Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Reef-associated; oceanodromous (Ref. 75927); depth range 0 - 347 m (Ref. 417), usually 0 - 100 m (Ref. 1977). Tropical; ? - 7°C (Ref. 275), preferred 26°C (Ref. 107945); 57°N - 38°S, 98°W - 146°E (Ref. 275)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Circumglobal in temperate and tropical seas.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ?, range 8 - 11.3 cm Max length : 180 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 104052); 120 cm TL (female); max. published weight: 10.0 kg (Ref. 275)

Maximum common depth is 150 m in Ref. 75927. Maximum depth range from Ref. 114857. Maximum length for female from Ref. 804. This octopus is taken by amateur fishers and in small to large-scale harvest throughout its range. The greatest fishery effort occurs off northwest Africa, and it is know as one of the most valuable octopod species throughout the Mediterranean Sea where it is marketed fresh or frozen (Ref. 96968).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Members of the class Cephalopoda are gonochoric. Male and female adults usually die shortly after spawning and brooding, respectively. Mating behavior: Males perform various displays to attract potential females for copulation. During copulation, male grasp the female and inserts the hectocotylus into the female's mantle cavity where fertilization usually occurs. Life cycle: Embryos hatch into planktonic stage and live for some time before they grow larger and take up a benthic existence as adults.

Main reference References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Roper, C.F.E., M.J. Sweeney and C.E. Nauen. 1984. (Ref. 275)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 08 April 2016

CITES status (Ref. 108899)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Fisheries: landings, species profile | FIRMS (Stock assessments) | FishSource | Sea Around Us

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Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 10 - 28.9, mean 25.8 (based on 8514 cells).

Resilience (Ref. 69278): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.38-0.72; tm=1.2).

Prior r = 0.77, 95% CL = 0.51 - 1.15, Based on 4 full stock assessments.

Vulnerability (Ref. 71543): Moderate to high vulnerability (48 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Very high.

Nutrients : Calcium = 126 [75, 177] mg/100g; Iron = 4.79 [1.67, 7.92] mg/100g; Protein = 15.5 [13.7, 17.4] %; Omega3 = 0.414 [0.262, 0.566] g/100g; Selenium = 57.8 [48.5, 67.2] μg/100g; VitaminA = 0 μg/100g; Zinc = 1.97 [0.92, 3.02] mg/100g (wet weight); based on nutrient studies.

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