# Octopus sinensis

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{{Short description|Species of octopus}}

{{Speciesbox
| image = Octopus sinensis (Osaka Aquarium KAIYUKAN).jpg
| taxon = Octopus sinensis
| authority = d'Orbigny 1834<ref>{{Cite WoRMS|title=Octopus sinensis A. d'Orbigny, 1834|id=534443|access-date=2025-07-24}}</ref>
| synonyms_ref = <ref>{{cite Q|Q129676965|doi-access=free}}</ref>
| synonyms = {{Species list
|Octopus jollyorum|[A.Reid](/source/Amanda_Reid_(taxonomist)) & [N.G.Wilson](/source/Nerida_Wilson), 2015
}}
| range_map = Octopus sinensis Distribution.png
| range_map_caption = ''O. sinensis'' range
}}

'''''Octopus sinensis''''' ([commonly known](/source/Common_name) as the '''East Asian common octopus''') is a [mollusk](/source/Mollusca) belonging to the class [Cephalopod](/source/Cephalopod)a. ''Octopus sinensis'' is a [shallow-water](/source/Shallow_water_marine_environment) species found in coastal [temperate](/source/Temperate_climate) waters of Japan, South Korea, and China,<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=G. Gleadall|first=Ian|date=2016|title=''Octopus sinensis'' d'Orbigny, 1841 (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae): Valid Species Name for the Commercially Valuable East Asian Common Octopus|journal=Species Diversity|volume=21|issue=1|pages=31–42|doi=10.12782/sd.21.1.031|s2cid=89279186 |issn=1342-1670|doi-access=free}}</ref> with the species name, ''sinensis'' being [Latin](/source/Latin) for "Chinese".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition & Meaning Sinensis |url=https://dictionary.university/Sinensis |access-date=2022-03-21 |website=dictionary.university}}</ref> ''Octopus sinensis'' is closely related to the Atlantic and Mediterranean common octopus, ''[Octopus vulgaris](/source/Octopus_vulgaris)'', another octopus inhabiting the [benthic zone](/source/benthic_zone);<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Amor|first1=Michael D.|last2=Norman|first2=Mark D.|last3=Roura|first3=Alvaro|last4=Leite|first4=Tatiana S.|last5=Gleadall|first5=Ian G.|last6=Reid|first6=Amanda|last7=Perales-Raya|first7=Catalina|last8=Lu|first8=Chung-Cheng|last9=Silvey|first9=Colin J.|last10=Vidal|first10=Erica A. G.|last11=Hochberg|first11=Frederick G.|date=2016-09-20|title=Morphological assessment of the Octopus vulgaris species complex evaluated in light of molecular-based phylogenetic inferences|journal=Zoologica Scripta|volume=46|issue=3|pages=275–288|doi=10.1111/zsc.12207|hdl=11343/291747 |s2cid=88706796|issn=0300-3256|hdl-access=free}}</ref> the two are so [morphological](/source/morphology_(biology))ly similar that ''O. sinensis'' was considered a [population](/source/Population_(biology)) of ''Octopus vulgaris'' until 2017.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sauer|first1=Warwick H. H.|last2=Gleadall|first2=Ian G.|last3=Downey-Breedt|first3=Nicola|last4=Doubleday|first4=Zöe|last5=Gillespie|first5=Graham|last6=Haimovici|first6=Manuel|last7=Ibáñez|first7=Christian M.|last8=Katugin|first8=Oleg N.|last9=Leporati|first9=Stephen|last10=Lipinski|first10=Marek R.|last11=Markaida|first11=Unai|date=2021-07-03|title=World Octopus Fisheries|journal=Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture|volume=29|issue=3|pages=279–429|doi=10.1080/23308249.2019.1680603|bibcode=2021RvFSA..29..279S |hdl=10261/227068|s2cid=210266167|issn=2330-8249|hdl-access=free}}</ref> ''Octopus sinensis'' are [carnivore](/source/carnivore)s that prey upon on many shallow-water animals such as [crustacean](/source/crustacean)s and mollusks.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ambrose|first=RF|date=1986|title=Effects of octopus predation on motile invertebrates in a rocky subtidal community|journal=Marine Ecology Progress Series|volume=30|pages=261–273|doi=10.3354/meps030261|bibcode=1986MEPS...30..261A|issn=0171-8630|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ambrose|first1=Richard F.|last2=Nelson|first2=Bobette V.|date=1983|title=Predation by Octopus vulgaris in the Mediterranean|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1439-0485.1983.tb00299.x|journal=Marine Ecology|language=en|volume=4|issue=3|pages=251–261|doi=10.1111/j.1439-0485.1983.tb00299.x|bibcode=1983MarEc...4..251A|issn=1439-0485|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

== Description ==
The East Asian common octopus is adapted to a benthic life at the bottom of the sea. ''Octopus sinensis'' has long arms with many suckers used for catching prey, a [mantle](/source/Mantle_(mollusc)) without a rigid skeleton, which allows them to inhabit and hunt in small spaces and crevices in the seabed, horizontal [pupil](/source/pupil)s, and versatile skin with ability to [change colors](/source/Chromatophore) and camouflage themselves with the sea floor.<ref name=":2">{{Citation|last1=Boletzky|first1=Sigurd von|title=Cephalopod Biology|date=2014|work=Cephalopod Culture|pages=3–16|place=Dordrecht|publisher=Springer Netherlands|isbn=978-94-017-8647-8|last2=Villanueva|first2=Roger|doi=10.1007/978-94-017-8648-5_1|hdl=10261/327612|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=Hanlon, Roger T.|title=Cephalopod behaviour|date=9 March 2018|publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-511-84360-0|oclc=1031978874}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=scientifique.|first=Jereb, Patrizia. Éditeur scientifique. Roper, Clyde F. E. (1937-....). Éditeur scientifique. Norman, Mark D.. Éditeur scientifique. Finn, Julian K.. Éditeur|title=Cephalopods of the world: an annotated and illustrated catalogue of cephalopod species known to date.|date=15 November 2018 |publisher=Food & Agriculture Org. |isbn=978-92-5-107989-8|oclc=1002064698}}</ref> Compared to ''O. vulgaris'', ''O. sinensis'' have a broader mantle and relatively shorter arms with about 80 fewer suckers.<ref name=":0" /> Additionally, the third arm on the right of mature male ''O. sinensis'' have far fewer suckers than the same arm on ''O. vulgaris'' (120-140 vs. 150–190).<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |title=Japan's 'common octopus' not so common after all |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161102090510.htm |access-date=2022-03-21 |website=ScienceDaily |language=en}}</ref> This  [hectocotylized](/source/hectocotylized) third right arm possesses [erectile tissue](/source/erectile_tissue) on its tip and a channel for [sperm packet](/source/sperm_packet)s. During copulation, ''O. sinensis'' males insert their third right arm into the female's mantle.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Courage |first=Katherine Harmon |title=Odd Male Octopus Flaunts Two Unexpected Arm Phalluses |url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/octopus-chronicles/odd-male-octopus-flaunts-two-unexpected-arm-phalluses/ |access-date=2022-03-21 |website=Scientific American Blog Network |language=en}}</ref>

==Taxonomy==

The species was first described by [Alcide d'Orbigny](/source/Alcide_d'Orbigny) in 1834.<ref>Férussac, A. E. J. P. F. d'Audebard de & d'Orbigny, A. (1835-1848). Histoire naturelle générale et particulière des Céphalopodes acétabulifères vivants et fossiles. pp. [1-96], i-lvi, 1-361, Atlas with 144 plates. Paris, Baillière., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13093019 page(s): 68</ref> It was not until 2017 that ''O. sinensis'' was proven a separate species from ''O. vulgaris'' on the basis of [molecular](/source/Molecular_analysis) and morphological features,<ref name=":1" /> after zoologist Ian G. Gleadall designated a neotype ''O. sinensis'' in 2016.<ref>{{cite Q|Q113221984}}</ref>

In 2015, taxonomists [Amanda Reid](/source/Amanda_Reid_(taxonomist)) and [Nerida Wilson](/source/Nerida_Wilson) in 2015 described a new species, ''O. jollyorum'', based on specimens collected from [Raoul Island](/source/Raoul_Island) in the Kermadec Islands in 2011, which were part of the ''[O. vulgaris](/source/Octopus_vulgaris)'' complex. Reid and Wilson identified morphological similarities between these specimens and ''O. sinensis'', but decided to create a new description due to there being no available type specimen of ''O. sinensis''.<ref name="jollyorum">{{cite Q|Q136174768}}</ref> ''O. jollyorum'' was recognised as a junior synonym of ''O. sinensis'' in 2020.<ref>{{cite Q|Q129676965|doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Development ==
thumb|250px|''O. sinensis'' with octopus pots.
The East Asian common octopus goes through a several-week [planktonic phase](/source/Planktonic_life_cycle), in which they are floating in the [open ocean](/source/open_ocean).<ref name=":3">{{cite book |chapter=Biology of the planktonic stages of benthic octopuses|date=2008 |title=Oceanography and Marine Biology|pages=111–208|publisher=CRC Press|doi=10.1201/9781420065756-6|isbn=978-0-429-13725-9}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last1=Villanueva|first1=Roger|last2=Vidal|first2=Erica A. G.|last3=Fernández-Álvarez|first3=Fernando Á.|last4=Nabhitabhata|first4=Jaruwat|date=2016-11-09|title=Early Mode of Life and Hatchling Size in Cephalopod Molluscs: Influence on the Species Distributional Ranges|journal=PLOS ONE|volume=11|issue=11|article-number=e0165334|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0165334|pmid=27829039|pmc=5102429 |bibcode=2016PLoSO..1165334V|issn=1932-6203|doi-access=free}}</ref> This occurs early in their development prior to their permanent benthic habitation, similar to many benthic octopus species.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last1=ITAMI|first1=Kouzo|last2=IZAWA|first2=Yasuo|last3=MAEDA|first3=Saburo|last4=NAKAI|first4=Kozo|title=Notes on the Laboratory Culture of the Octopus Larvae|journal=Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi|date=1963|volume=29|issue=6|pages=514–520|doi=10.2331/suisan.29.514|issn=1349-998X|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Diffuse Noxious Inhibitory Controls|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Pain|year=2007|page=605|place=Berlin, Heidelberg|publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg|doi=10.1007/978-3-540-29805-2_1109|isbn=978-3-540-43957-8}}</ref><ref name=":3"/> Right after hatching and during their planktonic phase, they experience the [paralarva](/source/paralarva) stage, with a morphology similar to those of juveniles and adults of the same species.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book|last=E.|first=YOUNG, R.|title='Larva', 'paralarva' and 'subadult' in cephalopod terminology|date=1988|oclc=770420192}}</ref> The paralarvae have certain characteristics that differ from the adult stage, which allow them to thrive in the planktonic phase, such as transparent musculature, circular pupils rather than horizontal ones, a proportionately larger mantle ({{convert|2.1|mm|abbr=on}} in length) and shorter arms with fewer suckers (three to four on each arm), and a finely toothed [beak](/source/Cephalopod_beak).<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> However, not much is known about the early life stages of the East Asian common octopus in their natural habitat due to their [cryptic](/source/Crypsis) and allusive behavior.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lishchenko|first1=F.|last2=Perales-Raya|first2=C.|last3=Barrett|first3=C.|last4=Oesterwind|first4=D.|last5=Power|first5=A.M.|last6=Larivain|first6=A.|last7=Laptikhovsky|first7=V.|last8=Karatza|first8=A.|last9=Badouvas|first9=N.|last10=Lishchenko|first10=A.|last11=Pierce|first11=G.J.|date=April 2021|title=A review of recent studies on the life history and ecology of European cephalopods with emphasis on species with the greatest commercial fishery and culture potential|journal=Fisheries Research|volume=236|article-number=105847|doi=10.1016/j.fishres.2020.105847|bibcode=2021FishR.23605847L |hdl=2164/16298|s2cid=233062343|issn=0165-7836|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last1=Dan|first1=Shigeki|last2=Shibasaki|first2=Shodai|last3=Takasugi|first3=Arata|last4=Takeshima|first4=Satoshi|last5=Yamazaki|first5=Hideki|last6=Ito|first6=Atsushi|last7=Hamasaki|first7=Katsuyuki|date=June 2021|title=Changes in behavioural patterns from swimming to clinging, shelter utilization and prey preference of East Asian common octopus Octopus sinensis during the settlement process under laboratory conditions|journal=Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology|volume=539|article-number=151537|doi=10.1016/j.jembe.2021.151537|bibcode=2021JEMBE.53951537D |s2cid=233538864|issn=0022-0981}}</ref> Recent studies suggest that transition from the planktonic stage to the benthic settlement is quite complex in ''O. sinensis'' and takes them a significant amount of time.<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dan|first1=Shigeki|last2=Takasugi|first2=Arata|last3=Shibasaki|first3=Shodai|last4=Oka|first4=Masakazu|last5=Hamasaki|first5=Katsuyuki|date=2020-06-17|title=Ontogenic change in the vertical swimming of East Asian common octopus Octopus sinensis paralarvae under different water flow conditions|journal=Aquatic Ecology|volume=54|issue=3|pages=795–812|doi=10.1007/s10452-020-09777-7|bibcode=2020AqEco..54..795D |s2cid=219710545|issn=1386-2588}}</ref>

== Relation to humans ==

Both ''O. vulgaris'' and ''O. sinensis'' are commercially important food sources in China and both are vulnerable to over fishing.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":0" /> Therefore, it is important to delineate the two species for sustainable and fisheries management.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":10">{{Cite journal|last1=Li|first1=Fenghui|last2=Liu|first2=Yuyan|last3=Qin|first3=Bo|last4=Bian|first4=Li|last5=Ge|first5=Jianlong|last6=Chang|first6=Qing|last7=Liu|first7=Hui|last8=Chen|first8=Siqing|date=2021-06-28|title=Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial genome for the East Asian common octopus, Octopus sinensis (Octopodidae: Octopoda)|journal=Mitochondrial DNA Part B|volume=6|issue=8|pages=2120–2122|doi=10.1080/23802359.2021.1944360|pmid=34250235|pmc=8245087|issn=2380-2359}}</ref> In fact, some researchers claim that the misidentification of ''O. sinensis'' as ''O. vulgaris'' may be masking the decline of octopuses worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Misidentification may be masking decline of octopuses worldwide {{!}} SeafoodSource |url=https://www.seafoodsource.com/features/misidentification-may-be-masking-decline-of-octopus-worldwide |access-date=2022-03-21 |website=www.seafoodsource.com}}</ref> catches of octopus have been steadily declining across the globe.<ref name=":9" /> Due to its rapid rate of growth and its high commercial value, ''O. sinensis'' is of particular interest in [aquacultural](/source/Aquacultural_engineering) cultivation.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dan|first1=Shigeki|last2=Iwasaki|first2=Hiraku|last3=Takasugi|first3=Arata|last4=Shibasaki|first4=Shodai|last5=Yamazaki|first5=Hideki|last6=Oka|first6=Masakazu|last7=Hamasaki|first7=Katsuyuki|date=2019-02-25|title=Effects of co-supply ratios of swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus zoeae and Artemia on survival and growth of East Asian common octopus Octopus sinensis paralarvae under an upwelling culture system|journal=Aquaculture Research|volume=50|issue=4|pages=1361–1370|doi=10.1111/are.14013|s2cid=92373762|issn=1355-557X|doi-access=free}}</ref> There have been several studies since the 1960s that have attempted to rear ''O. sinensis'' and ''O. vulgaris'' aquaculturally with little success.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Iglesias|first1=J.|last2=Otero|first2=J.J.|last3=Moxica|first3=C.|last4=Fuentes|first4=L.|last5=Sánchez|first5=F.J.|date=2004|title=The Completed Life Cycle of the Octopus (Octopus vulgaris, Cuvier) under Culture Conditions: Paralarval Rearing using Artemia and Zoeae, and First Data on Juvenile Growth up to 8 Months of Age|journal=Aquaculture International|volume=12|issue=4/5|pages=481–487|doi=10.1023/b:aqui.0000042142.88449.bc|bibcode=2004AqInt..12..481I |s2cid=39160015|issn=0967-6120}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Okumura|first1=Shigenobu|last2=Kurihara|first2=Ayako|last3=Iwamoto|first3=Akio|last4=Takeuchi|first4=Toshio|date=February 2005|title=Improved survival and growth in Octopus vulgaris paralarvae by feeding large type Artemia and Pacific sandeel, Ammodytes personatus|journal=Aquaculture|volume=244|issue=1–4|pages=147–157|doi=10.1016/j.aquaculture.2004.11.044|issn=0044-8486}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> Current studies are focused on developing more accurate gene expression profiles to better understand the metabolic process and nutritional requirements of ''O. sinensis'' during its paralarval stage for aquacultural production of ''O. sinensis.''<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Fenghui |last2=Bian |first2=Li |last3=Ge |first3=Jianlong |last4=Han |first4=Fengming |last5=Liu |first5=Zhihong |last6=Li |first6=Xuming |last7=Liu |first7=Yongsheng |last8=Lin |first8=Zhishu |last9=Shi |first9=Huilai |last10=Liu |first10=Changlin |last11=Chang |first11=Qing |date=2020-08-20 |title=Chromosome-level genome assembly of the East Asian common octopus (Octopus sinensis) using PacBio sequencing and Hi-C technology |journal=Molecular Ecology Resources |volume=20 |issue=6 |pages=1572–1582 |doi=10.1111/1755-0998.13216 |pmid=32603549 |bibcode=2020MolER..20.1572L |s2cid=220288998 |issn=1755-098X}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Himakajima3.JPG|Drying on [Himakajima](/source/Himakajima) Island, [Japan](/source/Japan)
File:Octopus jollyorum MA119969 001 (cropped).jpg|Type specimen of ''O. sinensis'' (then ''O. jollyorum'')
File:Octopus jollyorum reid & wilson, 2015 (52691667365).jpg|Tentacles of species
File:Octopus sinensis Suma.jpg| ''O. sinensis'' at [Kobe Suma Sea World](/source/Kobe_Suma_Sea_World)
</gallery>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q61684087}}

Category:Octopodidae
Category:Molluscs described in 1834
Category:Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean
Category:Taxa named by Alcide d'Orbigny

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Octopus sinensis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_sinensis) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_sinensis?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.