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Cirroctopodidae Collins and Villanueva 2006

Cirroctopus Naef, 1923

Michael Vecchione and Richard E. Young
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The following four species are included in Cirroctopus.
Containing group: Cirrata

Introduction


Figure. Dorsal and ventral views of Cirroctopus sp., Ross Sea, Antarctica. Photographs by Peter Marriott.

The family Cirroctopodidae contains a single genus. Members of Cirroctopus are more muscular than is typical for cirrate octopods. The fins are extremely large and the eyes tilt dorsally. Members of the genus are restricted to high latitudes of the southern hemisphere. 

Brief diagnosis:

A cirrate ...

Full diagnosis for family and genus (from Collins and Villanueva, 2006):

" Large cirrates with large, paddlelike and broad-based fins. Secondary web absent, shell V-shaped with lateral walls spikelike. Optic nerve passes though white body in 8–9 bundles. Radula absent. Posterior salivary glands absent. Digestive gland entire. Cirri of moderate length, approximately equal to maximum sucker diameter, commence between suckers 1 and 2. Gills of ‘half- orange’ form." 

Characteristics

  1. Arms and web
    1. Suckers not enlarged in males.
    2. Sucker aperature without tooth-like structures.
    3. Cirrus length comparable to largest sucker diameter.
    4. Web nodules absent.

  2. Head
    1. Beaks: Descriptions can be found here: Lower beak; upper beak.

  3. Fins
    1. Fins long (greater than body width) and very broad.

  4. Mantle cavity
      Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
      Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

      Figure. Left - Diagram of G. glacialis with the ventral wall of the mantle cavity removed to show fusion of the mantle septum with the posterior mantle wall. Drawing from Vecchione and Young, 1997. Right - Ventral view of preserved gill of G. glacialis. Photograph by R. Young.

    1. Mantle septum fused posteriorly with mantle wall. This feature is not known in other cirrates.
    2. Gill (photograph above right) with half-orange appearance and with characteristic zig-zag arrangement of secondary lamellae.

  5. Digestive tract
    1. Caecum nearly equal to or much larger than stomach.
    2. Intestine long (ca. 2.5 times esophagus length) with a variety of right-angle turns.
    3. Unilobular digestive gland.
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    Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

    Figure. Side view of the digestive tract of C. glacialis with the complex orientation of the intestine. The label "bend" indicates a sharp bend in the intestine toward the viewer that isn't otherwise clearly apparent. Drawing from Vecchione and Young, 1997.

  6. Nephridial sacs
    1. Nephridial sacs extensive (although the "extent" has not been clearly defined, we expect this to be an unusual feature in the Cirrata).
    2. Nephridial sacs with glandular lining on walls of sacs in additional to renal appendages. This feature is not known in any other Cirrates.

  7. Pigmentation
    1. Areolar spots present in young and near eyes and base of fins in adults.

  8. White body, optic lobe and optic-nerve tract
    1. White bodies meet in dorsal midline.
    2. Numerous optic nerve bundles penetrate white body.
    3. Optic lobe kidney-shaped in cross-section.
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    Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

    Figure. Optic lobe with optic nerve bundles penetrating white body of G. hochbergi. Drawing from O'Shea, 1999.

  9. Male reproductive system

    Description of the male reproductive system can be found here.

  10. Shell
      Shell V-shaped with long wings and short saddle.
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    Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

    Figure. Dorsal and ventral views of the shell of G. glacialis, stained, preserved. Photograph  by R. Young.

Comments

The four species of Cirroctopus are poorly differentiated at present. Although a few potentially differentiating characters are known, identification must rely heavily on geographic location until the species are better known.

Nomenclature

Cirroctopus is a very distinctive genus. Its familial status was first suggested by Piertney et al. (2003) on the basis of the analysis of the mitochondrial 16S gene which showed it to be the sister group of Opisthoteuthidae (senso lato) with 70% support.

Distribution

 Species of Cirroctopus are known only from Antarctic and Subantarctic waters.
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Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

Figure. Distribution chart of Cirroctopus spp. Blue dots: C. hochbergi. Red dots: C. glacialis. Yellow dot: C. mawsoni. Open squares: Cirrates identified as C. mawsoni by O'Shea (1999). Chart modified slightly from O'Shea (1999).

Other Names for Cirroctopus Naef, 1923

References

O’Shea, Steve. 1999. The Marine Fauna of New Zealand: Octopoda (Mollusca: Cephalopoda). NIWA Biodiversity Memoir 112: 280pp.

Piertney, S. B., C. Hudelot, F. G. Hochberg, and M. A. Collins. 2003. Phylogenetic relationships among cirrate octopods (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) resolved using mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 27: 348-353.

Vecchione, M. and R. E. Young. 1997 Aspects of the functional morphology of cirrate octopods: locomotion and feeding. Vie Milieu 47(2):101-110.

Voss, G. L. and W. G. Pearcy. 1990. Deep-water octopods (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) of the Northeastern Pacific. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 47: 47-94.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Grimpoteuthis sp.
Creator E. McSweeny
View Left, lateral
Copyright © E. McSweeny
Scientific Name Grimpoteuthis glacialis
Reference Vecchione, M. and R. E. Young. 1997 Aspects of the functional morphology of cirrate octopods: locomotion and feeding. Vie Milieu 47(2):101-110.
View Right, ventral
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © 1997
About This Page


National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D. C. , USA


University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA

Page: Tree of Life Cirroctopodidae Collins and Villanueva 2006. Cirroctopus Naef, 1923. Authored by Michael Vecchione and Richard E. Young. The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.

Citing this page:

Vecchione, Michael and Richard E. Young. 2016. Cirroctopodidae Collins and Villanueva 2006. Cirroctopus Naef, 1923. Version 27 February 2016 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Cirroctopus/20103/2016.02.27 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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