Enteroctopus megalocyathus, also known as the Southern Red Octopus, is a medium-sized octopus

Octopus

The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...

, and the type species

Type species

In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...

 for the genus Enteroctopus.

Size and description

E. megalocyathus is a relatively large octopus, though not as large as some other giant octopuses, with an average mass of around 4 kg, a mantle

Mantle (mollusc)

The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...

 length of 22.5 cm, and in excess of 1 m in total length. E. megalocyathus, like other octopuses in the genus Enteroctopus, has longitudinal folds and grooves on the body and large, paddle-like papillae.

Fisheries

E. megalocyathus is one of the two commercially significant octopuses in Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

an waters, along with Octopus mimus. Yearly catch of the two octopuses fluctuates between 2000 and 5000 tons.

Predators

Like most octopuses, E. megalocyathus is a choice meal for many predators larger than it. E. megalocyathus has been shown to be a major dietary component of Beaked Skates (Dipturus chilensis), Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias), and the South American Sea Lion (Otaria flavescens).

Range

E. megalocyathus is native to the southeastern coast of South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 along the coasts of Argentina and Chile up to Chiloé Archipelago

Chiloé Archipelago

Chiloé Archipelago consists of several islands lying off the coast of Chile. It is separated from mainland Chile by Chacao Channel in the north, the Sea of Chiloé in the east and Gulf of Corcovado to the southeast. All of the archipelago except Desertores Islands, which are part of Palena...

, and the Falkland Islands

Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...

.

External links

• Images of E. megalocyathus, many of which show the longitudinal folds of the body and paddle-like papillae that characterize this genus.