Behavior and Body Patterns of the Larger Pacific Striped Octopus

Over thirty years ago anecdotal accounts of the undescribed Larger Pacific Striped Octopus suggested behaviors previously unknown for octopuses. Beak-to-beak mating, dens shared by mating pairs, inking during mating and extended spawning were mentioned in publications, and enticed generations of cep...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2015-08, Vol.10 (8), p.e0134152-e0134152
Main Authors: Caldwell, Roy L, Ross, Richard, Rodaniche, Arcadio, Huffard, Christine L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Animals
Aquaria
Aquariums
Behavior, Animal
Captivity
Cephalopoda
Dens
Ecosystem
Females
Foraging behavior
Juveniles
Laboratories
Males
Marine biology
Mollusca
Octopodidae
Octopodiformes - anatomy & histology
Octopus vulgaris
Octopuses
Population Dynamics
Reproduction
Spawning
Wholesalers
Zoology
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Summary:Over thirty years ago anecdotal accounts of the undescribed Larger Pacific Striped Octopus suggested behaviors previously unknown for octopuses. Beak-to-beak mating, dens shared by mating pairs, inking during mating and extended spawning were mentioned in publications, and enticed generations of cephalopod biologists. In 2012-2014 we were able to obtain several live specimens of this species, which remains without a formal description. All of the unique behaviors listed above were observed for animals in aquaria and are discussed here. We describe the behavior, body color patterns, and postures of 24 adults maintained in captivity. Chromatophore patterns of hatchlings are also shown.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0134152