Boyle's flapjack octopod[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Octopoda
Family: Grimpoteuthidae
Genus: Grimpoteuthis
Species:
G. boylei
Binomial name
Grimpoteuthis boylei
Collins, 2003 [3]

Grimpoteuthis boylei is a species of octopus known from only ten individuals.

Description

The Grimpoteuthis Boylei is a pelagic umbrella octopus, also known as the "dumbo octopus" because it breaks resemblance to the title character of Disney's film Dumbo, 1941.[4] It is large,[5] reaching a total length of 470 millimeters (18.5 inches).[6][7] Like all cirrates, it has a web over its arms and cirri between its suckers, as well as fins for swimming and a hard shell inside its mantle. G. boylei has a shell shaped like a saddle.

Habitat

G. boylei lives at abyssal depths of the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, more specifically the Porcupine Abyssal Plain and the Porcupine Seabight. It lives near two other members of its genus, Grimpoteuthis challengeri and Grimpoteuthis discoveryi.[5] The octopus is found between 4,190 and 4,848 meters deep (13,747 to 15,905.5 feet).[6]

It is likely that G. boylei is demersal. While population size is unknown, G. boylei is classified as "Least Concern" because it lives at such extreme depths.[2]

Characteristics

G. boylei has a life span between 3 and 5 years. The octopus has small fins that are used to propel themselves in order to move as well as to crawl on the seafloor and to capture prey.

Feeding

G. boylei search for prey as they hover over the sea floor. They commonly search for polychaete worms, pelagic copepods, isopods, amphipods, and other crustaceans for food. They capture their prey by pouncing, then swallowing their prey whole.[8]

Threats

Facing few threats from humans, the main threats that the octopus faces are from predators such as sharks and predatory cephalopods. The G. boylei have chromatophore cells which allow for them to change colors such as red, white, pink, brown, or camouflage in order to blend into their surroundings and avoid predators.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Grimpoteuthis boylei". SeaLifeBase. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 Lyons, G.; Allcock, L. (2014). "Grimpoteuthis boylei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T176053A1425490. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T176053A1425490.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  3. ↑ Cuvelier, Daphne; Bouchet, Philippe. "Grimpoteuthis boylei". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  4. ↑ Collins, Martin A.; Vecchione, Michael; Young, Richard E. (2003). "Grimpoteuthis boylei". Tree of Life Web Project. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
  5. 1 2 Collins, Martin; Vecchione, Michael; Young, Richard E. "Grimpoteuthis boylei". Tree of Life Web Project. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  6. 1 2 Jereb, Patrizia; Roper, Clyde F.E.; Norman, Mark D.; Finn, Julian K., eds. (2016). Cephalopods of the World: an Annotated and Illustrated Catalog of Cephalopods Known to Date Volume 3. Octopods and Vampire Squids (PDF). Rome. p. 281. ISBN 978-92-5-107989-8. Retrieved 26 April 2018.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ↑ Collins, Martin A. (September 9, 2003). "The genus Grimpoteuthis (Octopoda: Grimpoteuthidae) in the north-east Atlantic, with descriptions of three new species". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 139 (1): 93–127. doi:10.1046/j.1096-3642.2003.00074.x.
  8. ↑ Gibson, R. N.; Atkinson, R. J. A.; Gordon, J. D. M. (2006). Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review, Volume 44. CRC Press. p. 316. ISBN 9781420006391.
  9. ↑ Hadjisolomou, Stavros P. (March 2017). "SpotMetrics: An Open-Source Image-Analysis Software Plugin for Automatic Chromatophore Detection and Measurement". Frontiers in Physiology. 8: 106.


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