Graneledone boreopacifica

Graneledone boreopacifica is an octopus in the family Megaleledonidae. It can be found in both the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans.

Graneledone boreopacifica
G. boreopacifica on the Davidson Seamount at 1,973 m (6,473 ft) m depth
G. boreopacifica at a depth of 2,405 m (7,890 ft)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Octopoda
Family: Megaleledonidae
Genus: Graneledone
Species:
G. boreopacifica
Binomial name
Graneledone boreopacifica
Nesis, 1982
Synonyms
  • Graneledone pacifica Voss & Pearcy, 1990

Description

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The holotype of this species measures 9 centimetres (3.5 in) in mantle length.[2]

A female Graneledone boreopacifica was observed in the Monterey Canyon by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, brooding her eggs for a record 53 months, making this the longest brooding or pregnancy period known in the animal kingdom. There is no evidence that females ever feed again after laying their eggs. This also makes it the longest-living octopus – most octopuses only live for 1 or 2 years – which this octopus beats with its brooding period alone.[3][4] Female Graneledone boreopacifica tend to brood their eggs between the depths of 1,200 and 2,000 metres (3,900 and 6,600 ft); the eggs were never unattended.[5]

Examination of the gut of this octopus revealed significant amounts of crushed gastropod shells (Provanna variabilis and Lepetodrilus fucensis). The mandible muscles exhibit remarkable strength to crush the shells before digestion.[6]

Distribution and habitat

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Graneledone boreopacifica is found in benthic zones in temperate climates.[7]

Taxonomy

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The type specimen was collected in the Pacific Ocean (50°N, 151°E) and is deposited at the Zoological Institute in Saint Petersburg, Russia.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Allcock, L.; Allen, G. (2018). "Graneledone boreopacifica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T163292A994368. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T163292A994368.en. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  2. ^ Hochberg, F.G. 1998. Class Cephalopoda. In: P.V. Scott & J.A. Blake (Eds.) Taxonomic Atlas of the Benthic Fauna of the Santa Maria Basin and the Western Santa Barbara Channel: Vol. 8. Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
  3. ^ Chung, Emily (30 July 2014). "Octopus mom waits record 4.5 years for eggs to hatch". CBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  4. ^ Robison, Bruce; Seibel, Brad; Drazen, Jeffrey (2014-07-30). "Deep-Sea Octopus (Graneledone boreopacifica) Conducts the Longest-Known Egg-Brooding Period of Any Animal". PLOS ONE. 9 (7): e103437. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...9j3437R. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0103437. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4116195. PMID 25075745.
  5. ^ Robison, Bruce; Seibel, Brad; Drazen, Jeffrey (2014). "Deep-Sea Octopus (Graneledone boreopacifica) Conducts the Longest-Known Egg-Brooding Period of Any Animal". PLOS ONE. 9 (7): e103437. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0103437. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4116195. PMID 25075745.
  6. ^ Voight, Janet R. (November 2000). "A deep-sea octopus (Graneledone cf. boreopacifica) as a shell-crushing hydrothermal vent predator". Journal of Zoology. 252 (3): 335–341. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2000.tb00628.x. ISSN 1469-7998.
  7. ^ Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2023). "Graneledone boreopacifica" in SeaLifeBase. April 2023 version.
  8. ^ Current Classification of Recent Cephalopoda
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