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Opisthoteuthis borealis Collins 2005

Martin Collins, Roger Villanueva, and Richard E. Young
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Containing group: Opisthoteuthis

Introduction

Opisthoteuthis borealis is a medium-sized species reaching 75 mm ML and having a semi-gelatinous body. The description is based on 9 specimens that had been frozen prior to fixation and were in rather poor condition. O. borealis is known only from the high North Atlantic where it is the most northernly species of the genus in the Atlantic.

Characteristics

  1. Arms and web
    1. Arms in adults with 75-82 suckers.
    2. Proximal-most cirrus generally between suckers 3 and 4; cirri short, longest in mid region of arm, length 3.1-6.1 mm (5-10% ML).
    3. Web without single or multiple “nodules” (i. e., without trabecula-like muscular supports).
    4. Mature male
      1. Arms I slightly thickened.
      2. Two fields of distinctly enlarged, bulbous suckers on all arms; proximal field includes sucker numbers 5-10 with sucker number 6 or 7 largest; distal field starts with sucker number 23 or 24, contains 9-14 suckers with sucker number 27-30 usually largest.
      3. Distal field similar on all arms in length and sucker sizes.
      4. Maximum sucker diameter in distal and proximal fields approximately equal.
      Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
      Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

      Figure. Oral views of the arms of O. borealis showing emlarged sucker fields in mature males and their absence in females. Drawings from Collins (2006).

    5. Female
      1. Females without distinctly enlarged sucker fields; maximum sucker size between suckers 10 and 20.

  2. Digestive system
    1. Digestive gland not divided into two parts (i. e., digestive gland entire)

      2. Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
      Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

      Figure. Side view of the digestive system of O. borealis. Drawing from Collins (2006).

    3. Comments

    More details of the description of O.  borealis can be found here.

    The above description is from Collins (2006). 

Comparison of Atlantic Species of Opisthoteuthis

 O. borealis O. agassizii
O. massyae
O. grimaldii
O. calypso
O. hardyi
Digestive gland Undivided
Undivided
Divided
Divided
Undivided
Undivided
Increased thickness, Arms I, mat. males Slight
Absent
Marked
Absent
Absent
Slight
Distal sucker field, mat. males, location
22-36
30-41
34-50
22-39
23-29
18-32
Distal sucker field, mat. males, location of max. sucker diameter 27-30
34-36
40-41
29-31
26
22-24
Distal sucker field, mat. males, number of suckers 9-14
7-8
9-11
9-10
2-3
9-14
Arm sucker count 75-82
58-80
82-106
73-80
47-58 60-67
First cirrus: location between suckers
3 & 4
3 & 4
3 & 5
2 & 3
1 & 2
3 & 4
Ovarian egg length  (mm)11-12
8-10
9-11
no data
7-7.5
no data

Life History

Distal oviduct of a mature female had 10 eggs 11-12 mm in length and had 220 oocytes from 3-12 mm in the ovary.

Distribution

Type locality: 63°10’N 54°14’W; 1321-1319 m.

Distribution:  North Atlantic near the east and west coasts of southern Greenland from 957-1321 m depth (3.0-3.5°C). 

References

Collins, M.A. 2006. Opisthoteuthis borealis: A new species of cirrate octopod from Greenland waters. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 85: 1475-1479.

Title Illustrations
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Scientific Name Opisthoteuthis borealis
Location Off west coast of southern Greenland, North Atlantic
Reference Collins, M.A. 2006. Opisthoteuthis borealis: A new species of cirrate octopod from Greenland waters. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 85: 1475-1479.
Sex Male
Life Cycle Stage Mature
View Ventral, dorsal
Size 60 mm ML
Collection ZMUC CEPH-3
Type Holotype
Copyright © Martin Collins
About This Page

Martin Collins
Aberdeen University, Aberdeen, UK


Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain


University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Martin Collins at , Roger Villanueva at , and Richard E. Young at

All Rights Reserved.

Citing this page:

Collins, Martin, Roger Villanueva, and Richard E. Young. 2016. Opisthoteuthis borealis Collins 2005. Version 27 February 2016 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Opisthoteuthis_borealis/68278/2016.02.27 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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