Red Octopus, Octopus rubescens Berry, 1953 (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae), in the Mexican tropical Pacific

By

Alejo-Plata, Carmen
del Río-Portilla, Miguel A
Illescas-Espinosa, Oscar
Valencia-Méndez, Omar

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021-8-4

Original Publication

Check list : journal of species lists and distribution

Volume

17

Series / Issue

Issue: 4

Pages

1107--1112

Subjects

artisanal fishery , cryptic species , Gulf of Tehuantepec , Oaxaca , octopus

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

[São Paulo, Brazil] Luís Felipe Toledo 2005-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15560/17.4.1107

 

Abstract

“Octopus” rubescens Berry, 1953 is an octopus of temperate waters of the western coast of North America. This paper presents the first record of “O.” rubescens from the tropical Mexican Pacific. Twelve octopuses were studied; 10 were collected in tide pools from five localities and two mature males were caught by fishermen in Oaxaca. We used morphometric characters and anatomical features of the digestive tract to identify the species. The five localities along the Mexican Pacific coast provide solid evidence that populations of this species have become established in tropical waters.