O.mercatoris or O.joubini

[InnsmouthLook]

Anyone know what the difference is and if it's easy for the layman to figure out? I'll try to get a pic but he's realy shy and only usually comes out when the moonlights are on.

 

[cephalopoder]

Joubini is a deeper water octopus and usually out of range of collectors. O.mercatoris is a shallow water octo and is often found in shells and live rock. It is possible to get a joubini, but usually its a merc if you have a pygmy.

 

[InnsmouthLook]

Thanks

 

[OctoMonkey]

One sure way will be if the octo is a female and lays eggs, mercs have large eggs and joubini has small eggs but that doesnt help to just look at it... but in the end it may be a definite answer

 

[Gonodactylus]

Frankly, the taxonomy of these species is a mess and until someone sorts it out using molecular as well as morphology and habitat data, we probably will not have a definitive answer. The egg size is clearly key, but there may be more than two species. There is another dwarf in Belize that I can't separate and the animals found in Texas may or may not be O. mercatoris.

Roy