Graneledone boreopacifica is an octopus in the family Megaleledonidae. It can be found in both the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans.
Description The holotype of this species measures in mantle length.Hochberg, F.G. 1998. Class Cephalopoda. In: P.V. Scott & J.A. Blake (Eds.) Taxonomic Atlas of the Benthic Fauna of the Santa Maria Basin and the Western Santa Barbara Channel: Vol. 8. Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
A female Graneledone boreopacifica was observed in the Monterey Canyon by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, brooding her eggs for a record 53 months, making this the longest egg-brooding period known in the animal kingdom.Robison, Bruce; Seibel, Brad; Drazen, Jeffrey (2014). "Deep-Sea Octopus (Graneledone boreopacifica) Conducts the Longest-Known Egg-Brooding Period of Any Animal". PLOS ONE. 9 (7): e103437. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0103437. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4116195. . There is no evidence that females ever feed again after laying their eggs. This timespan also makes it the longest-living octopus; most octopuses only live for 1 or 2 years, which this octopus beats with its brooding period alone. Female Graneledone boreopacifica tend to brood their eggs between the depths of ; the eggs were never unattended.
Examination of the gut of this octopus revealed significant amounts of crushed gastropod shells (Provanna variabilis and Lepetodrilus fucensis). The mandible muscles exhibit remarkable strength to crush the shells before digestion.
Distribution and habitat Graneledone boreopacifica is found in benthic zones in temperate climates.
Taxonomy The type specimen was collected in the Pacific Ocean (50°N, 151°E) and is deposited at the Zoological Institute in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
References
External links