Octopus Dofleini Research Articles

Fecal Hormones Measured within Giant Pacific Octopuses Enteroctopus dofleini

The captive husbandry of giant Pacific octopuses Enteroctopus dofleini is well understood, but their endocrine signatures are not well documented. The major vertebrate reproductive hormones--estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone--and the stress-related hormone corticosterone are relatively well known for many vertebrate species. However, few studies on these hormones within invertebrates have been conducted. Our hypothesis was that endocrine signatures within octopuses are similar to those found within vertebrates in response to reproductive activity and stress. Using standard immunoassay techniques, we measured fecal steroids within fecal samples collected from five female and three male giant Pacific octopuses housed at the Seattle Aquarium. The mean estrogen level ranged from 3.67 to 99.39 ng/g of feces, progesterone ranged from 44.35 to 231.71 ng/g feces, testosterone ranged from 9.30 to 18.18 ng/g feces, and corticosterone ranged from 10.91 to 22.14 ng/g feces. The results suggest that octopus fecal hormones are similar to those in vertebrates and may be useful in measuring ovarian activity and stress within captive female giant Pacific octopuses.

Rearing and Growth of the Octopus Robsonella fontaniana (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) From Planktonic Hatchlings to Benthic Juveniles

Globally, octopus larviculture is one of the challenges faced in the attempt to diversify aquaculture and achieve cephalopod farming. Currently, only juveniles of Octopus vulgaris, Octopus joubini, and Enteroctopus dofleini have been obtained at an experimental level. This is the first study to look at the characteristics of planktonic and benthic Robsonella fontaniana juveniles in an effort to analyze the morphometric changes occurring during their planktonic and benthic phases and to explore the feasibility of obtaining settlement under controlled conditions. The morphometric measurements varied exponentially over time and did not show different tendencies before and after settlement. Mantle growth in relation to total length fit a logarithmic regression, whereas arm length and eye diameter increased linearly with respect to total length throughout the entire paralarval and juvenile periods. This suggests that the size of the mantle decreases with age in proportion to the total octopus length, whereas the organs more directly involved in catching prey tend to increase in direct proportion to the total length. The present study shows that R. fontaniana can be reared from hatching through the final paralarval stage on a diet of Lithodes santolla (king crab) zoeae; after settlement, the juveniles can be reared on a diet of crab such as Petrolisthes.

방사선 조사에 의한 문어 자숙액의 항산화 활성 증가 원인 규명

This study was conducted to investigate the reason for the increase in the antioxidant activity of cooking drip from Enteroctopus dofleini by gamma and electron-beam irradiation. To define the effect of irradiation on the antioxidant activity of polyphenol in cooking drip, polyphenol excluded cooking drip extracts were prepared with polyclar™. But, the antioxidant activity of the cooking drip extracts without polyphenol was still increased by both irradiations. Instead, the effect on the proteins in the cooking drips prepared by ammonium sulfate precipitation showed great increase in antioxidative activity by irradiation. From these results, it was concluded that the increase in the antioxidative activity in cooking drips by the irradiation was caused by the structural modification of proteins in the cooking drips.

"Super Suckers: The Giant Pacific Octopus and Other Cephalopods of the Pacific Coast" by James A. Cosgrove and Neil McDaniel. 2009. [book review

"Super Suckers: The Giant Pacific Octopus and Other Cephalopods of the Pacific Coast" by James A. Cosgrove and Neil McDaniel. 2009. [book review

宗谷海峡のミズダコの資源管理とたこ漁家経営の両立を目指した資源管理システム

宗谷海峡のミズダコの資源管理とたこ漁家経営の両立を目指した資源管理システム

Redescription of Dicyemennea nouveli (Phylum: Dicyemida) from Enteroctopus dofleini (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Octopoda)

A species of dicyemid mesozoan is redescribed from the giant Pacific octopus, Enteroctopus dofleini (Wülker, 1910), collected off Iwase in Toyama Bay, Honshu, Japan. Dicyemennea nouveli McConnaughey, 1959, is a large species that reaches about 12,000 microm in length. This species lives in folds of the renal appendages. The vermiform stages are characterized as having 30-41 peripheral cells, a conical calotte, and an axial cell that extends to the middle of the metapolar cells. An anterior abortive axial cell is present in vermiform embryos. Full-grown vermiform embryos have as many as 4 agametes. Infusoriform embryos consist of 39 cells; 2 nuclei are present in each urn cell and the refringent bodies are solid.

Giant Pacific Octopus, <em>Enteroctopus dofleini</em>, Attacks on Divers

Documentation is given of four instances of attacks on scuba divers by the giant Pacific octopus.

Ultra‐Low Catalyst Loading as a Concept in Economical and Sustainable Modern Chemistry: The Contribution of Ferrocenylpolyphosphane Ligands (Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 24/2007)

AbstractThe cover picture shows an X‐ray illustration of the multidentate ferrocenylpolyphosphane 1,1′,2,2′‐tetrakis(diphenylphosphanyl)‐4,4′‐di‐tert‐butylferrocene. The cisoid conformation of the molecule, evidenced at the solid state, is conserved in solution; the phosphorus arrangement led to a rarely demonstrated multiple‐coordination behaviour towards palladium, possibly useful in ultra‐low catalyst loading reactions due to an improved stabilization of the metal atom. The multiple phosphane arms and their orientation resemble the elegant and intelligent creature that is the Giant Pacific Octopus (specimen from the Alaska SeaLife Centre in Seward, photo published with the kind permission of Mollie Tubbs and Jason Wettstein). The catalytic performance in palladium cross‐coupling at ultra‐low catalyst loading is presented in the Microreview by J.‐C. Hierso et al. on page 3767 ff.

The packaging problem: Bivalve prey selection and prey entry techniques of the octopus Enteroctopus dofleini.

Many predators face a complex step of prey preparation before consumption. Octopuses faced with bivalve prey use several techniques to penetrate the shells to gain access to the meat inside. When given prey of mussels Mytilus trossulus, Manila clams Venerupis philippinarum, and littleneck clams Protothaca staminea, Enteroctopus dofleini solved the problem differently. They pulled apart V. philippinarum and M. trossulus, which had the thinnest shells and the least pulling resistance. P. staminea were eaten after the shells had been chipped or had been penetrated by drilling, presumably to inject a toxin. Likely because of these differences, octopuses consumed more V. philippinarum and M. trossulus than P. staminea when the mollusks were given to them either 1 species at a time or all together. However, when the shells were separated and the penetration problem removed, the octopuses predominantly chose P. staminea and nearly ignored M. trossulus. When V. philippinarum were wired shut, octopuses switched techniques. These results emphasize that octopuses can learn on the basis of nonvisual information and monitor their body position to carry out feeding actions.

Radionuclide Concentrations in Benthic Invertebrates from Amchitka and Kiska Islands in the Aleutian Chain, Alaska

Concentrations of 13 radionuclides (137Cs, 129I, 60Co, 152Eu, 90Sr, 99Tc, 241Am, 238Pu, 239,249Pu, 234U, 235U, 236U, 238U) were examined in seven species of invertebrates from Amchitka and Kiska Islands, in the Aleutian Chain of Alaska, using gamma spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy, and alpha spectroscopy. Amchitka Island was the site of three underground nuclear test (1965-1971), and we tested the null hypotheses that there were no differences in radionuclide concentrations between Amchitka and the reference site (Kiska) and there were no differences among species. The only radionuclides where composite samples were above the Minimum Detectable Activity (MDA) were 137Cs, 241Am, 239,249Pu, 234U, 235U, 236U, and 238U. Green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus polyacanthus), giant chiton (Cryptochiton stelleri), plate limpets (Tectura scutum) and giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) were only tested for 137Cs; octopus was the only species with detectable levels of 137Cs (0.262 +/- 0.029 Bq/kg, wet weight). Only rock jingle (Pododesmus macroschisma), blue mussel (Mytilus trossulus) and horse mussel (Modiolus modiolus) were analyzed for the actinides. There were no interspecific differences in 241Am and 239,240Pu, and almost no samples above the MDA for 238Pu and 236U. Horse mussels had significantly higher concentrations of 234U (0.844 +/- 0.804 Bq/kg) and 238U (0.730 +/- 0.646) than the other species (both isotopes are naturally occurring). There were no differences in actinide concentrations between Amchitka and Kiska. In general, radionuclides in invertebrates from Amchitka were similar to those from uncontaminated sites in the Northern Hemisphere, and below those from the contaminated Irish Sea. There is a clear research need for authors to report the concentrations of radionuclides by species, rather than simply as 'shellfish', for comparative purposes in determining geographical patterns, understanding possible effects, and for estimating risk to humans from consuming different biota.

Multidimensional Tracking of Giant Pacific Octopuses in Northern Japan Reveals Unexpected Foraging Behaviour

Most marine populations are in decline (Pauly, 2000; Leon, 2003) and reports of stable or increasing stocks are viewed with some scepticism (Myers and Worm, 2003). Compensation for decreasing fish stocks by cephalopod populations has been theorized and reported (O'Dor, 1998; Chotiyaputta et al., 2002). Around Hokkaido Island (northern Japan), catch per unit effort (CPUE) of Enteroctopus dofleini is relatively stable (Hokkaido Fisheries Annual Report, 1986-2001). Decreasing inter-specific competition for food, reduced predation pressure by large fishes and a prevailing temperature regime are possible factors in the stability of the E dofleini catch rate; but so is the flexible behaviour of octopuses. Neural and behaviour studies (Young, 1961; Mather, 1994; Yamazaki et al., 2002) have alluded to the benefits of the adaptability of octopus behaviour, but no suggestions are as succinct as our findings during a recent radio acoustic tagging study where tagged octopuses stayed in smaller home ranges for longer periods of time than expected (Mather et al., 1985) while feeding off of a gill net. We propose that these findings have direct implications to understanding of the ecology of the species and are an example of why in situ monitoring provided by Radio Acoustic Positioning (RAP) technology is an essential part of the planning, and implantation of regional management plans and the development and monitoring of marine protected areas.

Phylogenetic Relationships among Major Species of Japanese Coleoid Cephalopods (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) Using Three Mitochondrial DNA Sequences

Phylogenetic relationships among 36 species of major coleoid cephalopods from Japanese waters were studied using partial sequences of three mitochondrial genes, 16S rDNA, 12S rDNA, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene. Octopoda and Decapoda were monophylic groups. Within Sepioidea, Sepiadariidae and Sepiolidae were not closely related to Sepiidae, but rather related to Teuthoidea. Sepiidae with a distinct calcareous shell formed a single cluster. Myopsida was closely related to Oegopsida. Within Octopoda, Opisthoteuthis depressa and Argonauta argo diverged earlier than Octopodiidae. The common octopuses in Japanese waters were separated into three clusters. The first cluster occupied a basal position, and includes large-sized octopuses, such as Enteroctopus dofleini and Octopus (Paroctopus) conispadiceus from the continental shelf and upper slope. The second cluster consisted of long-armed octopuses, such as O. ornatus, O. minor, and O. sasakii. The third cluster contained small- to medium-sized octopus, such as Amphioctopus fangsiao, A. areolatus, O. cyaneus, and O. vulgaris, in which several species possess ocelli on the web. The second cluster formed the sister group to the third cluster.

Comparative structural analysis of low-molecular mass fragments of Rapana venosa hemocyanin obtained using two different procedures

Different fragments of the hemocyanin (Hc) isolated from the gastropod Rapana venosa containing a single functional unit (50 kDa), two functional units (100 kDa) and three functional units (150 kDa) were obtained in a dissociating buffer in the presence of Zn 2+ and purified to homogeneity. Their conformations in solution were studied by means of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and compared with those of the corresponding fragments previously obtained by limited proteolysis [Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 2000, 373, 154]. The overall shape of each fragment was determined using an ab initio approach. The crystal structures of the functional unit e from the same Hc and from another molluscan Hc ( Octopus dofleini) were used to model 100 and 150 kDa fragments using rigid body movements to fit the corresponding SAXS patterns. Interesting differences were observed between the functional unit organization in the low-molecular mass fragments according to the two preparation methods, suggesting different localizations within the 11S functional subunit.

외줄낚시에 대한 대문어의 행동과 낚시형상 설계

The single line hook fishery for giant pacific octopus, Parotopus dofleini is one of the important in coastal Kangwon-do of Korea, where was caught an average of 4,000 ton during the period of 1996~2000. The fishing gear is consisted of a single buoy line, a buoy and a hook. In this study, the responses of giant pacific octopus to single line hook gear were examined in an experimental tank using a video camera in order to know hooking mechanism and improve hook. Giant pacific octopus tend to envelop the bait with their arms by rush or slowly swimming towards it. When they rush to the bait, they show much feeding behaviour as withdrawing after enveloping the bait using two arms. But when they approach with slowly swimming to bait, they show feeding behaviour as stopping after enveloping the bait using one arm. and then, the highly hooking rate appeared more often in the case of latter then former. The average feeding time on a sardine, giant pacific octopus and pork fat showed the range of 1 to 30 min, 10 to 50 min, and 50 min to over 1 hour, respectively. This indicates that it takes longer time for giant pacific octopus to eat the tough meat than the soft meat. The performance concerned with hooking showed that the `B` type hook with a short shank was more favorable than the `A` type hook with a long shank. However, the `A` type hook has the advantage of easy dropping out caught octopus, compared to the `B` type.

Some Old and New Genera of Octopus

Two old, one new and two current genus names are discussed. The old names are Schizoctopus Hoyle, 1886, for which a type species is here designated, and Tritaxeopus Owen, 1881, which is here associated with the ‘Octopus horridus group’ of species. The two current genus names concern two species of octopus with males hectocotylized on the third left arm: Scaeurgus unicirrhus (delle Chiaje in d’Orbigny, 1841) and Pteroctopus tetracirrhus (delle Chiaje, 1830). The type species of the genus names Scaeurgus and Pteroctopus have been identified as synonyms (rendering these genus names synonyms, also) but approval of an unchallenged redesignation of the type species of Scaeurgus provides an appropriate solution to this problem that would best maintain taxonomic stability. A new genus name is proposed for the species Octopus januarii Hoyle, 1885, which was previously placed in Benthoctopus Grimpe, 1921. This follows the recent identification of the type species of three genera (Bathypolypus, Benthoctopus and Atlantoctopus, all described by Grimpe, 1921) as belonging to a single genus (excluding Octopus januarii), of which Bathypolypus is the senior synonym. It is here observed that the species closest in morphology to Hoyle’s ‘Octopus’ januarii appears to be ‘Octopus’ longispadiceus (Sasaki, 1917), although the former has no ink sac while the latter has. The common features of these two species include close similarities in the internal structure of the male pseudophallus. Comparisons are made with structural features of the pseudophallus in Enteroctopus dofleini (Wulker, 1910), ‘Octopus’ hongkongensis Hoyle, 1885, and ‘O.’ conispadiceus (Sasaki, 1917), and it is suggested that all five species may be related at the subfamily level.

The structure of a functional unit from the wall of a gastropod hemocyanin offers a possible mechanism for cooperativity.

Structure-function relationships in a molluscan hemocyanin have been investigated by determining the crystal structure of the Rapana thomasiana (gastropod) hemocyanin functional unit RtH2e in deoxygenated form at 3.38 A resolution. This is the first X-ray structure of an unit from the wall of the molluscan hemocyanin cylinder. The crystal structure of RtH2e demonstrates molecular self-assembly of six identical molecules forming a regular hexameric cylinder. This suggests how the functional units are ordered in the wall of the native molluscan hemocyanins. The molecular arrangement is stabilized by specific protomer-to-protomer interactions, which are probably typical for the functional units building the wall of the cylinders. A molecular mechanism for cooperative dioxygen binding in molluscan hemocyanins is proposed on the basis of the molecular interactions between the protomers. In particular, the deoxygenated RtH2e structure reveals a tunnel leading from two opposite sides of the molecule to the active site. The tunnel represents a possible entrance pathway for dioxygen molecules. No such tunnels have been observed in the crystal structure of the oxy-Odg, a functional unit from the Octopus dofleini (cephalopod) hemocyanin in oxygenated form.

Characteristics of Habitats Used by Enteroctopus dofleini in Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet, Alaska

Abstract. Habitat characteristics associated with the giant Pacific octopus, Enteroctopus dofleini (Wülker 1910), were studied in Prince William Sound and Port Graham, Alaska, from beach walk, SCUBA and submersible surveys at depths of 0 to 197 m. Octopus counts on beach walk transects were positively correlated with soft substrates (sand, gravel or broken rubble), the presence of boulders, and dense kelp cover immediately offshore of the transect; and negatively correlated with depth on SCUBA transects. No significant habitat correlations were found with counts on submersible transects. On beach walks, octopus counts were reduced on hard substrates to 38 % of the counts on soft substrates. Counts increased five‐fold in the presence of boulders over counts in their absence, and increased fifteen‐fold adjacent to dense (> 75 %) kelp cover over counts adjacent to sparse (< 25 %) kelp cover. On SCUBA transects, the average density at less than 5 m depth was over five times that below 5 m. No trends in octopus size or sex ratio were detected with depth. Den use was inversely correlated with depth although there was no indication that den availability declined with depth. Octopuses were found at densities from 0 to 2.5 per 1000 m2. These densities were only 1 to 50 % of densities of the same species recorded in British Columbia in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Few data are available to test recruitment, mortality, and habitat selection hypotheses that would account for differences between habitats. However, the presence of the highest octopus densities in intertidal and very shallow subtidal areas indicates the likely importance of near‐shore, shallow‐water habitats, and highlights the vulnerability of octopus populations to changes in these habitats.

Comparative modeling of the latent form of a plant catechol oxidase using a molluskan hemocyanin structure

The structure of the precursor form of catechol oxidase from sweet potatoes ( Ipomoea batatas) has been modeled on the basis of the 3D structural data of mature catechol oxidase [Nat. Struct. Biol. 5 (1998) 1084] and of hemocyanin from giant octopus ( Octopus dofleini) [J. Mol. Biol. 278 (1998) 855]. A C-terminal extension peptide is found in the cDNA sequence but not in the purified, mature form of catechol oxidase. Superimposition of the 3D structures of the native hemocyanin and catechol oxidase reveals a close relationship except for an additional C-terminal domain only found in the hemocyanin structure. As sequence alignment shows good homology this domain of the hemocyanin structure was used as a template to model the 3D structure of the C-terminal extension peptide of catechol oxidase. As hemocyanins show no or only weak catecholase activity due to this domain this indicates an inhibitory function of this extension peptide. Beside this possible shielding function for the precursor form, evidence for a function in copper-uptake also increases due to the location of three histidine residues in the model.

Enrichment for Giant Pacific Octopuses: Happy as a Clam?

What is environmental enrichment? During the last several decades, zoos and aquariums have come to realize (perhaps belatedly) that animals kept in captivity need environmental enrichment for their well-being (Seidensticher & Forthman, 1998). Early zoos and aquariums tried to show as many animals as possible; hence, their exhibits were frequently small and bare to permit easy viewing, cleaning, and sterilization. Now, all have come to realize that captive animals need environmental enrichment for their health and for the education and increased expectations of visitors to zoos and aquariums.

O-Crystallin, arginine kinase and ferritin from the octopus lens

Three proteins have been identified in the eye lens of the octopus, Octopus dofleini. A 22 kDa protein comprising 3–5% of the soluble protein of the lens is 35–43% identical to a family of phosphatidylethanolamine-binding proteins of vertebrates. Other members of this family include the immunodominant antigen of the filarial parasite, Onchocerca volvulus, putative odorant-binding proteins of Drosophila and a protein with unknown function of Caenorhabditis elegans. We have called this protein O-crystallin on the basis of its abundance in the transparent lens. O-Crystallin mRNA was detected only in the lens. Two tryptic peptides of another octopus lens protein, less abundant than O-crystallin, showed 80% identity to arginine kinase of invertebrates, a relative of creatine kinase of vertebrates. Finally, ferritin cDNA was isolated as an abundant cDNA from the octopus lens library. Northern blots showed that ferritin mRNA is not lens-specific.