Ecology Summary - Japetella diaphana

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Ecology of Japetella diaphana

Main Ref.	Turgeon, D.D., J.F. Quinn Jr., A.E. Bogan, E.V. Coan, F.G. Hochberg, W.G. Lyons, P.M. Mikkelsen, R.J. Neves, C.F.E. Roper, G. Rosenberg, B. Roth, A. Scheltema, F.G. Thompson, M. Vecchione and J.D. Willams, 1998
Remarks	Depth range from 200 to 1,000 m. These small pelagic octopuses typically occur over deeper water as adults. Young animals tend to occur in the shallower end of the range. As members of this species reach sexual maturity the iridescence of the digestive gland and eyes is lost, and animals migrate to deeper darker waters in the later stages of the life cycle. Nearly mature males have salivary glands that are much larger than those of comparable females. Salivary products may be used as chemical attractant for females. The female light organ may be used for reproductive signalling to males (Ref. 96968).

Main Ref.

Turgeon, D.D., J.F. Quinn Jr., A.E. Bogan, E.V. Coan, F.G. Hochberg, W.G. Lyons, P.M. Mikkelsen, R.J. Neves, C.F.E. Roper, G. Rosenberg, B. Roth, A. Scheltema, F.G. Thompson, M. Vecchione and J.D. Willams, 1998

Remarks

Depth range from 200 to 1,000 m. These small pelagic octopuses typically occur over deeper water as adults. Young animals tend to occur in the shallower end of the range. As members of this species reach sexual maturity the iridescence of the digestive gland and eyes is lost, and animals migrate to deeper darker waters in the later stages of the life cycle. Nearly mature males have salivary glands that are much larger than those of comparable females. Salivary products may be used as chemical attractant for females. The female light organ may be used for reproductive signalling to males (Ref. 96968).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Japetella diaphana may be found.

Habitat

Substrate	Pelagic;
Substrate Ref.	Judkins, H.L.M., M. Vecchione and C.F.E. Roper, 2009
Special habitats
Special habitats Ref.

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

feeding

Feeding type	mainly animals (troph. 2.8 and up)
Feeding type Ref.	Passarella, K.C. and T.L. Hopkins, 1991
Feeding habit	hunting macrofauna (predator)
Feeding habit Ref.	Passarella, K.C. and T.L. Hopkins, 1991

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	original sample		unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition
From individual food items	3.58	0.41			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.

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