Patagonian red octopus
Enteroctopus megalocyathus, also known as Patagonian red octopus, Pulpo del sur and Pulpo colorado, is a medium-sized octopus and the type species for the genus Enteroctopus.
Size and description
Enteroctopus megalocyathus is a relatively large octopus, though not as large as some other giant octopuses like E. dofleini. This species has an average mass of around 4 kg, although some individuals have outweighed this and reached masses of 7.5 kg and 8 kg. It has a mantle length of 22.5 cm and can exceed 1 m in total length, but another author reported a maximum total length in Chile of 1.3 m. Enteroctopus megalocyathus, like other octopuses in the genus Enteroctopus, has longitudinal folds and grooves on the body and large, paddle-like papillae.Fisheries
E. megalocyathus is one of the two commercially significant octopuses in Chilean waters, along with Octopus mimus. Yearly catch of the two octopuses fluctuates between 2,000 and 5,000 tons.In Chile, the extraction ban date is from October 15 to March 15, and its range is from the Araucanía region to the Magallanes region, and in regular season, only specimens weighing more than 1 kg are allowed to be extracted.
Predators
Like most octopuses, E. megalocyathus is a choice meal for many predators larger than it. It is a major dietary component of beaked skates, spiny dogfish, and the South American sea lion.Range
This octopus is native to the southeastern coast of South America along the coasts of Argentina and Chile. In Chile ranges from north Patagonia, Chiloé Archipelago to Strait of Magellan and even more at 56°S, and in Argentina from the San Matías Gulf to the Beagle Channel, including the Falkland Islands and the Burdwood bank.Its vertical range distribution in the water column is from 0 m depth to 220 m depth in Chile.