Argonauta cornuta
| Argonauta cornuta | |
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| File:Argonauta cornuta.jpg | |
| Argonauta cornuta eggcase, Mexico. | |
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| Species: | A. cornuta
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| Binomial name | |
| 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 much like 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 94.0 mm).
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 questionable. Further research is needed to determine whether it is a valid species or a synonym of the highly variable A. hians.
External link
- "CephBase: Argonauta cornuta". Archived from the original on 2005-08-17.
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