Amphioctopus burryi (Voss 1950)

Octopus burryi Voss, 1950

DIAGNOSIS.—Animals small to medium-sized (to 65 mm ML). Mantle saccular, rounded posteriorly, little wider than long (MWI 51–88); neck slightly constricted; head width moderate (HWI 42–68); eyes small. Funnel organ W-shaped. Arms short to moderate (ALI 53–76), tapering to slender tips, arm formula variable but usually IV>III>II>I. Suckers erect, sucker size sexually dimorphic with males having larger suckers than females (SIn 8–20); especially enlarged suckers absent in males and females. Right arm III of males hectocotylized, shorter than fellow (FAI 72–99); ligula small (LLI 4.1–5.5), triangular, pointed distally, shallowly excavated with about 15 transverse laminae; calamus distinct, moderate to large (CLI 25–45). Web moderate to deep (WDI 24–40), web formula variable, typically D>C>E>B>A or C>D>E = B>A. Gill lamellae 8–11. Mature eggs small, capsule 2.5 mm long; single brood with up to 35,000 eggs; spawn brooded in web of female. Hatchlings small, ∼1.5 mm ML, planktonic; ∼205 chromatophores covering mantle and head, 8–10 chromatophores in 2 rows along aboral surface of each arm, 2 pairs of chromatophores on funnel, dorsal surface of digestive gland with 13 large visceral chromatophores; arms with 4 uniserially arranged suckers. Male with short penis (PLI 22–28) with small subspherical diverticulum. Spermatophores moderate in length (SpLI 60.5) with large, coiled sperm mass (SpRI 47). Radula with A2–3 seriation of the rachidian. Dorsal surface of mantle, head, and arms densely covered with small, round papillae; ventral surface of mantle and oral surface of web and arms smooth; single cirrus over each eye. Color in life light green with white transverse mantle streak and patch and trellis arrangement on mantle; arms with longitudinal, dorsal, brown stripe. Color in preservation (ethanol) deep reddish brown on dorsum, light yellow ventrally on mantle, head, and oral surface of web and arms. Dark brown or black band on dorsal side of each arm and dark bar longitudinally across each eye.

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION.—Voss, 1950:76, figs. 2, 3.

TYPE LOCALITY.—Western subtropical Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, United States, Florida, Florida Keys, Southeast of Sombrero Light, 180 m.

TYPE.—Holotype: USNM 574598, female, 30 mm ML.

DISTRIBUTION.—United States, North Carolina; through Caribbean Sea to northern Brazil; Cape Verde Islands; on sand and mud flats associated with reefs.