Veligero Octopus, Octopus veligero

Veligero Octopus, Octopus veligero. Underwater photographs taken in Zihuatanejo Bay, Guerrero, March 2018. Photographs courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuatanejo, Guerrero.

Phylogeny:  The Veligero Octopus, Octopus veligero, is a member of the Octopodidae Family of Benthic Octopi. They belong to Class Cephalopoda, which includes cuttlefish, nautiloids, and squid. In Mexico, they are known as Pulpo Velado.

Morphology:  The Veligero Octopus is typically rugose in texture and mottled red-brown, with metallic gold and silver around the eyes and head. However, the dorsal color can vary from iridescent green, white, black, and purple. They have large, plumelike gills, with approximately 30 to 34 lamellae per gill. The arms are less than three times the body length, and webbed to the tip. The dorsal mantle length is 5.0 cm (2.0 inches) to 7.0 cm (2.75 inches) and the total body length including the longest arm is 36 cm (14 inches) to 46 cm (18 inches).

Habitat and Distribution:  The Veligero Octopus inhabits Central Baja California coast in the Sea of Cortez, and the outer peninsular coast from Cabo San Lucas to San Juanico. They are typically found under tidal and subtidal rocks and crevices up to 20 m (65 feet), but they have been trawled at depths of 200 m (650 feet) deep off the coast of Cabo San Lucas

Common Misidentification:  This species of octopus is distinguished from Verill’s Two-spot Octopus, Octopus bimaculatus, by its distinct orange funnel and the rosy underside of its arms boasting large, white suckers. The Veligero Octopus is also distinguished by its shorter arms which are webbed to the tip.

Diet:  The diet of the Veligero Octopus consists of bivalves, small crabs, cup-and-saucer limpets, and snails.

Predators: Veligero Octopuses are eaten by moray eels and other fish, sea lions, and sea birds.

Reproduction:  The Veligero Octopus is 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.

Ecosystem Interactions:    The engagement of Veligero Octopuses in any types of commensal, or symbiotic relationships have not been documented. Many octopus species host internal parasites within their organs, and this species may also.

Human Interactions:  Veligero Octopuses are the target of artisanal fisheries on the Baja Peninsula. Overfishing could adversely impact local populations.  From a conservation perspective they have not been formally evaluated however they are fairly common and, despite a  limited distribution, should be consider to be of Least Concern.