2009/06/01 by Chris Lalas · 2 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Veterinary · Environmental Science · #Cephalopods and Marine Biology #Veterinary Pharmacology and Anesthesia #Marine and fisheries research
paper · doi:10.1080/00288330909510029
openalex publication_date 2009/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Abstract Macroctopus maorum , also known as Octopus maorum and Pinnoctopus cordiformis , grows to 12 kg and is the largest octopod in Australasia. In New Zealand, this species features in the diets of seals and albatrosses. Beaks of depredated octopus resist digestion and accumulate in the stomach until regurgitated or defecated. Beaks of M. maorum were differentiated reliably from those of other octopods in prey remains for octopus > c.100 g. Previous studies estimated the size of depredated M. maorum from measures of lower beaks using equations derived either from a small sample of M. maorum or from related species. Here, allometric equations to estimate ventral mantle length (4.6–27.5 cm), dorsal mantle length (5.1–29.0 cm), total length (20–198 cm), and body mass (36–12 000 g) were derived from measures of both upper and lower beaks of 90 specimens of M. maorum . These regressions were imprecise and reflected innate variability in octopus morphometrics, a characteristic reflected in the results of analyses of published data for M. maorum from northern New Zealand and for two other large octopods, Octopus vulgaris and Enteroctopus magnificus .