Pinnoctopus rapanui
Species of mollusc
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pinnoctopus rapanui, or the rapanui octopus,[3] is the only endemic octopus species in Rapa Nui (or Easter Island).[4] It was first described by Gilbert L. Voss in 1979[5] as Octopus rapanui.[6]
| Pinnoctopus rapanui | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Octopoda |
| Family: | Octopodidae |
| Genus: | Pinnoctopus |
| Species: | P. rapanui |
| Binomial name | |
| Pinnoctopus rapanui (Voss, 1979) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Description
Pinnoctopus rapanui is large and muscular, with a mantle length of up to 115 millimetres (4.5 in) and a total length of up to 550 millimetres (22 in). It has scattered rough tubercles across the body.[7] The arms are 3.5 to 4.5 times the length of the mantle, and have two rows of suckers each. P. rapanui is cream-gray with a darker purple hue on its dorsal surfaces.[8] Its most distinctive feature is a "straight, out-turned" rostrum.[9]
Distribution
Use by humans
Pinnoctopus rapanui are fished for food in Rapa Nui, and make up 0.6% of subsistence fishing catch.[10]