A new species of flapjack octopus, with massive eyes and blood-red tentacles, has been discovered from a deep-sea canyon off the coast of Australia.
The new species has been named Opisthoteuthis carnarvonensis, or the Carnarvon Flapjack Octopus, for the location in which it was found.
It’s the tenth and latest new species to be described from specimens collected during a 2022 voyage by research vessel (RV) Investigator led by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency.
RV Investigator undertook a month-long voyage to survey the relatively unexplored habitats and seabed biodiversity of the Gascoyne and Carnarvon Canyon Marine Parks off Western Australia.
It marked the first scientific baseline marine survey of the Gascoyne Marine Park and the Carnarvon Canyon Marine Park, managed by Parks Australia.
During the voyage, researchers used high-tech cameras, nets and sleds to collect samples and capture images from thousands of metres below the ocean surface. From those surveys, many specimens were collected that were likely to be species new to science.
Since the end of the voyage, researchers, taxonomists, partner museums and research collections, including Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and CSIRO’s Australian National Fish Collection, have been busily working to help identify and describe some of these new species.
In newly published research, Dr Tristan Verhoeff, a volunteer Systematic Taxonomist with the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, described the new species of flapjack octopus.
Scientists are creating a growing list of new species from this 2022 voyage, including the recently described Painted Hornshark and Parallel-spine Scorpionfish.
These discoveries help marine managers, such as Parks Australia, better conserve and protect the incredible diversity of marine life that inhabits Australia’s oceans.
CSIRO led the research voyage in collaboration with Parks Australia, Western Australian Museum and a team of partner museums.
The research was supported by a grant of sea time on RV Investigator from the CSIRO Marine National Facility.
About the Carnavon Flapjack Octopus discovery
- The Carnarvon Flapjack Octopus is a small, gelatinous deep-sea octopus that grows to around 4 centimetres diameter, but little is known about its ecology or lifestyle.
- Flapjack octopuses are a type of cirrate or ‘dumbo’ octopus and there are approximately 50 described species of dumbo octopuses worldwide, with 15 species recorded from Australian waters.
- The flapjack octopus is a deep-sea shape shifter with the ability to flatten its body to resemble a pancake – or flapjack, hence its name – or to pull itself up to look like a tiny gelatinous umbrella.
- Flapjack octopuses have large eyes relative to their body size, enhancing their ability to detect prey in the dimly lit depths that they live. They eat worms and small crustaceans, using their tentacles to capture and consume their prey.
- The specimens used to describe the new species were collected from depths of 1044-1510 metres in and around the Carnarvon Canyon and Gascoyne Marine Parks in Western Australia.
Quotes:
Dr Tristan Verhoeff, volunteer Systematic Taxonomist, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery said:
“This new species is a flapjack octopus, which is a type of cirrate or ‘dumbo’ octopus found in the deep ocean. It is a small octopus, with a body length up to 40 mm, and has an orange-brown colouration.
“Dumbo octopus are a rare and unusual species that live on the seafloor. They reproduce and grow slowly, are very soft and gelatinous, and, unlike other octopus, they produce no ink and cannot change colour.
“Australia has a higher biodiversity of dumbo octopus species compared to other countries but many of these species have only been recorded or described in the past few years. The Carnarvon Flapjack Octopus, which was named for the location where it was found, is only known from the Carnarvon Canyon and Gascoyne Marine Parks off northwestern Australia. Its presence adds extra value to these recently established marine parks.
“Describing a new species is exciting but there is pressure to do it right and it takes time, as you have to look at comparative material and go through old literature. Many of the new species I have described have been in museums and other collections for decades awaiting someone to notice them.
“This species discovery increases our understanding of Australia’s deep-sea ecology and biodiversity. Describing new species is also essential for future work on their ecology, and assessing populations for conservation.”
Earlier this year, Dr Verhoeff described another new octopus species from specimens collected on the same 2022 voyage, and has also described several other new species from earlier voyages by RV Investigator and previous CSIRO research vessels.
Dr Lisa Kirkendale, Head of Department, Aquatic Zoology, Western Australian Museum said:
“Discovering new species of macroscopic marine animals illustrates how little we still know about the deep sea in this area.
“The Indian Ocean is truly a frontier for marine biodiversity research and the WA Museum is the region’s institutional hub as we move forward to address this challenge.
“In Australia, we need to better support taxonomists, like Tristan, to continue to document fabulous new species, such as the Carnarvon Flapjack Octopus.”
Dr Venetia Joscelyne, Team Leader, CSIRO Marine National Facility said:
"The 2022 voyage off Western Australia has been vital for increasing our understanding of the seafloor habitats and biodiversity in the region.
“This was the first time the Carnarvon Canyon and Gascoyne Marine Parks have been mapped in detail and explored to depths of more than 5000 metres.
“Conducting research in remote, offshore, or deep ocean environments is generally challenging but RV Investigator provides researchers with an impressive range of capabilities to do this.
“From this single research voyage alone, we are seeing many new marine species being described. Incredibly, scientists estimate that there are likely more than 1000 new species waiting to be described from specimens collected on RV Investigator voyages over the past 10 years.
“These discoveries are vital in helping us understand the conservation needs of the marine parks and will assist Parks Australia in maintaining the marine parks’ natural values in the future.”
