New octo coming - ID from advance photos requested

[DWhatley]

Habitat: Caribbean

I have my own guess but perhaps I am seeing something because I want to. I think this is one of two species but would like others to look at the pictures.

Kara said "his/her eyes turned beat red right before it inked ... (kinda creepy)


Odd texture


It inked while Kara was photographing


This is the photo that I THINK provides an answer

 

[CaptFish]

Hmmm, interesting. Those arms seem a little too long of Vulgaris but he has those tell tale skunk stripes. As for briareus I don't see that tell tell briareus shimmery spots....

Vulgiareus? LOL

 

[skywindsurfer]

I'm putting all of my money on vulgaris.

 

[DWhatley]

The arm length is what keeps me from making a call from the photos but those eyes with the rounded mantle sure do look Vulgaris. Maybe another Penn? Big concern is inking so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[iAlex]

Could it just be that it has juvenile ratios?

 

[DWhatley]

The only octos I have observed and noted (O. briareus) maintained adult proprotions very early (I would have to look up my notes but I am thinking somewhere around a month old).

 

[DWhatley]

My final guess on this one (miles away from my first photo only guess) is Octopus joubini. After playing with Little Bit and reviewing the photos it occurred to me tonight that this might be the case and I returned to the article I save in the biology forum and found the orange color reference I thought I remembered:

First, the eggs were much smaller than those of the large egg species and secondly, the coloration of the live female was a distinctive reddishorange in contrast to the dark brown to brownish-gray coloration of the large egg species. The only other octopus species in the Caribbean Sea or Gulf of Mexico with a similar coloration was O. macropus (Hanlon, 1988) which is a much larger
species at maturity.

This was their main description comparing O.mercatoris (Octopus sp X) with joubini:

Octopus joubini displays a characteristic reddish-orange coloration in marked contrast to the dark brownish hue shown by Octopus sp. X. These distinctive, basic hues can be seen through the full range of chromatophore expansion the animals may present and are clearly evident from the time of settlement in the former and at hatching in the latter species. Both species share the general trait of having a remarkably limited repertoire of body patterning capability compared to most shallow water octopods (Hanlon, 1988). They are capable of an ALL DARK, ALL LIGHT and an intermediate GENERAL MOTTLE whose intensity can be varied somewhat (Packard and Sanders, 1971). Octopus joubini shows no ability to modify skin texture other than 3-4 eye papillae that are sometimes shown. Octopus sp. X has somewhat more ability to display skin papillae, particularly on the dorsal mantle of juveniles (where the papillae are often tipped in white, see Forsythe and Hanlon, 1980: fig. 4) and shows more prominent eye papillae. Both species seem to mature at similar sizes