Cephalopoda | 
Octopoda | 
Octopodidae | Octopodinae
			
			
			
				Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range				
				
					Ecology				
				
			
			
				Benthic; depth range 1 - 54 m (Ref. 96968).  Tropical			
			
			
				
			
			
			
				Pacific Ocean.
			
			
			
			
			
				Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
			
			
				Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 32.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 96968); max. published weight: 300.00 g (Ref. 96968)			
			
			
						
			
			
			
			
				
					Its mantle length is 10 cm (Ref. 96968). 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).				
			
			
			
			
			
				Life cycle and mating behavior				
					Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae				
			
			
				
					Members of the class Cephalopoda are gonochoric.  Male and female adults usually die shortly after spawning and brooding, respectively.  Mating behavior:  Males perform various displays to attract potential females for copulation.  During copulation, male grasp the female and inserts the hectocotylus into the female's mantle cavity where fertilization usually occurs.  Life cycle:  Embryos hatch into planktonic stage and live for some time before they grow larger and take up a benthic existence as adults.				
			
			
			
			
			
				Norman, M.D. and C.C. Lu 2000 Preliminary checklist of the cephalopods of the South China Sea. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 8:539-567. (Ref. 81752)
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
					
						IUCN Red List Status    
						 (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
					
					
					
				
			
			
			
			
				CITES status   (Ref. 108899)
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
				Threat to humans  
			
			
				
									
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
				Human uses  
			
			
							
			
			
				 | FishSource | 			
			
			
			
			
			
Tools
			
			
			
			
				
					More information				
				
					 Population dynamicsGrowth
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Abundance
  Life cycleReproductionMaturityFecunditySpawningEggsEgg developmentLarvae   PhysiologyOxygen consumption
  Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
  
			 
			
			
			
				Internet sources
			
			
			
			
			
				Estimates based on models
			
			
			
									
						Preferred temperature  					
				 (Ref. 
115969): 20.4 - 27, mean 25.2 (based on 136 cells).			
 
			
			
			
			
			
						
							
				
					
						Fishing Vulnerability  					
					
					
						Low vulnerability (22 of 100).