Enteroctopus megalocyathus
| Southern red octopus | |
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E. megalocyathus
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| Binomial name | |
| Enteroctopus megalocyathus (Gould, 1852)
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Enteroctopus megalocyathus, also known as the southern red octopus, is a medium-sized octopus, and the type species for the genus Enteroctopus.
Size and description
E. megalocyathus is a relatively large octopus, though not as large as some other giant octopuses, with an average mass of around 4 kg,[1] a mantle length of 22.5 cm,[2] and in excess of 1 m in total length.[3] E. megalocyathus, like other octopuses in the genus Enteroctopus, has longitudinal folds and grooves on the body and large, paddle-like papillae.[4]
Fisheries
E. megalocyathus is one of the two commercially significant octopuses in Chilean waters, along with Octopus mimus. Yearly catch of the two octopuses fluctuates between 2000 and 5000 tons.[1]
Predators
Like most octopuses, E. megalocyathus is a choice meal for many predators larger than it. E. megalocyathus has been shown to be a major dietary component of beaked skates (Dipturus chilensis), spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias),[5] and the South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens).[6]
Range
This octopus is native to the southeastern coast of South America along the coasts of Argentina and Chile up to the Chiloé Archipelago, and the Falkland Islands.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 CephBase: Enteroctopus megalocyathus
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Hochberg, F.G. (1998). Enteroctopus. In: Taxonomic atlas of the benthic fauna of the Santa Maria Basin and the Western Santa Barbara Channel. Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, California. p. 203.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links
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- Images of E. megalocyathus, many of which show the longitudinal folds of the body and paddle-like papillae that characterize this genus.
