Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Eggs and Paralarvae of Green Octopus, <i>Octopus hubbsorum</i> Berry 1953, from the Gulf of California
The green octopus, <i>Octopus hubbsorum</i>, is a merobenthic species that inhabits warm-temperate waters in the eastern Pacific. However, its similarity to some morphological characteristics of and its slight genetic divergence from <i>Octopus mimus</i> has led to the propos...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Maritza García-Flores Rosa María Morelos-Castro Marcial Arellano-Martínez |
| author_facet | Maritza García-Flores Rosa María Morelos-Castro Marcial Arellano-Martínez |
| author_sort | Maritza García-Flores |
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| description | The green octopus, <i>Octopus hubbsorum</i>, is a merobenthic species that inhabits warm-temperate waters in the eastern Pacific. However, its similarity to some morphological characteristics of and its slight genetic divergence from <i>Octopus mimus</i> has led to the proposal that both species are conspecific. The objective of this study was the morphological and molecular identification of eggs and paralarvae of the green octopus, <i>O. hubbsorum</i>, to provide information contributing to clarifying its taxonomy and relationship with <i>O. mimus</i>. The results obtained show that although <i>O. hubbsorum</i> has similarities with <i>O. mimus</i> in terms of egg size, chromatophore pattern, number of suckers, and presence of Kölliker’s organs, the <i>O. hubbsorum</i> paralarvae observed in this study are smaller (1.6 mm) and have a thin layer of loose skin, not described for <i>O. mimus</i>. Likewise, the morphology of the beak, radula, and suckers of <i>O. hubbsorum</i> is described for the first time and there are no studies of these structures for <i>O. mimus</i>. The phylogenetic analysis (mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I and III genes) showed that both species form a monophyletic clade but belong to separate subclades. In conclusion, although the slight genetic divergence between these two species suggests conspecificity, their disjoint geographic distribution (<i>O. hubbsorum</i> is found in warm-temperate waters and <i>O. mimus</i> in cold-temperate waters) suggests the hypothesis of being two separate species with a close phylogenetic relationship. However, further research (morphological and population analyses) is required to solve taxonomic uncertainty. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-7022ee3e5a4b415099f65f21babb56db2025-08-20T03:58:26ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182025-07-0117747010.3390/d17070470Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Eggs and Paralarvae of Green Octopus, <i>Octopus hubbsorum</i> Berry 1953, from the Gulf of CaliforniaMaritza García-Flores0Rosa María Morelos-Castro1Marcial Arellano-Martínez2Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional s/n, Playa Palo de Santa Rita, La Paz C.P. 23096, MexicoCentro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S. C., Unidad Nayarit Calle Dos #23, Ciudad del Conocimiento, Tepic C.P. 63175, MexicoCentro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional s/n, Playa Palo de Santa Rita, La Paz C.P. 23096, MexicoThe green octopus, <i>Octopus hubbsorum</i>, is a merobenthic species that inhabits warm-temperate waters in the eastern Pacific. However, its similarity to some morphological characteristics of and its slight genetic divergence from <i>Octopus mimus</i> has led to the proposal that both species are conspecific. The objective of this study was the morphological and molecular identification of eggs and paralarvae of the green octopus, <i>O. hubbsorum</i>, to provide information contributing to clarifying its taxonomy and relationship with <i>O. mimus</i>. The results obtained show that although <i>O. hubbsorum</i> has similarities with <i>O. mimus</i> in terms of egg size, chromatophore pattern, number of suckers, and presence of Kölliker’s organs, the <i>O. hubbsorum</i> paralarvae observed in this study are smaller (1.6 mm) and have a thin layer of loose skin, not described for <i>O. mimus</i>. Likewise, the morphology of the beak, radula, and suckers of <i>O. hubbsorum</i> is described for the first time and there are no studies of these structures for <i>O. mimus</i>. The phylogenetic analysis (mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I and III genes) showed that both species form a monophyletic clade but belong to separate subclades. In conclusion, although the slight genetic divergence between these two species suggests conspecificity, their disjoint geographic distribution (<i>O. hubbsorum</i> is found in warm-temperate waters and <i>O. mimus</i> in cold-temperate waters) suggests the hypothesis of being two separate species with a close phylogenetic relationship. However, further research (morphological and population analyses) is required to solve taxonomic uncertainty.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/7/470cephalopodstaxonomyparalarvaemorphological diversity |
| spellingShingle | Maritza García-Flores Rosa María Morelos-Castro Marcial Arellano-Martínez Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Eggs and Paralarvae of Green Octopus, <i>Octopus hubbsorum</i> Berry 1953, from the Gulf of California Diversity cephalopods taxonomy paralarvae morphological diversity |
| title | Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Eggs and Paralarvae of Green Octopus, <i>Octopus hubbsorum</i> Berry 1953, from the Gulf of California |
| title_full | Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Eggs and Paralarvae of Green Octopus, <i>Octopus hubbsorum</i> Berry 1953, from the Gulf of California |
| title_fullStr | Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Eggs and Paralarvae of Green Octopus, <i>Octopus hubbsorum</i> Berry 1953, from the Gulf of California |
| title_full_unstemmed | Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Eggs and Paralarvae of Green Octopus, <i>Octopus hubbsorum</i> Berry 1953, from the Gulf of California |
| title_short | Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Eggs and Paralarvae of Green Octopus, <i>Octopus hubbsorum</i> Berry 1953, from the Gulf of California |
| title_sort | morphological and molecular characterization of eggs and paralarvae of green octopus i octopus hubbsorum i berry 1953 from the gulf of california |
| topic | cephalopods taxonomy paralarvae morphological diversity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/7/470 |
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