Grimpoteuthidae are a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

of bentho-pelagic

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 three currently accepted genera. They have extensive arm webbing and relatively large fins allowing for powerful fin swimming.

Description

Grimpoteuthidae have a strongly U-, V-, W-shaped internal shell (gladius remnant) that supports muscles for large fins. These fins are proportionally much larger than in the related Opisthoteuthidae, and allow for much stronger swimming using the fins alone (unlike Opisthoteuthids that mostly use the arm webbing for swimming). Unlike Cirroctopodidae and Opisthoteuthidae, Grimpoteuthids also have the optic nerves heading to each eye as a single bundle (in the other families this occurs as multiple separated nerve bundles). The extensive arm webbing is shared with Opisthoteuthidae and Cirroctopodidae.

Taxonomy

The following genera and 19 species are currently accepted in this family. The family has consistently been supported in molecular studies as distinct from Opisthoteuthidae and Cirroctopodidae. Many species in the family are known from only a handful (or even single) specimens, and the taxonomy within the family is very uncertain with many species in ''Grimpoteuthis'' possibly being representatives of ''Cryptoteuthis'' or even new genera. * Genus ''

Cryptoteuthis ''Cryptoteuthis brevibracchiata'', the short-arm flapjack octopod, is a deepwater species of octopod. It is the only species in the monotypic genus ''Cryptoteuthis'' one of the cirrate octopuses of the family Grimpoteuthidae, the umbrella octo ...

'' Collins, 2004 ** '' Cryptoteuthis brevibracchiata'' * Genus ''

Grimpoteuthis ''Grimpoteuthis'' is a genus of pelagic Cirrina, cirrate (finned) octopods known as the dumbo octopus. The name "dumbo" originates from their resemblance to the title character of Disney's 1941 film ''Dumbo'', having two prominent ear-like fi ...

'' Robson, 1932 ** '' Grimpoteuthis abyssicola'', red jellyhead ** '' Grimpoteuthis angularis'', angle-shelled dumbo octopus ** '' Grimpoteuthis bathynectes'', Dumbo octopus ** '' Grimpoteuthis challengeri'' ** ''

Grimpoteuthis discoveryi ''Grimpoteuthis discoveryi'' is a small species of octopus known from more than 50 specimens. It was described in 2003, but specimens have been found as early as 1910. The type species was found at 49°35'N, 14°01'W. Description At maximum, ''Gr ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16520086 Octopuses Cephalopod families