Opisthoteuthis extensa

Opisthoteuthis extensa
Dorsal illustration of the female type specimen.
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Octopoda
Family: Opisthoteuthidae
Genus: Opisthoteuthis
Species:
O. extensa
Binomial name
Opisthoteuthis extensa
Thiele, 1915[2]

Insigniteuthis extensa (formerly allocated to genus Opisthoteuthis) is a species of flapjack octopus from waters off Indonesia and north-western Australia.[3][4]

The species was originally described from a single female specimen captured in 1899 off the west coast of Sumatra (Indonesia), at 768 m depth.[4][5][6][7] The relatively basic original description rendered the species difficult to distinguish from others in the genus, with some authors even proposing similarity with as Opisthoteuthis pluto.[8]

The species was recently redescribed from by re-examination of the type specimen and three additional specimens, two mature males from near the type locality, and another from off northwestern Australia, depth range 694–1073 m.[4]

The species has up to 80 suckers per arm, mature males have a 'distal enlarged sucker field', a region with 4 enlarged suckers (2 or 3 massively per field) on each of arm pairs III and IV (near the junction with the webbing).[4] The species also has multiple 'web nodules' (5–11) along the ventral edge of each arm (a rather unique feature).[4] Internally with 6 or 7 lamellae, with the shell and reproductive systems having more subtle differences relative to other species. The configuration of enlarged suckers was found to be very similar to Insigniteuthis dongshaensis from the South China Sea (another species originally allocated to genus Opisthoteuthis).[4]

  • Oral view illustration

References

  1. ^ Lyons, G.; Allcock, L. (2014). "Opisthoteuthis extensa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T163399A1004831. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T163399A1004831.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Opisthoteuthis extensa Thiele, 1915". World Register of Marine Species. Flanders Marine Institute.
  3. ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Insigniteuthis extensa (Thiele, 1915)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Verhoeff, Tristan Joseph (2025-05-12). "Flapjack octopods of Australia (Cephalopoda: Cirrata: Opisthoteuthidae), Part II northwestern Australia and adjacent waters". Australian Journal of Taxonomy. 92: 1–28. doi:10.54102/ajt.c46g9.
  5. ^ M.A. Collins; R. Villanueva (June 13, 2006). "Taxonomy, ecology and behaviour of the cirrate octopods.". In Gordon, J.D.M.; Atkinson, R.J.A.; Gibson, R.N. (eds.). Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review, Volume 44. CRC Press. p. 297. ISBN 9781420006391.
  6. ^ Jereb, P. (2005). Cephalopods of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Cephalopod Species Known to Date · Volume 3. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. 255. ISBN 9789251079898.
  7. ^ Young, Richard E.; Vecchione, Michael (May 13, 2003). "Opisthoteuthis extensa". Tree of Life Web Project.
  8. ^ Robson, G.C. (1929–1932). A monograph of the recent Cephalopoda based on the collections in the British Museum (Natural History). p. 173.
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