''Stauroteuthis'' 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 ...

of deepwater cirrate octopus, a

cephalopod A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan Taxonomic rank, class Cephalopoda (Greek language, Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral symm ...

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

. This is the only genus in the family Stauroteuthidae, and only three species have been described in this genus. The organisms live below water depth; although sometimes found as deep as underwater, they generally live at a water depth of around . They do not possess a

radula The radula (; : radulae or radulas) is an anatomical structure used by mollusks for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters ...

. The stauroteuthids have the distinction of being one of the few bioluminescent octopuses; some of the muscle cells that control the suckers in most species have been replaced with photophores which are believed to fool prey by directing them towards the mouth.

Species

* '' Stauroteuthis gilchristi'' (Robson, 1924): Known from two localities in the south Atlantic, and other southern ocean locations (

Macquarie Island Macquarie Island is a subantarctic island in the south-western Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. It has been governed as a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1880. It became a Protected areas of Tasmania, Tasmania ...

, and Kerguelen). * '' Stauroteuthis syrtensis'' Verrill, 1879: Widespread in the

North 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 ...

. The

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

size of ''S. syrtensis'' is unknown.''Stauroteuthis syrtensis'' Verrill, 1879
Encyclopedia of Life. * '' Stauroteuthis kengrahami'' Verhoeff, 2023: Known from a single specimen off eastern Australia.

References

External links

Tree of Life website gives information about the classification of cephalopod groupsStauroteuthidae discussion forum at TONMO.com
Octopuses Taxa named by Addison Emery Verrill {{octopus-stub