Argonauta cornuta

Argonauta cornuta is a species of pelagic octopus belonging to the genus Argonauta. The female of the species, like all argonauts, creates a paper-thin eggcase that coils around the octopus reminiscent of the way a nautilus lives in its shell (hence the name paper nautilus). The shell is usually approximately 80 mm in length, although it can exceed 90 mm in exceptional specimens; the world record size is 98.6 mm.[1]

Argonauta cornuta
Eggcase of Argonauta cornuta
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Octopoda
Family: Argonautidae
Genus: Argonauta
Species:
A. cornuta
Binomial name
Argonauta cornuta
Conrad, 1854
Synonyms
  • ?Argonauta dispar
    Conrad, 1854
  • Argonauta expansa
    Dall, 1872

This species seems to have a relatively limited distribution confined to the waters surrounding Western Mexico and Baja California. For this reason, it is considered one of the rarest of the Argonauta species.

The taxonomic status of this species is questionable. Further research is needed to determine whether it is a valid species or a synonym of the highly variable A. hians.

The type locality of A. cornuta is unknown. The type specimen is deposited at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.[2]

References
  1. Pisor, D. L. (2005). Registry of World Record Size Shells (4th ed.). Snail's Pace Productions and ConchBooks. p. 12.
  2. Current Classification of Recent Cephalopoda
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