Octopus australis
Species of octopus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Octopus australis (commonly the hammer octopus[3][4] or sometimes the southern octopus[5][6][7]) is a species of octopus.[2] It gets the common name hammer octopus from a modified arm possessed by males and used in reproduction.[8][3] It was first described by William Evans Hoyle[9] in 1885,[7] based on a specimen found in Port Jackson in New South Wales.[10]
| Octopus australis | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Octopoda |
| Family: | Octopodidae |
| Genus: | Octopus |
| Species: | O. australis |
| Binomial name | |
| Octopus australis Hoyle, 1885 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Description
O. australis is medium-sized,[7] with a mature mantle length of around 20 to 25 millimeters for males and 50 to 60 millimeters for females,[6] an arm span of around 40 centimeters,[5] and a maximum total length of 49.9 centimeters.[4] Males weigh around 210 grams and females around 105 grams.[11] The head of O. australis is narrow and egg-shaped and it has small eyes.[12] It is typically a sandy cream color.[8][3]
Distribution
O. australis is found in coastal waters and bays[6] along the eastern coast of Australia from central Queensland to southern New South Wales,[4] most commonly in subtropical inshore waters, and from depths of around 3 to 140 meters.[6] It tends to live on sand or mud seafloors,[12] among sponges, ascidians, or mollusks, or in seagrass.[11]
