''Stauroteuthis kengrahami'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of small

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean and can be further divided into regions by depth. The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or water column between the sur ...

cirrate octopus. It is currently only known from off eastern Australia (

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 wa ...

Description

''Stauroteuthis kengrahami'', is generally similar to the other species in the genus. It is principally distinguished by having the cirri (long finger-like projections flanking the suckers) terminating at a much more distal sucker, but there are other differences in its V-shaped shell, and digestive system. It is only known from a female specimen, and the suckers of this specimen are much smaller than in '' S. gilchristi''.

Distribution

''Stauroteuthis kengrahami'' is known from a single specimen collected off the coast at Batemans Bay,

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia, at a depth of .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q121123369 Octopuses Cephalopods described in 2023 Cephalopods of Australia Species known from a single specimen