Red-spot Night Octopus (species: Callistoctopus dierythraeus) in Lizard Island area: all known taxa (Lizard Island Field Guide)
Lizard Island area: all known taxa > Animalia > Mollusca > Cephalopoda > Coleoidea > Octopoda > Octopodidae > Callistoctopus > Callistoctopus dierythraeus (gallery)
Callistoctopus dierythraeus
Red-spot Night Octopus


©Anne Hoggett: Callistoctopus dierythraeus swimming near the surface at night, Mermaid Cove, Lizard Island. Overall length estimated at less than 15 cm. Identified by Lawrence Scheele.

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Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Cephalopoda
Order Octopoda
Family Octopodidae
Genus Callistoctopus
Species Callistoctopus dierythraeus

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Lizard Island area: all known taxa
Lizard Island Field Guide

Colours

              

Distinguishing features

An orange/red octopus with white spots. Two dorsal arms much longer than others. Nocturnally active. Colour scheme can be inverted when disturbed (i.e. white with red spots). Total length of adult to 80 cm, mantle length to 13.5 cm. Adults are site-attached in rubbly areas, lairs detectable by shells of bivalve prey. (Information from Lawrence Scheele, Jul 2022).

Size

  • Size data has not been obtained.

Synonyms

Distribution


©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution

Web resources

References

  • Norman, M.D. (1992). Four new Octopus species of the Octopus macropus group (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Memoirs of the Museum of Victoria, 53(2): 267-308. LIRS catalog number 90317.