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Haliphron atlanticus STEENSTRUP (Cephalopoda, Octopoda) from the coast of Norway
Abstract
Morphological characteristics of two large females of Haliphron atlanticus Steenstrup (= Alloposus mollis Verrill) are described and illustrated. The soft and gelatinous body, the shape of the mantle aperture, the formation of the funnel and adhesive apparatus, and the straplike septa connecting the mantle and funnel and containing the stellate ganglion are characteristic features of the species. One specimen, weighing 41 kg after fixation, was found dead near Bergen (60°14′ N, 5°16′ E) in May 1983. The other, weighing 25 kg after being frozen, was caught alive at 210 m off Vestvågöy in the Lofoten archipelago (68°20′ N. 14°14′ E) in November 1984. It was possibly feeding on the prawn, Pandalus borealis Kr0yer. Both specimens had arms partly missing and web torn, but were otherwise well preserved. Previous records of H. atlanticus are confined to tropical and warm-temperate areas. The present findings represent the first records from north of 42° N.
... These are Cirroteuthis muelleri (cirrate), Bathypolypus arcticus, B. bairdii, B. pugniger, Muusoctopus sp., M. sibiricus and M. leioderma (incirrates), Rossia palpebrosa and R. moelleri (sepiolids), and Gonatus fabricii (pelagic squid) (Grieg 1933a;Grimpe 1933;Nesis 1985Nesis , 1987bNesis , 2001Bjørke and Gjøsaeter 2004;Gardiner and Dick 2010a;Golikov et al. 2013a, b). All other species are occasionally distributed in the border areas of the Arctic, and/or appear in higher latitudes due to warming conditions and/or for foraging episodes (Mercer 1969;Nesis 1985Nesis , 1987bWillassen 1986;Sabirov et al. 2009Sabirov et al. , 2012Golikov et al. 2013bGolikov et al. , 2014. Interestingly, only one species, M. leioderma, can be constantly found in both the Arctic and Pacific Subarctic regions. ...
... Voight (2000) Bathypolypus arcticus a Bristle stars; benthic crustaceans; mollusks; polychaetes Sperm whale, narwhal; bearded seal, walrus; greenland shark; cod, greenland halibut Finley and Gibb (1982), Finley and Evans (1983), Mehl (1991), Wood et al. (1998), Simon et al. (2003), Yano et al. (2007), Gardiner and Dick (2010a) Bathypolypus bairdii a Bristle stars; benthic crustaceans; mollusks; polychaetes Sperm whale, narwhal; bearded seal, walrus; greenland shark; cod, greenland halibut Finley and Gibb (1982), Finley and Evans (1983), Mehl (1991), Wood et al. (1998), Simon et al. (2003), Yano et al. (2007), Gardiner Akimushkin (1965), MacLeod (1976, 1982), Willassen (1986) Nesis (1965Nesis ( , 1971Nesis ( , 1987a, Kristensen (1977Kristensen ( , 1983, Sennikov et al. (1989), Mehl (1991), Bjørke (1995Bjørke ( , 2001, Barrett et al. (1997), Bjørke and Gjøsaeter (1998), Arkhipkin and Bjørke (1999), Simon et al. (2003), Laidre et al. (2004), Gardiner and Dick (2010a) Gonatus steenstrupi n/a Northern bottlenose whale, sperm whale and other odontocetes Blanco et al. (1995), Bjørke (2001), Clarke (2006) Gonatus berryi ...
Cephalopods play an important role in polar marine ecosystems. In this review, we compare the biodiversity, distribution and
trophic role of cephalopods in the Arctic and in the Antarctic. Thirty-two species have been reported from the Arctic, 62 if
the Pacific Subarctic is included, with only two species distributed across both these Arctic areas. In comparison, 54 species
are known from the Antarctic. These polar regions share 15 families and 13 genera of cephalopods, with the giant squid
Architeuthis dux the only species confirmed to occur in both the Arctic and Antarctic. Polar cephalopods prey on crustaceans,
fish, and other cephalopods (including cannibalism), whereas predators include fish, other cephalopods, seabirds, seals and
whales. In terms of differences between the cephalopod predators in the polar regions, more Antarctic seabird species feed on
cephalopods than Arctic seabirds species, whereas more Arctic mammal species feed on cephalopods than Antarctic mammal
species. Cephalopods from these regions are likely to be more influenced by climate change than those from the rest of
the World: Arctic fauna is more subjected to increasing temperatures per se, with these changes leading to increased species
ranges and probably abundance. Antarctic species are likely to be influenced by changes in (1) mesoscale oceanography (2)
the position of oceanic fronts (3) sea ice extent, and (4) ocean acidification. Polar cephalopods may have the capacity to adapt
to changes in their environment, but more studies are required on taxonomy, distribution, ocean acidification and ecology.
... The most remarkable morphological characters are the gelatinous and well-pigmented body; deep web between all arms; and a single series of suckers near the mouth, which become biserial closer to edge of the web. Males are smaller than females and have the third right arm hectocotylized, detachable, and developed in pouch in front of the eye; this gives the impression that it has only seven arms (Thore 1949;Willassen 1986;Young 1995;O'Shea 2004;Finn 2014). ...
... The giant H. atlanticus is usually, but not exclusively, associated with islands or continental slopes (O'Shea 2004). According to some studies, H. atlanticus might pass periods of its life cycle alternating between the open waters and sea bottom (Thore 1949;Alvariño & Hunter 1981;Willassen 1986;O'Shea 2004). Furthermore, some captures with nets suggest that H. atlanticus may undertake diel vertical migration (Finn 2014). ...
The rare deep-sea octopus, Haliphron atlanticus is the only known species recognized within the genus. A fragment of H. atlanticus was found in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, Brazil (South Atlantic). Both phylogenetic reconstruction and pairwise genetic divergence show that the specimen recorded in South Atlantic is closely related to individuals from North Pacific. However, there is a greater divergence among these specimens and a giant octopus from North Atlantic. This evidence suggests that Haliphron is not monospecific, with at least two species, both represented in the Atlantic Ocean.
... Nowadays, quantifying beak shape is routinely used as a tool for cephalopod identification, particular in the stomach contents of predators (Willassen, 1986;Smale et al., 1993;Lu and Ickeringill, 2002;Xavier et al., 2007;Xavier and Cherel, 2009). In the description of a newly discovered octopus species, beak shape descriptions were used as an argument to justify the assignment of a species to a specific genus (Allcock et al., 2007). ...
Morphometric analysis of biogenic recording structures within marine organisms has applications in stock assessment, taxonomics, and ecomorphological studies, with shape variation markedly influenced by both genetics and the surrounding environment. Geometric morphometrics (GM) is an alternative approach to the “traditional” method of collecting linear measurements and applying multivariate statistical methods to these data. Landmark- and outline-based GM methods are suggested to have several advantages over the “traditional” method. Due to the increasing popularity of GM methods in the modern literature, this chapter first compares different morphometric techniques, and then reviews the methods applied to recording structures, with a focus on GM outline-based analyses. It is clear that outline methods have become a popular method of analysis for structures such as otoliths, particularly for the purpose of distinguishing between population components. However, for other structures such as beaks this technique is only in its early stages of application and is more difficult to apply but shows great promise for future studies. The advantages of using a holistic approach, incorporating several techniques including outline analysis for stock identification purposes is discussed.
... Possible explanations for such associations include as an energy-saving mechanism (riding on the medusa), defense (using the tentacles against potential threats), and predation events. Gelatinous stomach remains have been reported for H. atlanticus (Willassen 1986, O Shea 2004 with more convincing evidence for direct feeding presented by Hoving and Haddock (2017) for the species. We believe the encounter presented here supports the assertion in Hoving and Haddock (2017) that medusae are a common food item for Haliphron. ...
The Seven-arm Octopus, Haliphron atlanticus, was observed holding a coronate medusa, Periphyllopsis braueri, by the remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) Dolphin-3K. The jellyfish was held by the aboral surface within the arms of the octopus. Although obscured at first, the lappets and tentacles of the jellyfish became exposed as the octopus turned toward the ROV. Based on recent reports, it appears that gelatinous prey species are important components of the diet of Haliphron. Furthermore, gelatinous prey may be generally underappreciated as a food source and important trophic link in open-ocean, deep-sea, pelagic food webs.
... This behavior is similar to another small H. atlanticus that was video-recorded protruding a jellyfish in its mouth towards a diver, suggesting use of the jellyfish as a defensive posture [45]. Hoving and Haddock [23] provide evidence that this species may feed on gelatinous zooplankton, but crustaceans have also been found in their stomach contents [56]. The strange behavior of holding jellyfish may suggest complex interactions between 6 Journal of Marine Biology Figure 4: Hydrographic characteristics in the upper 800 m in vertical sections plotted from X-CTD data (a, b), and temperature, density, and salinity profiles plotted from data obtained from the CTD onboard the Shinkai 6500 submersible during the dive (c, d) when a ∼1 m Haliphron atlanticus was video-recorded at depths from 586 to 599 m. ...
The circumglobal deep-sea gelatinous giant octopod, Haliphron atlanticus , reaches 4 m in length and uses both benthic and pelagic habitats in the upper 3000 m of the ocean during different life history stages, but it is rarely observed due to the deep-depths where it typically lives. It has been collected in trawls and observed a few times near continental margins or islands and has been identified in the stomach contents of deep-diving predators such as sperm whales and blue sharks or detected as body fragments after predation events. An individual H. atlanticus (~1 m in total length) was video-recorded at 12:21 for about 3 minutes in front of the Shinkai 6500 submersible at 586–599 m (6.5°C, salinity 34.4) along the West Mariana Ridge. It made no escape attempt as the submersible approached and it moved slowly up or down in front of the submersible. It was over the outer seamount-slope (bottom depth ~3208 m) ~50 km west of seamounts (≥1529 m summits), but how it fits into the mesopelagic food web along the ridge is unclear. More information is needed to understand the role of H. atlanticus in oceanic food webs and if it typically lives along seamount ridges.
... The only other information that existed previous to our observation was the finding of gelatinous fragments (identified to belong to a mesopelagic coronate medusa) and crustaceans in the crop of trawl captured H. atlanticus 13,18 . Our observations of two Haliphron holding on to a jellyfish combined with the finding of jellyfish fragments in the stomachs, in the literature and as observed here, strongly suggest that H. atlanticus feeds on gelatinous zooplankton. ...
Feeding strategies and predator-prey interactions of many deep-sea pelagic organisms are still unknown. This is also true for pelagic cephalopods, some of which are very abundant in oceanic ecosystems and which are known for their elaborate behaviors and central role in many foodwebs. We report on the first observations of the giant deep-sea octopus Haliphron atlanticus with prey. Using remotely operated vehicles, we saw these giant octopods holding medusae in their arms. One of the medusae could be identified as Phacellophora camtschatica (the egg-yolk jelly). Stomach content analysis confirmed predation on cnidarians and gelatinous organisms. The relationship between medusae and H. atlanticus is discussed, also in comparison with other species of the Argonautoidea, all of which have close relationships with gelatinous zooplankton.
... Rarely encountered and of no known fisheries value. See Willassen (1986), Nesis (1987), Young (1995) and for treatments of this octopus. ...
Despite the high fisheries profile and value of octopuses, squids, cuttlefishes and their relatives throughout the South China Sea, there is still relatively little known or published on this cephalopod fauna. This situation is a product of few regional revisions, the large number of species being treated under single or inappropriate names, key families with poorly-resolved taxonomies and inadequate diagnostic characters, and limited support for (and development of) regional expertise. A preliminary checklist of 31 families and 120 species of cephalopods are reported here from the South China Sea. This list is generated from a review of the available literature, material examined in museum collections and unpublished data of the authors. A preliminary list of incorrect, unresolved or questionable records of 70 nominal species from the region is also presented to redress some of the errors entrenched in the literature. There is an urgent need for comprehensive revision of this group throughout the region, including primary field surveys, reviews of subsistence and commercial fisheries catches, and support for development of regional expertise.
Two octopod species are reported from the Canary Islands (eastern Atlantic Ocean) for the first time: the deep sea four-horn octopus, Pteroctopus tetracirrhus (Delle Chiaje, 1830) and the gelatinous giant octopus, Haliphron atlanticus Steenstrup, 1861. Both female specimens were caught in Tenerife. Haliphron atlanticus is described from fresh remains found floating close to the southwest coast and the second species, P. tetracirrhus, is described from a specimen captured in a shrimp trap at 200 m depth on the southeastern coast of Tenerife. With these two additions the revised and updated list of octopod species of the Canary Islands now comprises eight families and 18 species, all of them incirrate octopods. The zoogeographic relationships of octopod species from other Atlantic regions, including the Mediterranean Sea, were studied. The likely directions of faunal flows were inferred based on affinity indices, showing that Mauritania could be the most probable source of the octopod species of the Canary Islands and the rest of the Macaronesian archipelagos.
A recent revival in using cephalopods as experimental animals has rekindled interest in their biology and life cycles, information with direct applications also in the rapidly growing ornamental aquarium species trade and in commercial aquaculture production for human consumption. Cephalopods have high rates of growth and food conversion, which for aquaculture translates into short culture cycles, high ratios of production to biomass and high cost-effectiveness. However, at present, only small-scale culture is possible and only for a few species: the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis, the loliginid squid Sepioteuthis lessoniana and the octopuses Octopus maya and O. vulgaris. These four species are the focus of this chapter, the aims of which are as follows: (1) to provide an overview of the culture requirements of cephalopods, (2) to highlight the physical and nutritional requirements at each phase of the life cycle regarded as essential for successful full-scale culture and (3) to identify current limitations and the topics on which further research is required. Knowledge of cephalopod culture methods is advanced, but commercialization is still constrained by the highly selective feeding habits of cephalopods and their requirement for large quantities of high-quality (preferably live) feed, particularly in the early stages of development. Future research should focus on problems related to the consistent production of viable numbers of juveniles, the resolution of which requires a better understanding of nutrition at all phases of the life cycle and better broodstock management, particularly regarding developments in genetic selection, control of reproduction and quality of eggs and offspring.
Changes in the relative size of the ovary, oviducal glands and eggs are described for Eledone cirrhosa captured from the North Sea off Aberdeen over a 3 year period (N = 488). The analysis is based only on freshly caught animals, excluding those held in aquarium conditions (> 5 days). Ovary enlargement and egg size estimates are used as indices of sexual maturity. Between 0–15% and 18–95% of total body weight is contributed by the ovary. Maximum egg length in the ovary ranges up to 7 mm. On these criteria, sexual maturation typically occurs at body sizes between 400–1000 g although some animals of 1000–1200 g are found showing no evidence of ovary enlargement. The majority of the monthly sample is always immature but maturation can apparently occur at almost any time of the year. Increase in mean ovary index and mean values for egg size are strongly seasonal and indicate a peak incidence of sexual maturity over 2–3 months in the July-September period. Spawning is presumed to follow within 1 month. Estimates of the fecundity of the females, based on the egg sample from the ovary, range from 2·2 × 103 to 55 × 10 3 eggs with a mean of 11 × 10 3 and a mode of 7·5 × 10 3 eggs.
Cephalopods of the seas of the USSR. -(Academiya Nauk USSR) (translated from Russian, 1965). -Israel Program for Scientific Translations, lerusalem
- I I Akimushkin
Akimushkin, I.I. 1963. Cephalopods of the seas of the USSR. -(Academiya Nauk USSR) (translated from Russian, 1965). -Israel Program for Scientific Translations, lerusalem. 223 pp.
New records of Alloposus mollis Verrill (Cephalopoda, Octopod a) from the Pacific Ocean
- A Alvarino
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Alvarino, A. & T.R. Hunter 1981. New records of Alloposus mollis Verrill (Cephalopoda, Octopod a) from the Pacific Ocean. -The Nautilus 95:26-32.
Overblik over de i Kj(llbenhavns Museer opbevarede Blreksprutter fra det aabne Hav. -Oversigt over det Kongelige Danske Viden-skabselskaps Forhandlinger 1860-61
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Steenstrup, J. 1861. Overblik over de i Kj(llbenhavns Museer opbevarede Blreksprutter fra det aabne Hav. -Oversigt over det Kongelige Danske Viden-skabselskaps Forhandlinger 1860-61: 69-86.
Investigations on the 'Dana' Octopoda. I
- S Thore
Thore, S. 1949. Investigations on the 'Dana' Octopoda. I.