Need help with ID

Christopher

Cuttlefish
Registered
Joined
Apr 16, 2012
Messages
15
This guy is on divers den. He looks very similar to my old octo who was extremely nocturnal. Anyone know what this guy is? And more importantly is it nocturnal? I'm desperate to find a dinaural octo.
 
Unfortunately, it seems to be gone from the site now. Please DO post links when you can, particularly with LA as if you have the link then the post is usually visible for quite some time after the animal is sold. Do you remember where they said it was from?

The colors are unusual in the picture but ... that may simply be the background and lighting. If this was Caribbean, I could envision O. briareus looking like this but you would not likely see this combination in an aquarium. However, the white and green less the peach stripes would be common and expected and the red/peach is a color they show but the combination is odd AND there appear to be pale white dots on the body that would not be found on O. briareus.

If the animal is Indonesian, the almost hidden white dots and basic look could be from one of the Macropus complex and the white background inducing the white (more commonly quite red). I have seen both Macropuses that I have kept look very much like O. briareus with the fluorescent green but never bright white and not with that much coloration around the eyes.

There may be better examples and I have very little confidence in either of the two possibilities that I have some familiarity by keeping. If you bought it, please do post acclimation photos as they may give a more typical coloration.
 
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Nope, it's still there. I have no plans to buy it. They confirmed that it was a nocturnal species and I'm not looking for that. I'm also hesitant to pay diver's den prices. I purchased a divers den octo once for $100.00 plus shipping. it turned out to be the exact same species I had previously bought from their regular stock of octos for only $40.00. Wasn't too thrilled about that.
 
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Since they say it is Indonesian (and they have gotten MUCH better about giving this information correctly) I'll go out on a limb and guess it is a macropus put against a very white background. I would love to know if I am way wrong and it maintains this coloration but I am inclined to think otherwise from what we have seen. I would bet my full nickel that is it not vulgaris, cf or otherwise.
 
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That was my conclusion as well. That The white background caused the cool coloring. I'm probably going to order the one they have in their regular stock and just cross my fingers. Is there anywhere else that have octopus for sale with any kind of regularity? I talked to Tom and am on his list. But he also claimed all the octos he finds are nocturnal. Just wish my aculeatus would have survived.
 
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Most of what Tom gets are O. briareus. They are considered nocturnal but can be coaxed out to eat with lights on and after ambient light is extinguished. As they get older they will be more visible. Some will even be out as early at 6:00 but 10:00 has been most common for me. Onn has JUST started peaking out his full mantle when he expects his supper. I stll place these in the crepuscular group rather than fully nocturnal as the macropuses I have kept and most O. mercatoris come out much later (the Macropuses at about 3:00 AM, around 11:00 for the mercs) and never show up earlier even as they age (except in the very last days of senescence). O. briareus has proven to be one of the better home octos in spite of its later night activities and I usually have one in at least one tank.
You can request being put on KPAquatics' list but they don't maintain it over long periods. Kara and Philipp seem to find them in quick groups at various times. Most of the ones they will have when they are available are hand caught (vs caught in a crab trap ) as by catch from their live rock or saltwater fish runs and they are often quite young. Unfortunately, they are not frequent. If they don't have takers (and I am often the recipient) I will post them on TONMO in the availability section but they rarely stay available long.

When notifications work again, subscribing with an email notification to the availability thread can be helpful but octopuses are still not (and likely never will be) main stream so obtaining one is always a hunt. You might PM sirreal if O. briareus is acceptable. He lives in FL and has interest in helping members find animals.
 
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Looks like Callistoctopus aspilosomatis, which generally doesn't have spotting on the mantle when stressed, only spotting on the arm crown and arms. It's fairly widespread, described I think from the Great Barrier Reef, and found all the way over to the Line Islands.
 
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