| Thaumeledone | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Octopoda |
| Family: | Octopodidae |
| Subfamily: | Graneledoninae |
| Genus: | Thaumeledone |
| Species: | T. gunteri |
| Binomial name | |
| Thaumeledone gunteri Robson, 1930 [1] |
|
Thaumeledone gunteri is a species of small, benthic, deep-sea octopus found in the bathyal zone in the Southern Ocean near South Georgia.[1]
Contents |
The mantle length of Thaumeledone gunteri is typically about 5cm (2in) and the total length 10cm (4in), the arms being relatively short at 5cm (2in). The background colour is whitish but the dorsal and ventral surfaces are covered by large, irregular, deep purple tubercles. The web that links the arms is uniformly pale. The head is narrower than the mantle and there are several large tubercles above the eye. The eight arms are joined by a deep web and there are about 35 small suckers on each arm. The funnel organ is "VV" shaped and there are 5 elements in the radula. The posterior salivary gland, a diagnostic feature in this genus, has a diameter of 11mm.[2]
The funnel organ in T. gunteri is similar to that in Thaumeledone peninsulae and they both share a characteristic loop in the rectum. Thaumeledone rotunda is a circumpolar species found at greater depths and has several morphological features that are different from the other two species. Despite this, a phylogenetic study undertaken in 2008 of the molecular relationships in the genus, determined that T. gunteri and T. rotunda are sister taxa and that T. peninsulae is more distantly related.[3]
Thaumeledone gunteri is found in the far south Atlantic Ocean in an area around South Georgia including the Shag Rocks, ranging from 53°S to 55°S and 39°W to 35°W.[4] It has been caught by trawling at depths of 364-964m (1100-3000ft) but may well occur at greater depths as these waters are relatively under-explored.[2]