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The seven-arm octopus ( Haliphron atlanticus), also known as the blob octopus or sometimes called septopus, is one of the two largest known species of octopus; the largest specimen ever discovered had an estimated total length of and mass of . The only other similarly large extant species is the giant Pacific octopus, Enteroctopus dofleini.
The genus Alloposina (Grimpe, 1922), Alloposus (Verrill, 1880) and Heptopus (Joubin, 1929) are of Haliphron, a monotypy genus in the monotypic family Alloposidae, part of the superfamily Argonautoidea in the suborder Incirrata of the order Octopoda.
Since then, several specimens have been caught throughout the Atlantic, as far as the Azores archipelago and near South Georgia Island.
In 2002, a single specimen of giant proportions was caught by fishermen trawling at a depth of off the eastern Chatham Rise, New Zealand. This specimen, the largest of this species and of all octopuses, was the first validated record of Haliphron from the South Pacific. It had a mantle length of , a total length of , and a weight of , although it was incomplete.
Predators of H. atlanticus include the blue shark, Hawaiian monk seal, sperm whale, and swordfish.
Description
The seven-arm octopus is so named because in males, the hectocotylus (a specially modified arm used in egg fertilization) is coiled in a sac beneath the right eye. Due to this species' thick, gelatinous tissue, the arm is easily overlooked, giving the appearance of just seven arms. However, like other octopuses, it actually has eight.
Distribution
The type specimen of H. atlanticus was collected in the Atlantic Ocean at (west of the Azores). It is deposited at the University of Copenhagen Zoological Museum.
Ecology
Isotopic, photographic and video evidence have shown complex interactions between H. atlanticus and jellyfish and other gelatinous zooplankton, from feeding to protection, respectively.
Beak morphology
See also
Further reading
External links
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