''Luteuthis'' is a small

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 com ...

of cirrate

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 currently placed in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 ...

. There are two species classified in this genus one from waters west of New Zealand and the other from the

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 Phil ...

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 bilobed. As with other cirrate octopods, the

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 ...

is missing. The genus was originally placed within its own family, Luteuthidae O'Shea, 1999, as the presence of a radula was deemed very distinctive. However, it later became apparent that species of ''Grimpoteuthis'' also often have a radula and the two genera share other distinctive features (such as the optic nerves forming a single bundle each side of the head), with molecular data further supporting placement of ''Luteuthis'', ''

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 ...

'' and ''

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) ...

'' in the family Grimpoteuthidae (currently accepted as Opisthoteuthidae, though this is disputed amongst taxonomists).

Species

The two species in the genus ''Luteuthis are:''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16521589 Octopuses Cephalopod genera