Julian Finn

Museum Victoria · Department of Sciences

The blue-ringed octopus species complex (Hapalochlaena spp.), known to occur from Southern Australia to Japan, currently contains four formally described species (Hapalochlaena maculosa, Hapalochlaena fasciata, Hapalochlaena lunulata and Hapalochlaena nierstraszi). These species are distinguished based on morphological characters (iridescent blue r...

Tetrodotoxin is a potent non-proteinaceous neurotoxin, which is commonly found in the marine environment. Synthesised by bacteria, tetrodotoxin has been isolated from the tissues of several genera including pufferfish, salamanders and octopus. Believed to provide a defensive function, the independent evolution of tetrodotoxin sequestration is poorl...

This study provides comprehensive proteomic profiles from the venom producing posterior salivary glands of octopus (superorder Octopodiformes) species. A combined transcriptomic and proteomic approach was used to identify 1,703 proteins from the posterior salivary gland of the southern blue-ringed octopus, Hapalochlaena maculosa and 1,300 proteins...

Biological significance: This study is the first known instance of a slime secretion from a cephalopod to be analyzed by proteomics methods and is the first investigation of a member of the family Sepiadariidae using proteomic methods. 1735 proteins were identified with 13 of these fitting criteria established for the identification of putative to...

Cephalopods are often celebrated as masters of camouflage, but their exploitation of the soft-sediment habitats that dominate the ocean floor has demanded other anti-predator strategies. Previous research has identified a small number of cephalopods capable of burying into sand and mud, but the need to directly access the water column for respirati...

Identification of new tetrodotoxin (TTX, 1) analogues would be significant in the elucidation of its biosynthetic pathway and a study of its structure-activity relationships. In this study, a new TTX analogue, 6-deoxyTTX (2), was isolated from the ovary of the pufferfish, Takifugu pardalis, and the structure was determined using spectroscopic metho...

Leptocephali are the transparent larvae of eels and their relatives, whose laterally compressed bodies contain gelatinous material. Although abundant throughout the world’s oceans, leptocephali are rarely observed in their natural environment. Video recordings of leptocephali in surface waters at night at Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea revealed that...

Argonauts (Argonautidae: Cephalopoda) are a family of pelagic octopuses that inhabit tropical and temperate oceans of the world. Argonauts are most commonly recognised by the beautiful white shells of females (known as "paper nautiluses") that wash up on beaches throughout the world. Historically, taxonomic delineation of the group has relied on fe...

Despite its charismatic appeal to both scientists and the general public, remarkably little is known about the giant squid Architeuthis, one of the largest of the invertebrates. Although specimens of Architeuthis are becoming more readily available owing to the advancement of deep-sea fishing techniques, considerable controversy exists with regard...

Despite its charismatic appeal to both scientists and the general public, remarkably little is known about the giant squid Architeuthis, one of the largest of the invertebrates. Although specimens of Architeuthis are becoming more readily available owing to the advancement of deep-sea fishing techniques, considerable controversy exists with regard...

Argonauts (Cephalopoda: Argonautidae) are a group of rarely encountered open-ocean pelagic octopuses with benthic ancestry. Female argonauts inhabit a brittle 'paper nautilus' shell, the role of which has puzzled naturalists for millennia. The primary role attributed to the shell has been as a receptacle for egg deposition and brooding. Our observa...

The use of tools has become a benchmark for cognitive sophistication. Originally regarded as a defining feature of our species, tool-use behaviours have subsequently been revealed in other primates and a growing spectrum of mammals and birds [1 • Hansell M. • Ruxton G.D. Setting tool use within the context of animal construction behaviour.Trends E...

Dolphins are well known for their complex social and foraging behaviours. Direct underwater observations of wild dolphin feeding behaviour however are rare. At mass spawning aggregations of giant cuttlefish (Sepia apama) in the Upper Spencer Gulf in South Australia, a wild female Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) was observed and r...

Wunderpus photogenicus n. gen. and n. sp. is a spectacular long-armed species that occurs on soft sediment habitats in shallow waters (typically less than 20 m deep) in Indo-Malayan waters. It is characterized by small eyes on elongate stalks, a long, conical papilla over each eye and a dramatic and fixed color pattern of white bars and spots over...

Dicyemid mesozoans are marine organisms that live exclusively in the excretory organs of cephalopod hosts. This study constitutes the first record of the Phylum Dicyemida from Australian waters and provides information on the degree of infections within and between shallow-water host species, and on the distribution of dicyemids across latitude. A...

The first encounter with a live male blanket octopus, Tremoctopus violaceus Chiaie, 1830, illustrates the most extreme example of sexual size‐dimorphism in a non‐microscopic animal. Females attain sizes of up to 2 m long—almost 2 orders of magnitude larger than the 2.4‐cm‐long male. Weight ratios between the sexes are at least 10 000:1 and are like...

The energy available in an ecosystem can often be smoothly matched to physiological requirements through behavioral changes. Tracking projects in Spencer Gulf and Great Barrier Reef (GBR) Lagoon, Australia, compared the energetics of tropical/temperate squids (Sepioteuthis lessoniana and Sepioteuthis australis) and cuttlefish (Sepia apama) using ra...

The composition and distribution of squid captured between January and March during the 1996 baseline research on oceanography, krill and the environment survey off East Antarctica (80-150$[$deg$]$E) was investigated. A total of 195 individuals were captured. The species collected were Galiteuthis glacialis, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, Histioteuthi...

During research dives in Indonesia (Sulawesi and Bali), we filmed a distinctive long-armed octopus, which is new to science. Diving over 24 h periods revealed that the 'mimic octopus' emerges during daylight hours to forage on sand substrates in full view of pelagic fish predators. We observed nine individuals of this species displaying a repertoir...

The tropical Indo-West Pacific region contains a distinctive group of small to moderate-sized octopuses referred to in the past as the Octopus horridus species-group. Member species are found primarily on intertidal reef flats. They possess small bodies, long arms and complex skin sculpture and body patterns enabling excellent camouflage. When atta...

Out of all the animals, cephalopods possess an unrivalled ability to change their shape and body patterns. Our observations of giant cuttlefish (Sepia apama) suggest this ability has allowed them to evolve alternative mating strategies in which males can switch between the appearance of a female and that of a male in order to foil the guarding atte...