as Ireland, in the Rockall Basin,[1] and as far south as Namibia.[2] There are more specimens in the southeast Atlantic than in the northeast Atlantic.
The two foremost arms of mature males are thicker than their other six arms. This is unusual for Opisthoteuthis species. Mature males also have some enlarged suckers, which is more typical of the genus. Males have more suckers than females.[3] Specimens with longer arms generally have more suckers.[4] Males weigh more than females; males can reach a weight of 5750g, and females a weight of 2959g. Females may lay eggs throughout their lifetimes.[3]
O. massyae has the ability to invert or "balloon" their webs.[3] O. massyae is a carnivore; it probably catches prey by enveloping small animals within its web, similar to some other cirrate octopods.[5] It eats a variety of small prey: gammarid amphipods, polychaetes, decapods, opossum shrimp, copepods, isopods, tanaids, marine snails, marine slugs, and bivalves.[6]
Although O. massyae isn't used commercially, it's often taken as bycatch by commercial fishing vessels. This threatens its population.
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Notes and References
- Book: M.A. Collins . R. Villanueva . Gordon . J.D.M. . Atkinson . R.J.A. . Gibson . R.N. . Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review, Volume 44 . June 13, 2006 . 9781420006391 . 297 . Taxonomy, ecology and behaviour of the cirrate octopods.. CRC Press .
- Book: Jereb . P. . Cephalopods of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Cephalopod Species Known to Date · Volume 3 . 2005 . Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations . 9789251079898 . 256 .
- Web site: Young . Richard E. . Vecchione . Michael . Villanueva . Roger . Opisthoteuthis massyae . Tree of Life Web Project . 2003.
- Sánchez . P. . Villanueva . R. . Voss . N.A. . 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 . 2002 . 71 . 2 . 933-985 . 0007-4977.
- Laboratory Observations of the Feeding Behavior of the Cirrate Octopod, Grimpoteuthis sp.: One Use of Cirri . California Malacozoological Society . . 1999 . 42 . 2 . 156 . 0042-3211.
- Book: M.A. Collins . R. Villanueva . Gordon . J.D.M. . Atkinson . R.J.A. . Gibson . R.N. . Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review, Volume 44 . June 13, 2006 . 9781420006391 . 308 . Taxonomy, ecology and behaviour of the cirrate octopods.. CRC Press .
