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Luteuthis
''Luteuthis'' is a small genus of cirrate octopuses currently placed in the family Opisthoteuthidae. There are two species classified in this genus one from waters west of New Zealand and the other from the South China Sea. Taxonomy ''Luteuthis'' are characterized by several unique features. The body is relatively elongate, extensively gelatinous and lacking areolar spots. The paired fins are laterally placed, and supported by a W-shaped internal shell with the shell wings bearing in-rolled margins and tapering to acute points. The arms are narrow and connected by simple webbing, there is no web nodule acting as a web attachment point. The suckers are crenulated (around the aperture opening) and are flanked by rows of short cirri (cirri about half as long as the sucker diameter). The gills resemble a "half-orange" and have seven lamellae. ''Luteuthis'' species have a well developed radula as well as palatine teeth on the palps flanking the radula, and the digestive gland is bi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opisthoteuthidae
Umbrella octopuses (family Opisthoteuthidae) are a group of pelagic octopuses. Umbrella octopuses are characterized by a web of skin between the tentacles, causing them to somewhat resemble an opened umbrella when the tentacles are spread. Description Opisthoteuthidae are a group of octopuses characterized by a web of skin in between their tentacles. They have a U or W shaped shell that holds the mantle and connects to their tentacles at the bottom. This structure makes the umbrella octopus resemble an umbrella when they spread their tentacles/web out. The structure of the umbrella octopus has the oral surface below the mantle of the octopuses and the web with their tentacles surround the bottom of the mantle. Their outer skin has a very delicate consistency that results in white spots appearing on their skin when damaged. Opisthoteuthidae fall into the cirrate octopod group, meaning they have fins. Although opisthoteuthidae are categorized as cirrates, unlike the other cirrat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grimpoteuthis
''Grimpoteuthis'' is a genus of pelagic umbrella octopuses known as the dumbo octopuses. The name "dumbo" originates from their resemblance to the title character of Disney's 1941 film ''Dumbo'', having a prominent ear-like fin which extends from the mantle above each eye. There are 17 species recognized in the genus. Prey include crustaceans, bivalves, worms and copepods. The average life span of various ''Grimpoteuthis'' species is 3 to 5 years. Species and taxonomy As noted above, many species collected on the ''Challenger'' expedition were initially classified in the genera '' Cirroteuthis'' and '' Stauroteuthis.'' Several species formerly classified as ''Grimpoteuthis'' were moved to genera '' Cirroctopus'' and '' Opisthoteuthis''. A new family, Grimpoteuthididae (alternatively spelled Grimpoteuthidae), has been proposed to accommodate ''Grimpoteuthis'' and those of genera ''Enigmatiteuthis'', ''Cryptoteuthis'', and ''Luteuthis''. The persistent confusion and disparit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve O'Shea
Steve O'Shea (born 14 December 1965 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a marine biologist and environmentalist known for his research on giant squid. O'Shea obtained his degrees from Auckland university. He undertook a Bachelor of Science between 1984 and 1988. He graduated with an M.Sc. in 1990. The title of his 1998 doctoral thesis was ''New Zealand Octopoda (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) : systematics''. He began work with the giant squid whilst working for the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in New Zealand in 1996. He became the Director of the Earth and Oceanic Sciences Research Institute at the Auckland University of Technology in 2005, and was a Discovery Channel Quest Scholar. In 2009 he resigned from his Discovery Quest position to focus his research on coastal conservation, environmental matters and postgraduate supervision and teaching; despite this he has remained active in squid research, but is best known (in the popular press) for his involvement with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family (taxonomy), family. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus. :E.g. ''Panthera leo'' (lion) and ''Panthera onca'' (jaguar) are two species within the genus ''Panthera''. ''Panthera'' is a genus within the family Felidae. The composition of a genus is determined by taxonomy (biology), taxonomists. The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. There are some general practices used, however, including the idea that a newly defined genus should fulfill these three criteria to be descriptively useful: # monophyly – all descendants ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cirrata
Cirrina or Cirrata is a suborder and one of the two main divisions of octopuses. Cirrate octopuses have a Cirrate shell, small, internal shell and Cephalopod fin, two fins on their head, while their sister suborder Incirrina has neither. The fins of cirrate octopods are associated with a unique cartilage-like shell in a shell sac. In cross-section, the fins have distinct proximal and distal regions, both of which are covered by a thin surface sheath of muscle. The suborder is named for small, cilia-like strands (cirri) on the arms of the octopus, a pair for each sucker. These are thought to play some role in feeding, perhaps by creating currents of water that help bring food closer to the beak. Cirrate octopuses are noteworthy for lacking ink sacs. Phylogeny A molecular phylogeny based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA marker sequences by Sanchez et al., 2018, shows that the Cirrina is paraphyletic, i.e. it is not a single clade. Instead, a clade containing Opisthoteuthidae and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like other cephalopods, an octopus is bilaterally symmetric with two eyes and a beaked mouth at the center point of the eight limbs. The soft body can radically alter its shape, enabling octopuses to squeeze through small gaps. They trail their eight appendages behind them as they swim. The siphon is used both for respiration and for locomotion, by expelling a jet of water. Octopuses have a complex nervous system and excellent sight, and are among the most intelligent and behaviourally diverse of all invertebrates. Octopuses inhabit various regions of the ocean, including coral reefs, pelagic waters, and the seabed; some live in the intertidal zone and others at abyssal depths. Most species grow quickly, mature ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Family (biology)
Family ( la, familia, plural ') is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks between the ranks of family and genus. The official family names are Latin in origin; however, popular names are often used: for example, walnut trees and hickory trees belong to the family Juglandaceae, but that family is commonly referred to as the "walnut family". What belongs to a family—or if a described family should be recognized at all—are proposed and determined by practicing taxonomists. There are no hard rules for describing or recognizing a family, but in plants, they can be characterized on the basis of both vegetative and reproductive features of plant species. Taxonomists often take different positions about descriptions, and there may be no broad consensus across the scientific community for some time. The publishing of new data and opini ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luzon, Mindoro and Palawan), and in the south by Borneo, eastern Sumatra and the Bangka Belitung Islands, encompassing an area of around . It communicates with the East China Sea via the Taiwan Strait, the Philippine Sea via the Luzon Strait, the Sulu Sea via the straits around Palawan (e.g. the Mindoro and Balabac Straits), the Strait of Malacca via the Singapore Strait, and the Java Sea via the Karimata and Bangka Straits. The Gulf of Thailand and the Gulf of Tonkin are also part of the South China Sea. The shallow waters south of the Riau Islands are also known as the Natuna Sea. The South China Sea is a region of tremendous economic and geostrategic importance. One-third of the world's maritime shipping passe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suckers (cephalopod Anatomy)
All cephalopods possess flexible limbs extending from their heads and surrounding their beaks. These appendages, which function as muscular hydrostats, have been variously termed arms, legs or tentacles. Description In the scientific literature, a cephalopod ''arm'' is often treated as distinct from a ''tentacle'', though the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, often with the latter acting as an umbrella term for cephalopod limbs. Generally, arms have suckers along most of their length, as opposed to tentacles, which have suckers only near their ends.Young, R.E., M. Vecchione & K.M. Mangold 1999Cephalopoda Glossary Tree of Life web project. Barring a few exceptions, octopuses have eight arms and no tentacles, while squid and cuttlefish have eight arms (or two "legs" and six "arms") and two tentacles.Norman, M. 2000. ''Cephalopods: A World Guide''. ConchBooks, Hackenheim. p. 15. "There is some confusion around the terms ''arms'' versus ''tentacles''. The numerous lim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Radula
The radula (, ; plural radulae or radulas) is an anatomical structure used by molluscs 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 esophagus. The radula is unique to the molluscs, and is found in every class of mollusc except the bivalves, which instead use cilia, waving filaments that bring minute organisms to the mouth. Within the gastropods, the radula is used in feeding by both herbivorous and carnivorous snails and slugs. The arrangement of teeth ( denticles) on the radular ribbon varies considerably from one group to another. In most of the more ancient lineages of gastropods, the radula is used to graze, by scraping diatoms and other microscopic algae off rock surfaces and other substrates. Predatory marine snails such as the Naticidae use the radula plus an acidic secretion to bore through the shell of other molluscs. Other predatory marine snails ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 in light conditions have an ink sac, which can be used to expel a cloud of dark ink in order to confuse predators. The ink sac is a muscular bag which originated as an extension of the hind gut; it is a modified hypobranchial gland.Nair, J.R., D. Pillai, S.M. Joseph, P. Gomathi, P.V. Senan & P.M. Sherief (2011). ''Indian Journal of Geo-Marine Sciences'' 40(1): 13–27. It lies beneath the gut and opens into the anus, into which its contents – almost pure melanin – can be squirted; its proximity to the base of the funnel means that the ink can be distributed by ejected water as the cephalopod uses its jet propulsion. The ejected cloud of melanin is bound by mucus Mucus ( ) is a slippery aqueous secretion produced by, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cryptoteuthis
''Cryptoteuthis brevibracchiata'', the short-arm flapjack octopod, is a deepwater species of Octopus, octopod. It is the only species in the monotypy, monotypic genus ''Cryptoteuthis'' one of the Cirrina, cirrate octopuses of the Family (biology), family Opisthoteuthidae, the umbrella octopuses. It is known from a single specimen which was collected in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. It has characteristics which are shared with two other genera in the Opisthoteuthidae, ''Opisthoteuthis'' and ''Grimpoteuthis'', but is sufficiently distinctive from either of these to warrant the erection of a new genus. Description ''Cryptoteuthis brevibracchiata'' is a bell-shaped octopus with a semi-gelatinous, semi-transparent body, except for the dark tips of the oral web and the tips of the fins. The fins are small and round, and their length is equal to half the width of the head. It has short arms, each with a single row of small, broad suckers and with a double row of Cirrus (biology), ci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
