Finned octopus Cirroteuthis Eschricht, 1836 (Cephalopoda: Cirrata: Cirroteuthidae) confirmed from Australian waters

ABSTRACT

The finned octopus Cirroteuthis muelleri is abundant in the far northern hemisphere, yet limited records exist of a possible undescribed southern hemisphere species, Cirroteuthis cf. muelleri. A single specimen of C. cf. muelleri was identified amongst material collected during a 2017 abyssal survey off eastern Australia. The specimen had a dorsal mantle length of about 116 mm when fresh and 56 mm following preservation and was captured at 2338−2581 m depth. Morphological characteristics of this specimen aligned closely with C. cf. muelleri from New Zealand, and differences in these to C. muelleri from the North Atlantic and North Pacific, combined with the disjunct distribution, warrant further investigation of the southern hemisphere specimens as a possible new species. This discovery represents a significant range extension of Cirroteuthis and is the first occurrence of this genus from Australian waters.

KEYWORDS:

• Deep-sea
• cirromorph octopods
• Australian molluscs
• mollusca

Acknowledgements

Thanks are extended to the staff of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery collections and research facility for assistance with this volunteer project, particularly Dr Kirrily Moore (collection manager, Invertebrate Zoology) and Dr Simon Grove (senior curator, Invertebrate Zoology). Mr Chris Rowley (collection manager, Marine Invertebrates) and Dr Julian Finn (senior curator, Marine Invertebrates) of Museums Victoria, are graciously acknowledged for assistance lending the specimen that was the focus of this study. Thanks is given to Karen Gowlett-Holmes, CSIRO, for kind permission to use her photographs of the fresh specimen. The constructive criticism of two reviewers, Dr Karina Hall and one anonymous, are thanked for improving the clarity of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).