Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Aug 12;10(8):e0134152.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134152. eCollection 2015.

Behavior and Body Patterns of the Larger Pacific Striped Octopus

Roy L Caldwell  1 , Richard Ross  2 , Arcadio Rodaniche  3 , Christine L Huffard  4
Affiliations

Behavior and Body Patterns of the Larger Pacific Striped Octopus

Roy L Caldwell et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Over thirty years ago anecdotal accounts of the undescribed Larger Pacific Striped Octopus suggested behaviors previously unknown for octopuses. Beak-to-beak mating, dens shared by mating pairs, inking during mating and extended spawning were mentioned in publications, and enticed generations of cephalopod biologists. In 2012-2014 we were able to obtain several live specimens of this species, which remains without a formal description. All of the unique behaviors listed above were observed for animals in aquaria and are discussed here. We describe the behavior, body color patterns, and postures of 24 adults maintained in captivity. Chromatophore patterns of hatchlings are also shown.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Artwork depicting Larger Pacific Striped Octopus. by AR.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Body color and texture components and patterns of the Larger Pacific Striped Octopus.
A) Spot-and-striped display with flared body posture, showing longitudinal head stripes and (1) dark horizontal mantle bars; B) Bilateral display with dark body pattern on the left of the individual’s midline (viewer’s right) (2), and spot-and-stripe body pattern on the right of the individual’s midline (viewer’s left); C) Spot-and-stripe display highlighting (3) region with individual variation in body color components; D) Dorsal arm crown and arms in spot-and-striped body color pattern showing (4) white sucker rims and (5) pale longitudinal stripes on head, with raised pale border; E) Lateral view showing smooth skin and (6) large white spots on web, arm crown and arms; F) White spots on the raised bumps of granular skin texture, on dorso-lateral edges of arms (7); G) Dorsal arm crown and arms in dark color pattern showing (8) dark stripes with pale raised border; H) Dorso-lateral view in pale color pattern showing (9) raised pale border between horizontal mantle bars on dorsal mantle and (10) small mantle papillae; I) Eyes and funnel showing (11) granular skin texture, (12) dark eye bar, and (13) supra-(left) and sub-(right) ocular papillae. Note blue sheen of funnel and green undertone of pale bars on the eye. All photos by RLC.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Body postures of the Larger Pacific Striped Octopus.
A-B) dorsal arm reach while hunting in the open (A) and from a shelter (B); C) Sitting with oral surface of web exposed and arms held behind mantle; D) Upright swimming; E) Upright crawling with reflexed mantle; F) Upright crawling with reflexed mantle, domed arm crown, and (1) posterior mantle papilla; G) Forward crawling with reflexed mantle, flared arms, and (2) ventral mantle papillae; H) Slow bounce with pale color pattern, extended eye bar, erect dorsal arms (arm pair I) reflexed at tips; I) position of drill hole in snail shell. All photos by RLC.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Beak-to-beak mating in Larger Pacific Striped Octopus.
A) Insertion of male hectocotylized arm into female mantle cavity, male on left, female on right; B) Female (right, pale) slightly enveloping male (left) during mating; C) Sucker alignment during mating; D) sucker alignment and mantle encircled with arm during mating; E) Hectocotylus insertion during ‘distance’ mating in beak-to-beak posture (male left, female right). All photos by RLC.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Life cycle stages of Larger Pacific Striped Octopus.
A) Eggs attached to shell used for brooding; B) Close up of eggs from a single clutch. Note embryos at different stages of development and eggs attached in pairs; C) two day old hatchling eating 1–4 day old Lysmata amboinensis larvae; D-F) Hatchlings one day old—D) dorsal view; E) oblique lateral view; F) ventral view; G-H) two-day old hatchling after feeding on stomatopod larvae—G) dorsal view; H) lateral view. A, B, D, E, G, H by RLC; C, F by RR.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Moynihan MH, Rodaniche AF (1977) Communication, crypsis, and mimicry among cephalopods. How animals communicate: 293–302.
    1. Voss GL (1968) Biological Investigations of the Deep Sea. 39. Octopods from the R/V Pillsbury Southwestern Caribbean Cruise, 1966, with a description of a new species, Octopus zonatus . Bulletin of Marine Science 18: 645–659.
    1. Moynihan M (1985) Communication and noncommunication by cephalopods: Indiana University Press; Bloomington, IN.
    1. Moynihan M, Rodaniche AF (1982) The behavior and natural history of the Caribbean Reef Squid Sepioteuthis sepioidea with a consideration of social, signal, and defensive patterns for difficult and dangerous environments. Fortschritte der Verhaltensforschung/ /Advances in Ethology. Supplements to Journal of Comparative Ethology, 25, 151 pages.
    1. Rodaniche AF (1991) Notes on the behavior of the Larger Pacific Striped Octopus, an undescribed species of the genus Octopus . Bulletin of Marine Science 49: 667.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources