Argonauta bottgeri
| Böttger's argonaut | |
|---|---|
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| Eggcase of Argonauta bottgeri | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Octopoda |
| Family: | Argonautidae |
| Genus: | Argonauta |
| Species: | A. bottgeri |
| Binomial name | |
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Argonauta bottgeri Maltzan, 1881 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Argonauta boettgeri orth. var. |
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Argonauta boettgeri orth. var.
Argonauta bottgeri, also known as Böttger's argonaut, is a species of pelagic octopus belonging to the genus Argonauta. The female of the species, like all argonauts, creates a paper-thin eggcase that coils around the octopus much like the way a nautilus lives in its shell (hence the name paper nautilus).
A. bottgeri is the smallest argonaut species. The eggcase rarely exceeds 50 mm in diameter, although exceptional specimens have been known to grow up to 67.0 mm.A. bottgeri is similar to Argonauta hians, but differs in having more pronounced ribs and prominent tubercles on the keel. The eggcase does not have winged protrusions as is sometimes the case with A. hians. It is generally darker than that of any other species, ranging in colour from ochre-yellow to almost black, although completely white specimens have been reported from South African waters. The eggcase is finely granulated and normally lacks the porcelain-like shine of other species.
A. bottgeri is best known from the waters off southern and eastern Africa, although it has also been reported from other parts of the Indian Ocean and from the western Pacific Ocean. The locus classicus of A. bottgeri is Mozambique.
A. bottgeri feeds primarily on pelagic molluscs, especially heteropods and pteropods, with other octopods constituting a smaller portion of the animal's diet. Females from Japanese waters have been reported to prey on the pteropod Carolina tridentata. The species is preyed on by numerous predators. A. bottgeri has been reported in the stomach contents of yellowfin tuna from the Indian Ocean.
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