Hubbs’ Octopus, Octopus hubbsorum

Hubbs’ Octopus, Octopus hubbsorum. Octopus caught from coastal waters off La Playita, Baja California Sur, September 2012.

Phylogeny: Hubbs’ Octopus, Octopus hubbsorum (S.S.Berry, 1953), is member of the Octopodidae Family of Octopuses. The genus Octopus is one of twenty-three genera in the Octopodidae Family, and there are seventy-three species in the Octopus genus.  They are also known as the Green Octopus and in Mexico as Pulpo de Hubbs and Pulpo Verde. This species was named in honor of Carl Leavitt Hubbs, a prominent ichthyologist who described many genera and species of fish. He specialized in fishes of Mexico. Marine mammals, invertebrates, and twenty-two species of fish are named in his honor.

Morphology:  Hubbs’ Octopus have a spherical, or globular, mantle. The eight arms are relatively short, and tapering. The arms have numerous suction cups that grow smaller distal to the mantle. These octopuses vary in color, including light brown,  dark brown, greenish, and reddish and are heavily marked with lighter blotches. This species lacks the ocelli found on some other octopus species in the region. The mantle of Hubbs’ Octopus average 22 cm (8.7 inches) in length. Total length is approximately 50 cm (19 inches).

Habitat and Distribution:  Hubbs’ Octopus can be found in a variety of habitats- boulders, rocky or coral reefs, and sand or mud. They live intertidally and to a maximum depth of 155 m (508 feet), though they are generally found in the top 10 m (33 feet). They are a subtropical Eastern Pacific species. In Mexican waters, Hubb’s Octopus have a limited distribution being ENDEMIC to the central and southern regions of the Gulf of California. They range from Bahía San Carlos, Sonora, to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.

Diet: Hubbs’ Octopus are predatory carnivores consuming bivalves, crabs, echinoderms, small fishes, gastropods, other octopus species, shrimp and polychaetes worms.

Predators:  Hubbs’ Octopus are preyed upon by shore birds, eels, larger fishes, sea lions, and sharks.

Reproduction:  Hubbs’ Octopuses are gonochoric (male or female for life). Reproduction is sexual, with internal fertilization. During copulation, the male grasps the female and inserts the hectocotylus (A specialized arm that delivers a sperm packet) into the female’s mantle cavity where fertilization occurs. The female lays her eggs in a protected area and tends the eggs until they hatch. The eggs hatch into a  planktonic stage. Hubbs’ Octopus are unusual in that many males have two hectocotylus, which is not usually seen in other octopus species.

Ecosystem Interactions: The engagement of Hubbs’ Octopus in any types of commensal, or symbiotic relationships have not been documented. Many octopus species are known to host internal parasites within their organs.

Human Interactions:  Hubbs’ Octopus are targeted by commercial and artisanal fisheries on both sides of the Gulf of California. They are an important food source and economic resource in the region. Because overfishing of this species is a distinct possibility, the fishermen within the Bahía de Los Ángeles Biosphere Reserve have voluntarily enacted a closed season for this species. They believe that this will protect the species, and their livelihoods. From a conservation perspective Hubbs’ Octopus is currently considered to be of Least Concern.

Synonyms: None