''Callistoctopus'' is a
genus of
nocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
, orange
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 ...
es in the
family Octopodidae.
[Marshall, B.; Bouchet, P. (2014). Callistoctopus Iw. Taki, 1964. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=534103 on 2015-02-02] They are readily identifiable by their reddish coloring, the white papillae that line their bodies, and their long arms. Though
sympatric
In biology, two related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter one another. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species sh ...
with
diurnal ''
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 ...
'' species, they avoid competition by hunting at night. In acknowledgement of this preference, many species of ''Callistoctopus'' are referred to as night octopuses. Well-known species include ''
C. macropus'' (Atlantic white-spotted octopus) and the
type species ''
C. ornatus'' (ornate octopus), both of which are harvested for human consumption as
seafood
Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus an ...
.
Species
* ''
Callistoctopus alpheus
''Callistoctopus'' is a genus of nocturnal, orange octopuses in the family Octopodidae.Marshall, B.; Bouchet, P. (2014). Callistoctopus Iw. Taki, 1964. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p ...
''
(Norman, 1993) – Capricorn night octopus
[Atlas of Living Australia website at http://www.ala.org.au. Accessed 13 January 2019.]
* ''
Callistoctopus aspilosomatis
''Callistoctopus'' is a genus of nocturnal, orange octopuses in the family Octopodidae.Marshall, B.; Bouchet, P. (2014). Callistoctopus Iw. Taki, 1964. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ...
''
(Norman, 1993) – plainbody night octopus
* ''
Callistoctopus bunurong
''Callistoctopus bunurong'', the southern white-spot octopus, is a species of octopus in the family Octopodidae, that can be found in Australia waters at depths of 1 to 130 meters on sandy substrates. It was originally placed in the genus ''Octo ...
''
(Stranks, 1990) – southern white-spot octopus
* ''
Callistoctopus dierythraeus
''Callistoctopus'' is a genus of nocturnal, orange octopuses in the family Octopodidae.Marshall, B.; Bouchet, P. (2014). Callistoctopus Iw. Taki, 1964. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p ...
''
(Norman, 1992) – red-spot night octopus
* ''
Callistoctopus graptus
''Callistoctopus'' is a genus of nocturnal, orange octopuses in the family Octopodidae.Marshall, B.; Bouchet, P. (2014). Callistoctopus Iw. Taki, 1964. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p ...
''
(Norman, 1992) – scribbled night octopus
* ''
Callistoctopus kermadecensis
''Octopus kermadecensis'' is a species of octopus in the genus ''Octopus''. It is endemic to the Kermadec Islands
The Kermadec Islands ( mi, Rangitāhua) are a subtropical island arc in the South Pacific Ocean northeast of New Zealand's ...
''
(Berry, 1914)
* ''
Callistoctopus lechenaultii
''Callistoctopus'' is a genus of nocturnal, orange octopuses in the family Octopodidae.Marshall, B.; Bouchet, P. (2014). Callistoctopus Iw. Taki, 1964. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p ...
''
(d'Orbigny, 1826)
* ''
Callistoctopus luteus
''Callistoctopus'' is a genus of nocturnal, orange octopuses in the family Octopodidae.Marshall, B.; Bouchet, P. (2014). Callistoctopus Iw. Taki, 1964. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p ...
''
(Sasaki, 1929) – starry night octopus
[MarineBio Conservation Society. Web. Accessed 1/13/2019. .]
* ''
Callistoctopus macropus
''Callistoctopus macropus'', also known as the Atlantic white-spotted octopus, white-spotted octopus,Norman, M.D. 2000. ''Cephalopods: A World Guide''. ConchBooks.Bouchet, P. (2014). Callistoctopus macropus (Risso, 1826). Accessed through: World ...
''
(Risso, 1826) – Atlantic white-spotted octopus
[Bouchet, P. (2014). Callistoctopus macropus (Risso, 1826). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=534558 on 2015-02-01]
* ''
Callistoctopus nocturnus
''Callistoctopus'' is a genus of nocturnal, orange octopuses in the family Octopodidae.Marshall, B.; Bouchet, P. (2014). Callistoctopus Iw. Taki, 1964. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p ...
''
(Norman & Sweeney, 1997)
* ''
Callistoctopus ornatus
''Callistoctopus ornatus'' (ornate octopus) is a tropical species of octopus native to the Indo-Pacific region.Bouchet, P. (2014). Callistoctopus ornatus (Gould, 1852). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespec ...
''
(Gould, 1852) – ornate octopus
["ORNATE OCTOPUS (''Octopus ornatus'')". Lord Howe Island Museum. https://www.lhimuseum.com/species/view/164 Accessed on 13 January, 2019.]
* ''
Callistoctopus rapanui
''Callistoctopus'' is a genus of nocturnal, orange octopuses in the family Octopodidae.Marshall, B.; Bouchet, P. (2014). Callistoctopus Iw. Taki, 1964. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p ...
''
(Voss, 1979)
;Species brought into synonymy:
* ''Callistoctopus arakawai''
(Taki, 1964): synonym of ''Callistoctopus ornatus''
(Gould, 1852)
* ''Callistoctopus magnocellatus''
(Taki, 1964): synonym of ''
Octopus cyanea
''Octopus cyanea'', also known as the big blue octopus or day octopus, is an octopus in the family Octopodidae. It occurs in both the Pacific and Indian Oceans, from Hawaii to the eastern coast of Africa.Norman, M.D. 2000. ''Cephalopods: A World ...
''
Gray, 1849
;
Taxa inquirenda:
* ''Callistoctopus furvus''
(Gould, 1852): potential name for West Atlantic octopuses currently under ''C. macropus''
* ''Callistoctopus taprobanensis''
(Robson, 1926)
External links
References
* Taki, I. (1964), ''On eleven new species of the Cephalopoda from Japan, including two new genera of the Octopodinae''; Journal of the Faculty of Fisheries and Animal Husbandry, Hiroshima University, 5 (2) 297-343
Cephalopod genera
Octopodidae
{{octopus-stub