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, S.S. Berry, 1953, is member of the Octopodidae Family of Octopuses. The Octopus genus is one of twenty-three genera in the Octopodidae Family, and there are seventy-three species in the Octopus genus. They are known in Mexico as Pulpo Velado. The genus name Octopus comes from the Greek words meaning “eight foot”, referring to the eight arms. The species name veligero comes from the Latin word for “veiled” or “sail-bearing”. The webbed arms of this species give it a veiled appearance.
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 to white, black, or 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). The Veligero Octopus is distinguished from Verill’s Two-spot Octopus, Octopus bimaculatus, by its distinct orange funnel and the rosy underside of its arms, which boast large, white suckers. The Veligero Octopus also has shorter arms which are webbed to the tip.
Habitat and Distribution: Veligero Octopus are typically found under tidal and subtidal rocks, and in crevices, up to 20 m (65 feet) deep, but they have been trawled at depths of 200 m (650 feet) deep off the coast of Cabo San Lucas. They are a subtropical to tropical Eastern Pacific species. The Veligero Octopus is an ENDEMIC resident of the Gulf of California, where they range from San Juanico to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.
Diet: The diet of the Veligero Octopus consists of bivalves, small crabs, cup-and-saucer limpets, and snails.
Predators: Veligero Octopus are preyed upon by sea birds, moray eels and other fish, and sea lions.
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 are known to host internal parasites within their organs.
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.
Synonyms: None