Ecology Summary - Amphioctopus mototi

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Ecology of Amphioctopus mototi

Main Ref.	Norman, M.D. and C.C. Lu, 2000
Remarks	Depths range from 1 to 54 m. Occurs on sandy substrates, often associated with coral heads or rubble. Deep lairs are excavated under coral heads or coral rubble on sand substrate. Appears to have crepuscular activity patterns. Lairs are surrounded by cast off gastropod shells which may have been collected for their secondary occupants, hermit crabs. Stomach contents have a high proportion of crustacean exoskeletal fragments. Eggs are laid in large numbers in festoons. The small egg size indicates hatchlings are planktonic. Possibly venomous based on the prominent warning coloration and being locally known as the "poison octopus". Live animals observed to bite objects willingly, uncommon amongst octopuses (Ref. 96968).

Main Ref.

Norman, M.D. and C.C. Lu, 2000

Remarks

Depths range from 1 to 54 m. Occurs on sandy substrates, often associated with coral heads or rubble. Deep lairs are excavated under coral heads or coral rubble on sand substrate. Appears to have crepuscular activity patterns. Lairs are surrounded by cast off gastropod shells which may have been collected for their secondary occupants, hermit crabs. Stomach contents have a high proportion of crustacean exoskeletal fragments. Eggs are laid in large numbers in festoons. The small egg size indicates hatchlings are planktonic. Possibly venomous based on the prominent warning coloration and being locally known as the "poison octopus". Live animals observed to bite objects willingly, uncommon amongst octopuses (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 Amphioctopus mototi may be found.

Habitat

Substrate	Soft Bottom: sand; Hard Bottom: rubble;
Substrate Ref.	Jereb, P., C.F.E. Roper, M.D. Norman and J.K. Finn, 2014
Special habitats	Corals: hard corals; Other habitats: burrows;
Special habitats Ref.	Jereb, P., C.F.E. Roper, M.D. Norman and J.K. Finn, 2014

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

feeding

Feeding type	mainly animals (troph. 2.8 and up)
Feeding type Ref.	Jereb, P., C.F.E. Roper, M.D. Norman and J.K. Finn, 2014
Feeding habit	hunting macrofauna (predator)
Feeding habit Ref.	Jereb, P., C.F.E. Roper, M.D. Norman and J.K. Finn, 2014

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	3.50	0.60			Tentative trophic level derived from 1 + troph of a single food item
Ref.

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