Veined Octopus - Amphioctopus Marginatus

''Amphioctopus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

octopus An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) 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, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...

es comprising around 16 species.

Description

Members of the genus ''Amphioctopus'' reside in tropical and subtropical waters. These octopuses are found primarily in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

and

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

s but representatives can also be found in the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

. They are characterized by arms that are about two or three times their mantle length with deep lateral webs and very shallow dorsal webs.Norman, M.D. & F.G. Hochberg (2005). The current state of octopus taxonomy. ''Phuket Marine Biological Center Research Bulletin'' 66: 127–154. This genus can be further divided into two subgroups, one group with ocellate octopuses, the other with non-ocellate octopuses.Norman, M. (2003). ''Cephalopods: A World Guide''. Hackenheim, ConchBooks, p. 214.

Taxonomic status

Historically, members of this genus were placed within the genus ''

Octopus An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) 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, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...

'', but recognized as forming a distinct group and referred to as the ''Octopus aegina'' species complex.Huffard, C.L. & F.G. Hochberg (2005). ''Molluscan Research'' 25(3): 113–128. The genus was originally described by Fischer in 1882. He assigned to it the already described species, ''Octopus membranaceus'' (Quoy and Gaimard, 1832), as the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

(not to be confused with '' Enteroctopus membranaceus'' (Rochebrune and Mabille, 1889), the original types species of the genus ''

Enteroctopus ''Enteroctopus'' is an octopus genus whose members are sometimes known as giant octopuses. Etymology The generic name ''Enteroctopus'' was created by Alphonse Tremeau de Rochebrune and Jules François Mabille in 1887 and published in 1889, ...

''). Robson in his review of octopus taxonomy in 1929 regarded '' Amphioctopus membranaceus'' as a ''

nomen dubium In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium,'' it may be impossible to determine whether a ...

'', referring it to his newly named "''aegina'' species complex", a group of octopuses forming a distinct constellation characterized by ''Octopus aegina''. The genus ''Amphioctopus'' was subsequently considered invalid. In 2002, Gleadall suggested that the ''aegina'' species group represents a distinct genus with ''Amphioctopus'' being the senior name. In 2004, Gleadall resurrected the genus ''Schizoctopus'' and assigned ''Octopus fangsiao'' as the type species.Gleadall, I.G. (2004). Some Old and New Genera of Octopus. ''Interdisciplinary Information Sciences''. 10(2): 99–112. In 2005, Huffard and Hochberg, arguing that Robson's designation of ''Octopus membranaceus'' as a ''nomen dubium'' was premature and considering it a valid name, resurrected the genus name ''Amphioctopus'' for the ''Octopus aegina'' species complex. Huffard and Hochberg also found ''Schizoctopus'' to be a junior synonym for ''Amphioctopus''.

Species

*'' Amphioctopus aegina'' *'' Amphioctopus arenicola'' *'' Amphioctopus burryi'' *'' Amphioctopus exannulatus'' *''

Amphioctopus fangsiao ''Amphioctopus fangsiao'', called webfoot octopus, is a species of octopus, a cephalopod belonging to the genus '' Amphioctopus''. It is found in the Pacific Ocean, including off the coasts of New Zealand as well as in the Yellow Sea and surro ...

'' *''

Amphioctopus granulatus ''Amphioctopus'' is a genus of octopuses comprising around 16 species. Description Members of the genus ''Amphioctopus'' reside in tropical and subtropical waters. These octopuses are found primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans but repre ...

'' * *'' Amphioctopus kagoshimensis'' *'' Amphioctopus marginatus'', veined octopus *'' Amphioctopus membranaceus'' * *'' Amphioctopus mototi'' *'' Amphioctopus neglectus'' *'' Amphioctopus polyzenia'' *''

Amphioctopus rex ''Amphioctopus'' is a genus of octopuses comprising around 16 species. Description Members of the genus ''Amphioctopus'' reside in tropical and subtropical waters. These octopuses are found primarily in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific and Indian O ...

'' *'' Amphioctopus robsoni'' *'' Amphioctopus siamensis'' *'' Amphioctopus varunae'' Species marked with an asterisk (*) remain unresolved.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4748307 Octopodidae