Octopus rubescens
| East Pacific red octopus | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Octopoda |
| Family: | Octopodidae |
| Genus: | Octopus |
| Subgenus: | Octopus |
| Species: | O. rubescens |
| Binomial name | |
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Octopus rubescens Berry, 1953 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Octopus rubescens (Commonly the East Pacific red octopus, also known as the ruby octopus, a preferred common name due to the abundance of octopus species colloquially known as red octopus) is the most commonly occurring shallow-water octopus on much of the North American West Coast, and a ubiquitous benthic predator in these habitats. Its range extends from the southern Gulf of California at least to the Gulf of Alaska, but may also occur in the western Pacific Ocean. O. rubescens occurs intertidally to a depth of 300 m.
In the years prior to the description of this species in 1953, O. rubescens was widely considered to be a young Enteroctopus dofleini. Many early descriptions were based on a combination of O. rubescens and E. dofleini. To date, the taxonomy of this species remains somewhat unresolved. S.S. Berry’s 1953 description is in truth a brief diagnosis, and considering the exceptionally wide range of the species, the animals currently covered under O. rubescens may prove to represent several subspecies or a species complex.
O. rubescens generally grows to a mantle length of 8–10 cm, and arm length of 30–40 cm. Adult weight is generally 100–150 grams, but animals up to 400 grams in weight have occasionally been observed.
Like all octopuses, O. rubescens can change its color and texture, making its appearance highly variable. Color can vary from a deep brick red, to brown, to white, or mottled mixtures of the three. It can be easily confused with small individuals of Enteroctopus dofleini in the northern end of this species' range. The two can be differentiated by the presence of three eyelash-like papillae below the eyes of O. rubescens that are absent in E. dofleini.
Like most octopuses, O. rubescens is thought to be among the most intelligent of invertebrates. The presence of individual personalities is a hallmark of intelligence, and O. rubescens was the first invertebrate in which individual personalities were demonstrated.
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Wikipedia