''Eledone schultzei'', the brush-tipped octopus, is a rare
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
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 ...
. It has previously been known by other taxonomic names (
synonyms
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
) including ''Eledone thysanophora'' and ''Aphrodoctopus schultzei''.
Distribution
It is found off the South African coast from Saldanha Bay to Table Bay in less than 10m of water.
Description
The brush-tipped octopus has a round body with eight arms and no shell. Its arms have one row of suckers.
Ecology
Its habits are mostly unknown, but it feeds on small crustaceans.
References
schultzei
Molluscs described in 1910
Taxa named by William Evans Hoyle
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