Help me ID possible Dwarf

Joined
Apr 17, 2010
Messages
7
This little fella is currently at my LFS. If I can get a positive ID that he is indeed a dwarf species, I might be inclined to bring the little bugger home and put him into Inklets old 30g.

Please let me know your thoughts!

Thanks,
Roxy

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I'm pretty sure it is not O. mercatoris because of the arm to mantle ratio and mantle-eye setting. I am wondering if it may be whatever Little Bit is though (I am calling her O. joubini but she is so large that I am not confident in the call). Do you know if she/he is Caribbean or at least our East Coast Atlantic? Can you give approximate mantle length and arm length?

Look from the link for Little Bit (above) forward in her journal (she was much smaller in the earlier pictures) to see how close the animals look. I adore this species, whatever it is, but they are not for the timid or faint of heart (very strong and much patience is needed when they "catch" you - no panicing - also expect a salt water bath on occasion). Some would call them aggressive :wink:. It is an animal I would keep at all times if I could find others, definitely a favorite but I really can't be sure from the photos if they are as close a match as I think. Little Bit CAN look very much like a vulgaris but then she would be a dwarf for that species where she is a giant for O. joubini (almost the size of O. briareus with less stout and shorter arms).

Love your signature, it goes well with :octocash:
 
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Thanks! I love your sig too!

The only description they can give me is "common octopus" and they do not know where it is from. It's mantle is about 2 inches and the arm length is around 5 inches. It does not look like a young octopus, because its arms and webbing are not translucent at all. It's fairly active too, always out when I see him.

I'm not worried about the aggression. Inklet has been a little "over active" lately. Trying to pull me into the tank, spitting lots of water, and she even took a nip at me the other day. It was soft, but it drew blood. I think she is reaching her teenage years!

Thanks for your help. I'm going to read about Little Bit now.
 
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Does it always have that odd shape on its mantle (sort of a U on the under side)? LittleBit almost always shows a pigtail now but the mantle shape is uniform.
 
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