RIchaRd ross

WONDERfUL

Wundperpus!

Wunderpus photogenicus.

species to brood eggs successfully through hatching. Reproduction in aquaria is always something to be enjoyed; there is nothing quite like the thrill of breeding an animal in our glass boxes. Hatching octopuses is particularly thrilling because not all octopus species are the same. Some octopuses, such as Wunderpus photogenicus (larvae shown above), hatch in spurts over several days to be discovered only by the very observant. Others, like Octopus vulgaris, hatch in an impossible to miss gush with thousands or even hundreds of thousands of tiny octopuses flowing upward from the egg mass towards the surface of the water. However, with the thrill, there is a twofold sadness that comes with the discovery of octopus eggs in aquaria.
Most octopuses are semelparous, with females laying many small eggs, caring for them as they develop, and then dying soon after the eggs hatch. The appearance of eggs often signals that the end of the aquarists time with the octopus is near, and it usually isnt pretty. When octopuses (and other cephalopods) die of natural causes, their deaths are usually preceded by senescence, where the animal loses control of their limbs as well as any will to live, and their flesh degrades. In some cases, scavenger animals like hermit crabs begin to eat the octopus while it is still alive, and the octopus doesnt really do anything to stop it. In the case of a brooding female octopus, it seems that at least the birth of new babies softens the blow of the loss of their mother. Unfortunately, this is only the first sad part of discovering octopus eggs. Since most octopuses are semelparous and lay small eggs, the hatchling octopuses emerge from the eggs like many marine larval fish: very small, very fragile, and very difficult to feed in the restricted space of land-based tanks. These hatchlings are referred to as paralarvae, and in the wild, drift as part of the zooplankton, eating to their three hearts content until they metamorphose into proper adult forms and settle out of the water column. In aquaria, however, we havent yet made the breakthroughs that will make raising these tiny animals a universally successful endeavor. It is important and exciting to note that not all octopuses are semelparous. Recent work from Steinhart, UCB, and the Ross Lab shows that a few species, like Octopus chierchiae, are iteroparous,

he SF Bay Area is seeing a lot of hatching octopuses this year! The Steinhart Aquarium in the California Academy of Sciences, Roy Caldwells lab at UC Berkeley, and the Ross Lab in Alameda, California, have been working hard with several species of octopus and have managed to coax several females of different

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meaning they lay, brood, and hatch several clutches of eggs without dying. Even more exciting, in the case of Octopus chierchiae, the eggs are larger and the hatchlings emerge much more developed than the paralarvae of their small-egged counterparts. This allows for easier success in raising them. It is hoped that these small, beautiful animals will be available as captive bred specimens in the next few years. There is even hope on the semelparous horizon. There have been one or two reported successes of octopus paralarvae being raised through metamorphosis. The level of understanding of how to successfully keep octopuses alive and healthy is expanding by leaps and bounds, and the number of people working with octopuses is on the rise. Most exciting, the myriad breakthroughs in the culturing of small live foods primarily for the raising of fish larvae may be directly applicable to the raising of octopuses. With all these advances and all the enthusiasm surrounding octopuses in general, perhaps soon, the sadness of the discovery of octopus eggs and the mothers impending demise will be mitigated by the happiness of knowing her babies can be raised successfully.

Undescribed octopus paralarvae emerging from their eggs.

Wunderpus photogenicus paralarvae over an American dime (please note that the coin was under the container, not in the water with the animals).

The eye of the mother Octopus chierchiae watches as a hatchling prepares to emerge from its egg.

Octopus chierchiae eggs at different stages of development; some have turned inside the egg, meaning hatching is near.

Reef Hobbyist Magazine

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