''Enteroctopus magnificus'', also known as the southern giant octopus, is a large

octopus An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bodied, eight- limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefis ...

in the genus '' Enteroctopus''. It is native to the waters off

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and e ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

Description

''E. magnificus'' bears the distinctive characteristics of the genus ''Enteroctopus'', including longitudinal folds on the body and large, paddle-like

papillae Papilla (Latin, 'nipple') or papillae may refer to: In animals * Papilla (fish anatomy), in the mouth of fish * Basilar papilla, a sensory organ of lizards, amphibians and fish * Dental papilla, in a developing tooth * Dermal papillae, part of ...

. ''E. magnificus'' is a large octopus, reaching total lengths of up to 1.8 mNorman, M. (2003). ''Cephalopods: A World Guide''. ConchBooks: Heckenhaim, Germany. pp. 213–216. and a mass of 11.4 kg.Villanueva, R. (1993). Diet and mandibular growth of ''Octopus magnificus'' (Cephalopoda). ''South African Journal of Marine Science'' 13: 121–126.

Range and habitat

''E. magnificus'' occurs from

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, S ...

. It is found primarily on sand and mud flats from shallow subtidal areas to about 1000 m depth.

Predators

''E. magnificus'' is predated on by the South African fur seal ('' Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus'') and the leafscale gulper shark (''

Centrophorus squamosus The leafscale gulper shark (''Centrophorus squamosus'') is a dogfish of the family Centrophoridae. ''C. squamosus'' is reported to have a lifespan of approximately 70 years, based on otolith ring counts. It was the first described species in t ...

'').

Diet

Like many octopuses, ''E. magnificus'' is a generalist predator. The chief food source for this octopus is the deep-sea portunid crab '' Bathynectes piperitus''. Other major prey items include the Cape hagfish ('' Myxine capensis''), the crab species '' Pontophilus gracilis'', and

hermit crab Hermit crabs are anomuran decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea that have adapted to occupy empty scavenged mollusc shells to protect their fragile exoskeletons. There are over 800 species of hermit crab, most of which possess an a ...

s in the genus '' Parapagurus''.

Fisheries

''E. magnificus'' is only collected by

trawl Trawling is a method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. The net used for trawling is called a trawl. This principle requires netting bags which are towed through water to catch different spe ...

and in

lobster pot A lobster trap or lobster pot is a portable trap that traps lobsters or crayfish and is used in lobster fishing. In Scotland (chiefly in the north), the word creel is used to refer to a device used to catch lobsters and other crustaceans. A lo ...

s. Harvest of this octopus is small, mainly as a

finfish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of l ...

trawl fisheries by-catch.

References

External links

Octopodidae Molluscs described in 1992 {{Octopus-stub