• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

large egg/small egg, laying species

Missnano

O. vulgaris
Registered
Joined
Jan 2, 2011
Messages
75
Location
Missouri
I was reading the cephalopods book recommended to me, and i have a question. Is there a list or something that tells whether what octopus species is a small or large egg laying species?
 
I know that certain sources will list their egg size but not everyone will, and off the top of my head I cannot think of them. If you have any questions of a certain species, I'm pretty sure there is someone on this forum that will be able to answer it for you. All of the commonly kept species you will be able to find the egg size here.
 
Here is a list from my notes on the ones we most commonly keep:

Abdopus (several in complex, most common is aculeatus) - IndoPacific - diurnal - small egg
briareus - Caribbean - crepuscular (hunts early evening, early morning) - large egg
bimac (bimaculoides/bimaculatus) - Pacific - diurnal - large/small egg
hummelincki (also known as filosus/filosa) - Caribbean - diurnal - small egg
mercatoris (often missnamed joubini) - Caribbean - nocturnal - large egg
vulgaris - Atlantic - crepuscalar - small egg
 
Vulgaris is a small egg species. It is not included in my list because, up until a few this year, we have not seen them offered to the aquarium trade (named correctly or otherwise).
 
Norman gives egg size in "Cephalopods: a world guide.

I have had females of the following species that laid eggs.

A. aculeatus small
O. cyanea small
O. mercatoris large
O. joubini smalll
O. rubescens small
O. micropyrus large
O. chierchiae large
O. bocki small
O. wolfi small
O. diguti small
H. lunulata small
H. fasciata large
H. maculosa large
H. (GBR undescribed) large
Wunderpus small
 
Roy,
Professor, your answers always make me have more questions :biggrin2:.
Of the group you list, I recall you have been successful with raising O.mercatoris, O.chierchiae, H. lunulata (didn't know these were a small egg species :notworth:) and I thought O.bimaculoides to adults (please correct me if I misremember). Were you successful with any of the others?
 
I have had no luck rearing any small egged species including H. lunulata. The big egged species that we have gotten through are O. bimaculoides, O. chierchiae, H. (GBR), O. mercatoris and an undescribed O. mercaoris like thing from Belize.

I have been working in the labs of colleagues who reared H. fasciata and H. maculosa.

The one female O. micropyrus that we had had laid sterile eggs - probably had not mated. I would love to try again!

ROy
 
Roy,
Was the O. mercatoris like thing, usually a gold color with a black ocellis and diurnal? I am so trying to figure out what this little guy I have is that any straw is grasped and Belize is a viable migration point :biggrin2:

I thought I remembered a post about a lab hatching out a high percentage of the blue rings a couple of years ago and another with some juveniles that had issues with vibrio if they were kept in close contact. I think that is why I thought they were a large egg species. Were those H. maculosa (I am pretty sure they were not the blue lined guys since they are different enough to be easy to tell the difference in photos)?
 
Roy,
Professor, your answers always make me have more questions :biggrin2:.
Of the group you list, I recall you have been successful with raising O.mercatoris, O.chierchiae, H. lunulata (didn't know these were a small egg species :notworth:) and I thought O.bimaculoides to adults (please correct me if I misremember). Were you successful with any of the others?


I know this a very old post but is this contact info still valid? I have a dwarf bocki octopus that just laid eggs and I have a few questions
 
Hi @Dbourg - replying to an older thread is always fine (as long as everyone is aware of the time jump!), but unfortunately @DWhatley is no longer with us. She left an incredible legacy (see more here) and her posts will forever add value.

I suggest you start a new thread in this forum and share your questions, here's a link to start a new thread. Hopefully we'll get some insights. Best of luck!
 

Shop Amazon

Shop Amazon
Shop Amazon; support TONMO!
Shop Amazon
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Back
Top