Amphioctopus burryi (Voss, 1950)

Roper, Clyde F. E., Gutierrez, A. & Vecchione, M., 2013, Paralarval octopods of the Florida Current, Journal of Natural History 49 (21 - 24), pp. 1281-1304 : 1284

Amphioctopus burryi (Voss, 1950)

Amphioctopus burryi ( Figure 2 ) was also common in the material studied (22 individuals). Their sizes ranged between 0.9 and 3.5 mm ML. Young specimens are recognized by the presence of (a) subequal-length arms with four suckers in one series; (b) suckers at the bases of the arms very small, forming a ring surrounding the mouth; the sucker formula is 2 = 3> 4> 1; (c) 10 to 12 arm chromatophores in two series, both dorsal and ventral; (d) the dorsal mantle devoid of chromatophores and the ventral mantle uniformly covered with 14 to 17 chromatophores; (e) four ventral funnel chromatophores, two on each side; (f) the dorsal surface of the head with 10 chromatophores, two large ones anteriorly, four in the middle and four posteriorly; (g) the ventral surface of the head with two chromatophores. Larger individuals possess two series of suckers (the arm basal suckers remain the smallest); the ventral surface of the mantle has 26 to 30 chromatophores; the rest of the chromatophore count remains the same.

Figures

Figure 2. Amphioctopus burryi paralarval chromatophore patterns and arm sucker development. (A) Chromatophores on dorsal surface of mantle, head and arm pairs I and II; (B) chromatophores on ventral surface of mantle, funnel, head and arm pairs III and IV; (C) oral view of sucker development on Arms I to IV. (Size range examined 0.9–3.5 mm mantle length.)