Stauroteuthis is a genus of deepwater cirrate octopus, a cephalopod mollusk. This is the only genus in the family Stauroteuthidae, and only three species have been described in this genus.
The organisms live below 700 m (2,300 ft) water depth; although sometimes found as deep as 4 km (2.5 mi) underwater, they generally live at a water depth of around 2 km (1.2 mi). They do not possess a radula.
The stauroteuthids have the distinction of being one of the few bioluminescent octopuses; some of the muscle cells that control the suckers in most species have been replaced with photophores which are believed to fool prey by directing them towards the mouth.
Species
- Stauroteuthis gilchristi (Robson, 1924): Known from two localities in the south Atlantic, and other southern ocean locations (Macquarie Island, and Kerguelen).456
- Stauroteuthis syrtensis Verrill, 1879: Widespread in the North Atlantic.7 The population size of S. syrtensis is unknown.8
- Stauroteuthis kengrahami Verhoeff, 2023: Known from a single specimen off eastern Australia.9
External links
- Tree of Life website gives information about the classification of cephalopod groups
- Stauroteuthidae discussion forum at TONMO.com
References
Collins, M. A.; Henriques, C. (August 2000). "A revision of the family Stauroteuthidae (Octopoda: Cirrata) with redescriptions of Stauroteuthis syrtensis and S. gilchristi". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK. 80 (4): 685. doi:10.1017/S0025315400002514. S2CID 85406750. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩
Collins, M. A.; Henriques, C. (August 2000). "A revision of the family Stauroteuthidae (Octopoda: Cirrata) with redescriptions of Stauroteuthis syrtensis and S. gilchristi". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK. 80 (4): 685. doi:10.1017/S0025315400002514. S2CID 85406750. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩
Johnsen, S.; E.J. Balser; E.C. Fisher; E.A. Widder (1999). "Bioluminescence in the deep-sea cirrate octopod Stauroteuthis syrtensis Verrill (Mollusca: Cephalopoda)" (PDF). The Biological Bulletin. 197 (1): 26–39. doi:10.2307/1542994. JSTOR 1542994. PMID 28296499. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-03-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20110305114611/http://www.biology.duke.edu/johnsenlab/pdfs/pubs/octopusbiolbull.pdf ↩
Collins, M. A.; Henriques, C. (August 2000). "A revision of the family Stauroteuthidae (Octopoda: Cirrata) with redescriptions of Stauroteuthis syrtensis and S. gilchristi". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK. 80 (4): 685. doi:10.1017/S0025315400002514. S2CID 85406750. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩
Stauroteuthis gilchristi. Tree of Life web project. http://tolweb.org/20186 ↩
Verhoeff, Tristan Joseph (2023-07-20). "A new species of Stauroteuthis (Octopoda: Cirrata) and further novel cirrate octopods from Australian waters". Molluscan Research: 1–20. doi:10.1080/13235818.2023.2232534. ISSN 1323-5818. S2CID 260017318. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13235818.2023.2232534 ↩
Stauroteuthis syrtensis. Tree of Life web project. http://tolweb.org/Stauroteuthis_syrtensis/20187 ↩
Stauroteuthis syrtensis Verrill, 1879. Encyclopedia of Life. http://www.eol.org/pages/493012 ↩
Verhoeff, Tristan Joseph (2023-07-20). "A new species of Stauroteuthis (Octopoda: Cirrata) and further novel cirrate octopods from Australian waters". Molluscan Research: 1–20. doi:10.1080/13235818.2023.2232534. ISSN 1323-5818. S2CID 260017318. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13235818.2023.2232534 ↩