CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 



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The order Dibranchia in turn is divided into two suborders called 

 Decapoda and Oetopoda. The Decapoda are mainly differentiated by 

 the presence of ten arms, eight short and two long. The arms bear 

 suckers and sometimes hooks. The group includes the squids and 

 cuttlefish. The Oetopoda are mainly distinguished by the presence of 

 but eight sucker-bearing arms of equal length. The suborder includes 

 the octopus and the paper nautilus or argonaut. 



6 9 



INCHES 



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Fig. 6. Octopus (Polyims Hongkong ensis ) . Drawing by Dr. Harold Heath. 



SPECIES OF OCTOFI REPORTED ALONG CALIFORNIA COAST 



There are some half dozen species of octopi found along the coast 

 of California. Most species are found in southern waters but the largest 

 and most abundant form is more northern in distribution. There are 

 but two forms that appear in any numbers along our Pacific coast. 

 These are the big octopus (Polypus hongkongensis) , which attains a 

 total expanse of about 16 feet and is found from Alaska to San Diego 

 on this side of the Pacific and from China northward on the Asiatic 

 side; and the two-spotted octopus (Polypus himactdatus) , which attains 

 a length of about 20 inches and is found from San Pedro, California, 

 south to Panama. 



Following is a brief description of the octopi found along the Cali- 

 fornia coast, as adapted after Berry (1912) : 



Polypus hongkongensis. — This is the big octopus that represents 

 practically the entire commercial catch in California. It has a wide 



