Grimpoteuthis challengeri

Grimpoteuthis challengeri is a species of large octopus living in the abyssal zone.

Grimpoteuthis challengeri
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Octopoda
Family: Opisthoteuthidae
Genus: Grimpoteuthis
Species:
G. challengeri
Binomial name
Grimpoteuthis challengeri
Collins, 2003 [2]

Description

The octopus is 370 millimeters long in total, while its mantle reaches a length of up to 75 millimeters.[3] It has long arms, and it has a web covering them that reaches 2/3 of the arm length. G. challengeri has between 63 and 72 suckers on its arms. Its shell is shaped like the letter "U".[4]

Like other cirrate octopods, G. challengeri has fins on either side of its mantle that it uses to swim through the ocean. This octopus's fins are long. It also has a beak, as do other octopuses.[5]

G. challengeri is a red-brown color when preserved, and its fins have a slight purple hue.[5]

The octopus's lifespan is unknown. It may lay its eggs on the seafloor, instead of brooding them.[1]

Habitat

G. challengeri is known from multiple specimens collected in the Porcupine Abyssal Plain of the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, while another specimen was found in the northwest Atlantic. It lives 4,828 to 4,838 meters deep.[4] It likely lives in the demersal zone.[1]

References
  1. Allcock, L; Lyons, G (2014). "Grimpoteuthis challengeri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  2. Cuvelier, Daphne; Bouchet, Philippe. "Grimpoteuthis challengeri". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  3. Jereb, Patrizia; Roper, Clyde F.E.; Norman, Mark D.; Finn, Julian K., eds. (2016). Cephalopods of the World: an Annotated and Illustrated Catalog of Cephalopods Known to Date Volume 3. Octopods and Vampire Squids (PDF). Rome. p. 282. ISBN 978-92-5-107989-8. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  4. Collins, Martin; Vecchione, Michael; Young, Richard E. "Grimpoteuthis challengeri". Tree of Life Web Project. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  5. Collins, Martin; Vecchione, Michael; Young, Richard E. "Grimpoteuthis challengeri: Description Continued". Tree of Life Web Project. Retrieved 1 May 2018.


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