Abstract
A female blue-ringed octopus, Hapalochlaena sp. (probably lunulata), was maintained in an aqarium for nearly 3 months, during which time it spawned and cared for the eggs until hatching. The young are planktonic. Embryonic development does not differ markedly from that observed in other octopods, uniting certain features of the development of Octopus vulgaris and Eledone cirrosa. In terms of reproductive biology and development, the species differs from the lesser blue-ringed octopus Hapalochlaena maculosa in its mode of spawning, egg size and mode of life of its young. These differences correspond to conditions recorded for Octopus spp. and Eledone spp.
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Communicated by Professor J.M. Pérès, Marseille
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Overath, H., von Boletzky, S. Laboratory observations on spawning and embryonic development of a blue-ringed octopus. Mar. Biol. 27, 333–337 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00394369
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00394369