''Grimpoteuthis imperator'', also known as the Emperor Dumbo octopus, is a

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 deep-sea octopus in the family

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. De ...

. The species is known from a single male specimen found in the

Emperor Seamounts An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...

in the north

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

off the coast of Japan in 2021. It was found at depths of 3900–4400m. The species was described using non-invasive methods such as

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and

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to preserve the only known specimen but to still be able to

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the species.

Initial research

The single cirrate specimen was collected in the North Pacific Ocean during scientific cruise SO-249 BERING (R/V SONNE) using a chain bag dredge. When discovered, the animal was dead and was immediately transferred to a bucket of cold seawater. Several small tissue samples were collected from a single damaged arm. These tissue samples were then placed inside small plastic vials of fixative. It has been suggested that the species lives close to the sea floor, as the web between the tentacles is shorter than in species known to float free in the water column. Presumably a longer web would constitute a hindrance to movements on the bottom.

References

Octopuses Cephalopods of Oceania Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean Molluscs described in 2021 {{Octopus-stub