''Eledone palari'', the spongetip octopus, is a species of

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

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, cuttle ...

from the coastal waters of the eastern Indian Ocean and the south-western Pacific. The species was formally described in 1992 and is the first species of the genus ''Eledone'' to be discovered which is not distributed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Description

The spongetip octopus has gelatinous skin with deeply webbed

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

bearing a single row of suckers. The common English name refers to the spongy tips of the mature male's arms; these are thought to have some reproductive function. Like other members of the genus ''Eledone'', this octopus has an

ink sac An ink sac is an anatomical feature that is found in many cephalopod mollusks used to produce the defensive cephalopod ink. With the exception of nocturnal and very deep water cephalopods, all Coleoidea (squid, octopus and cuttlefish) which dwell ...

and no fins on the

mantle A mantle is a piece of clothing, a type of cloak. Several other meanings are derived from that. Mantle may refer to: *Mantle (clothing), a cloak-like garment worn mainly by women as fashionable outerwear **Mantle (vesture), an Eastern Orthodox ve ...

. The male reaches sexual maturity at a mantle length of around 30 mm, while females are sexually mature at a mantle length of 60 mm.Spongetip Octopus - ''Eledone palari''
Australian Museum.

Habitat and distribution

This is a benthic octopus which is found at depths of between 200 m and 600 m. It is distributed in the coastal waters of Australia and Indonesia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3201753 palari Molluscs described in 1992