Unusual incirrate octopods from the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, including Bathypurpurata profunda, a newly discovered genus and species of deepwater pygmy octopod (Cephalopoda)

• Main Authors: Vecchione, Michael, Allcock, Louise, Piatkowski, Uwe
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Phuket Marine Biological Center 2005
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctica; South Shetland Islands
• Online Access: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/3899/; https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/3899/1/2005%20Vecchione_etal_Phuket%20Marine%20Biological%20Center%20Research%20Bulletin%2066.pdf

Among the many octopods collected during recent Antarctic trawling were several species that do not belong to the common Antarctic pareledonin fauna. Three species are either poorly known or new to science, so we describe their morphology and anatomy. A very small (23 mm dorsal mantle length, ML) mature female of a fragile, dark purple species without an ink sac has suckers in a single series and proportionally huge salivary glands. We consider it to be a new genus and species. A single Graneledone antarctica Voss is unusual because it is the largest reported specimen (104 mm ML) and the first mature female. Six “Bentheledone” from a single deep (3213 m) sample and another, mature male caught nearby over five years later, may be B. albida (Berry), until now known only from the holotype. They are characterized by tiny posterior salivary glands, a small triangular calamus and small almost circular ligula.