Molluscan Research 30(2): 81-86, Field observations of mating in Octopus tetricus Gould, 1852 and Amphioctopus marginatus (Taki, 1964) (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae)

	Molluscan ResearchISSN 1323-5818
	An international journal of the Malacological Society of Australasia and the Society for the Study of Molluscan Diversity published by Magnolia Press

Molluscan Research 30(2): 81-86; published 30 Jul. 2010
Copyright © The Malacological Society of Australasia & the Society for the Study of Molluscan Diversity
Field observations of mating in Octopus tetricus Gould, 1852 and Amphioctopus marginatus (Taki, 1964) (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae)

CHRISTINE L. HUFFARD^1* & PETER GODFREY-SMITH²

1Conservation International Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Muwardi No 17, Renon, Bali, Indonesia

^{2Department of Philosophy, Harvard University,
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
*Corresponding author Email: chuffard@gmail.com}

Abstract

We present observations of mating by Octopus tetricus Gould, 1852 and Amphioctopus marginatus (Taki, 1964) in the wild. Males of both species mated in the open using the ‘reach’ position, however one male O. tetricus also incorporated the ‘mount’ position when copulating with a smaller female. A small male Octopus tetricus copulated by stretching the hectocotylus (= mating arm) over rugged terrain, to a larger female. Direct evidence confirms the existence of inter-sexual aggression during mating in this species. We observed a male A. marginatus mate at close proximity to the smaller female, with minimal stretching of the hectocotylus, and with no evidence of aggression.

Key words: Hectocotylus, inter-sexual aggression, muscular hydrostat, erectile tissue, morpohology, spermatophore transfer, mating behavior, mating display

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Published : 30 Jul. 2010