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| Grimpoteuthis feitiana Tang, Zheng & Zhang, 2025 |
Abstract
The dumbo octopus is a deep-sea benthic macrofauna belonging to the Cirrata. It is considered a primitive taxon, displaying adaptive characteristics for deep-sea environments. In the course of a 2017 survey, a single specimen of Grimpoteuthis was captured at a depth of 1240.0 m on the Caroline Seamount in the Western Pacific Ocean. Through integrative taxonomy, this species was identified as new to science and named Grimpoteuthis feitiana sp. nov. In this study, the mitogenomes of the new species, together with another unidentified Grimpoteuthis sp. sampled from the Zhenbei Seamount, were fully sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses strongly supported the monophyly of the Grimpoteuthis and its close relationship with Luteuthis. Grimpoteuthidae was grouped with Opisthoteuthidae, Cirroctopodidae, and Cirroteuthidae in succession. Our analyses revealed that certain residues in the mitochondrial genes of deep-sea octopods have undergone positive selection, potentially contributing to their adaptations to energetic requirements. Our study emphasizes the importance of increasing sample size to offer further morphological and phylogenetic evidence and insights into octopus adaptations to the deep-sea environment in future studies.
Keywords: New species, Cirrata, Deep-sea, Mitochondrial genome, Phylogenetics, Adaptive evolution
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| Overall form of Grimpoteuthis feitiana sp. nov. (MBM229046). a-b frame grabs from the video. c-f photographed fresh collection on 21 August 2017. c left side, lateral view. d right side, lateral view. e ventral view. f dorsal view. g-h photographed ethanol-preserved specimen. g dorsal view. h ventral view. |
Class Cephalopoda Cuvier, 1797
Order Octopoda Leach, 1818.
Suborder Cirrata Grimpe, 1916.
Family Grimpoteuthidae O’Shea, 1999
Genus Grimpoteuthis Robson, 1932
Grimpoteuthis feitiana sp. nov.
Etymology. The species epithet ‘feitiana’ is derived from ‘feitian’, a goddess known in Chinese Mogao Cave Culture for her graceful dancing in the air, resembling this dumbo octopus flying underwater.
Yan Tang, Xiaodong Zheng and Junlong Zhang. 2025. Flying in the Deep: the Description of A New Species of Grimpoteuthis (Octopoda: Cirrata: Grimpoteuthidae) from the Caroline Seamount, with ecological adaptation of dumbo octopuses. Organisms Diversity & Evolution. 25; 269–285. DOI: doi.org/10.1007/s13127-025-00678-x [21 April 2025]
Researchgate.net/publication/390979774_a_new_species_of_Grimpoteuthis_from_the_Caroline_Seamount
