Abstract
The common octopus of the Veracruz Reef System (VRS, southwestern Gulf of Mexico) has historically been considered as Octopus vulgaris, and yet, to date, no study including both morphological and genetic data has tested that assumption. To assess this matter, 52 octopuses were sampled in different reefs within the VRS to determine the taxonomic identity of this commercially valuable species using an integrative taxonomic approach through both morphological and genetic analyses. Morphological and genetic data confirmed that the common octopus of the VRS is not O. vulgaris and determined that it is, in fact, the recently described O. insularis. Morphological measurements, counts, indices, and other characteristics such as specific colour patterns, closely matched what had been reported for O. insularis in Brazil. In addition, sequences from cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and 16S ribosomal RNA (r16S) mitochondrial genes confirmed that the common octopus from the VRS is in the same highly supported clade as O. insularis from Brazil. Genetic distances of both mitochondrial genes as well as of cytochrome oxidase subunit III (COIII) and novel nuclear rhodopsin sequences for the species, also confirmed this finding (0–0.8%). We discuss our findings in the light of the recent reports of octopus species misidentifications involving the members of the ‘O. vulgaris species complex’ and underscore the need for more morphological studies regarding this group to properly address the management of these commercially valuable and similar taxa.
Highlights
Many octopus fisheries are of high economic local importance (Jiménez-Badillo, 2010; Rosas et al, 2014)
Morphological description of the Veracruz Reef System common octopus The following description is based on 14 males and four females, all of them in maturity stages II–IV
SIMPER analysis revealed that differences between the Veracruz Reef System (VRS) common octopus and O. insularis specimens from Brazil were mainly attributed to traits related to the shape of the web and mantle (e.g. web depth index (WDI) and mantle width index (MWI)), which are more likely to suffer from fixation and preservation artefacts
Summary
Many octopus fisheries are of high economic local importance (Jiménez-Badillo, 2010; Rosas et al, 2014) Despite this fact, in many cases, the taxonomic identity of the targeted species remains unknown or has been long taken for granted because official fishery statistics do not attempt to distinguish different species (Domínguez-Contreras et al, 2018). As the value of octopus fisheries continues to increase, the need for rigorous taxonomic knowledge is greater than ever before (Norman & Hochberg, 2005). This is important in Mexico because it is the largest American octopus producer (Norman & Finn, 2016)
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