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Diversity
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Taxonomy, Biology and Evolution of Cephalopods
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Taxonomy, Biology and Evolution of Cephalopods

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2024) | Viewed by 20419

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xiaodong Zheng

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Guest Editor
1. Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity (IEMB), Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
2. Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
Interests: cephalopod taxonomy; diversity; Mollusca genetic; Cephalopoda
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ran Xu

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Guest Editor
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agriculture University, Hefei 230036, China
Interests: biodiversity genomics; molecular evolution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cephalopods are known as intelligent invertebrates, having evolved a complex nervous system and an extraordinary coloration strategy that can serve as means of camouflage and communication. The Cephalopoda comprises more than 800 known species in two extant subclasses: Coleoidea, which includes octopus, squid, cuttlefish; and Nautiloidea, which are often considered “living fossils”.  Animals in this class have also adapted to various environments, from tropics to the polar regions, from pelagic to the benthic habitats, from surface waters to the deep seas. Considering their remarkable innovations in body plan and evolution, we present this Special Issue to collect the new studies and advances in understanding the diversity and the biology of cephalopods. The scope includes, but is not limited to, the following aspects: taxonomy, species diversity, population genetics, conservation, evolutionary history, and behavioral biology.

Prof. Dr. Xiaodong Zheng
Dr. Ran Xu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • cephalopods
  • taxonomy
  • biodiversity
  • conservation
  • ecology
  • evolution
  • genetics

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 8941 KiB  
Article
Identification, Localization, and Expression Analysis of 5-HT6 Receptor, and Primary Role in Sepiella japonica, Based on Sex and Life Stage
by Wen-Bo Cui, Prisca John Issangya, Shuang Li, Xu Zhou, Li-Bing Zheng and Chang-Feng Chi
Diversity 2025, 17(2), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17020104 - 30 Jan 2025
Viewed by 713
Abstract
5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) plays a vital role in the reproductive process of vertebrates and is also present in many invertebrates. The cDNA of the Sepiella japonica 5-HT6 receptor (Sj5-HT6r) was first cloned by RACE (Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends). [...] Read more.
5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) plays a vital role in the reproductive process of vertebrates and is also present in many invertebrates. The cDNA of the Sepiella japonica 5-HT6 receptor (Sj5-HT6r) was first cloned by RACE (Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends). The length was 1450 bp, and the predicted open reading frame (ORF) was 1116 bp, which encoded 371 amino acids. Sequence characteristics analysis showed that Sj5-HT6r shares a high degree of identity with 5-HT6r from other cephalopods and forms a sister branch to bivalves. Subcellular localization showed that Sj5-HT6r protein was localized on the HEK293T cell membrane surface. Quantitative Real-time PCR (qPCR) analysis demonstrated that Sj5-HT6r was highly expressed in reproductive organs of both sexes. In particular, transcripts with significant expression were observed at stage III of female gonadal development in tissues of the ovary and nidamental gland, and at stage IV in tissues of the accessory nidamental gland. In situ hybridization (ISH) experiment results indicated that Sj5-HT6r mRNA was primarily distributed in all regions of the optic lobes except the plexiform zone. These results may provide a basis for the future exploration of the reproductive regulation of 5-HT and 5-HT6 receptors in S. japonica. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Taxonomy, Biology and Evolution of Cephalopods)
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19 pages, 12466 KiB  
Article
Morphogenesis and Organogenesis to Hatching of the Green Octopus, Octopus hubbsorum: A Species That Includes a Paralarval Stage in Its Life Cycle
by Maritza García-Flores, Marcial Arellano-Martínez, Carlos A. Aguilar-Cruz and M. Carmen Rodríguez-Jaramillo
Diversity 2025, 17(1), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17010043 - 9 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1009
Abstract
This work describes the morphological changes during embryonic development and pre-hatching organ development of Octopus hubbsorum, a species with a paralarval phase in its life cycle. The morphogenesis of O. hubbsorum begins simultaneously with the first reversion, a typical characteristic of octopuses, [...] Read more.
This work describes the morphological changes during embryonic development and pre-hatching organ development of Octopus hubbsorum, a species with a paralarval phase in its life cycle. The morphogenesis of O. hubbsorum begins simultaneously with the first reversion, a typical characteristic of octopuses, along with the development of the embryonic shape and structure. However, this species hatches with only three well-developed suckers. Organogenesis starts after the first embryonic reversion, with the development of the eyes, optic lobes, digestive gland, arms, and mantle. The branchial and central hearts show optimal development before the second reversion. The ink sac develops in the late stages (after the second reversion), while the stomach and crop are evident only after hatching and continue to develop until the first feeding. Newly hatched organisms show a complete development of the nervous, respiratory, circulatory, and integumentary systems. During the paralarval phase, O. hubbsorum undergoes major morphological and physiological changes until it reaches the subadult phase and develops the reproductive organs. This study highlights important organogenic differences compared to species with planktonic and benthic hatchlings. Further studies are needed in species with different life strategies to expand our knowledge of the developmental biology of cephalopods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Taxonomy, Biology and Evolution of Cephalopods)
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12 pages, 2606 KiB  
Article
Species Delimitation of Argonauta Paralarvae Reveals an Extensive Morphological Variability in the Northern Humboldt Current System
by Ximena Orosco, Patricia Ayón, Giovanna Sotil and Jorge L. Ramirez
Diversity 2024, 16(6), 320; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16060320 - 28 May 2024
Viewed by 1793
Abstract
Argonauts or paper nautiluses are pelagic octopod cephalopods with a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. Unlike other species of octopus, these are characterized by the fact that the female has a shell that serves as the breeding chamber [...] Read more.
Argonauts or paper nautiluses are pelagic octopod cephalopods with a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. Unlike other species of octopus, these are characterized by the fact that the female has a shell that serves as the breeding chamber for the eggs. Over time, this structure has been used as a taxonomic diagnostic character, causing problems in the systematics of this genus, with around 50 synonymies reported. Only two species, Argonauta argo and A. nouryi, have been reported in the Northern Humboldt Current System; however, there is taxonomic uncertainty regarding these species, which is reflected in the paralarvae (the first stage of life after hatching). In the paralarvae, the chromatophore patterns are considered to be conservative and reliable taxonomic characteristics. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the extensive variability in the chromatophore arrangement of Argonauta paralarvae in the Northern Humboldt Current using DNA barcoding and five species delimitation models. Our results include up to 11 different paralarvae morphotypes according to the pattern of chromatophores (number and arrangement) and 2 shell morphotypes. Species delimitation methods divided the 13 Argonauta morphotypes into two consensus molecular taxonomic units (MOTUs), A. argo and A. nouryi. Additionally, the results revealed an extensive morphological variability in the paralarvae and female shells of A. nouryi, demonstrating the importance of molecular data in studies involving species with different life stages, especially when this extensive morphological variability obscures conventional analyses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Taxonomy, Biology and Evolution of Cephalopods)
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14 pages, 16616 KiB  
Article
Morphological Characteristics and DNA Barcoding of the Rare Blanket Octopus Tremoctopus violaceus (Cephalopoda: Tremoctopodidae) in the Adriatic Sea
by Mirela Petrić, Branko Dragičević, Rino Stanić and Željka Trumbić
Diversity 2023, 15(6), 794; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15060794 - 20 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2500
Abstract
Tremoctopods are epipelagic argonautoid octopods characterized by their expanded dorsal webs and strong sexual size dimorphism, with dwarfed males. The scarcity of taxonomic features attributed to this genus presents a challenge, and there is growing evidence of species misidentification in Tremoctopus genus on [...] Read more.
Tremoctopods are epipelagic argonautoid octopods characterized by their expanded dorsal webs and strong sexual size dimorphism, with dwarfed males. The scarcity of taxonomic features attributed to this genus presents a challenge, and there is growing evidence of species misidentification in Tremoctopus genus on a molecular level. In this study, we investigated four female specimens of blanket octopus Tremoctopus violaceus caught by purse seine fishing in the Central Eastern Adriatic Sea in 2019. Individuals had smooth, firm and muscular bodies, dark bluish purple on the dorsal and iridescent silvery on the ventral side, with dorsal mantle lengths of 113, 82, 80 and 78 mm. The constructed phylogenetic trees based on the 16S ribosomal RNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences of investigated Adriatic specimens and publicly available sequences showed strong support for the T. violaceus clade, consisting of individuals collected from the Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, with the exclusion of Indo-Pacific clade most probably corresponding to T. gracilis. To fully understand the life-history traits of Tremoctopus species, future research should focus on DNA-based methods for correct species identification combined with morphological characters, geographic distribution and ecological information. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Taxonomy, Biology and Evolution of Cephalopods)
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16 pages, 2941 KiB  
Article
Morphological and Genetic Differentiation of Loliolus (Nipponololigo) beka (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae) in Coastal China
by Shuwen Li, Yuhan Lyu, Chi Zhang and Xiaodong Zheng
Diversity 2023, 15(1), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15010041 - 29 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3241
Abstract
The population genetic structure of 211 samples of Loliolus (Nipponololigo) beka, which were selected from across seven geographic localities—in the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea—were analyzed using mitochondrial COI and 16S rRNA gene markers. Phylogenetic trees [...] Read more.
The population genetic structure of 211 samples of Loliolus (Nipponololigo) beka, which were selected from across seven geographic localities—in the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea—were analyzed using mitochondrial COI and 16S rRNA gene markers. Phylogenetic trees and a haplotype network both showed that the L. (N.) beka localities were genetically distinct, forming two homogeneous lineages: Lineage A and Lineage B. The results of an AMOVA showed that the genetic variation in the L. (N.) beka populations was dominated by the genetic variation between the two lineages, and both the genetic distance and genetic differentiation indices indicated that the genetic differentiation between the two lineages of L. (N.) beka in Chinese waters had reached the level of species divergence. To further confirm the differences between the two lineages shown in the molecular results, we performed a detailed analysis based on morphometric observations and a multivariate statistical analysis to compare the morphology characteristics of Lineage A and Lineage B. The results showed that there were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the ventral mantle length (VML); the mantle width index (MWI); the fin width index (FWI); the head length index (HLI); the left Arm IV length index (LALI4), the right Arm III length index (RALI3), the right Arm IV length index (RALI4), and the hectocotylized proportion of the left Arm IV length (HcL%) between the two lineages. The differences between the two lineages were also supported by the analysis results for the number of sucker ring teeth. Accordingly, the results of the morphological analysis further confirmed the molecular analysis and provided additional evidence for the presence of the cryptic species of L. (N.) beka in the coastal areas of China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Taxonomy, Biology and Evolution of Cephalopods)
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13 pages, 2460 KiB  
Article
Morphological Description and Phylogenetic Analyses of a New Species of Callistoctopus (Cephalopoda, Octopodidae) from China
by Jiahua Li, Chenxi Xu and Xiaodong Zheng
Diversity 2022, 14(12), 1083; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14121083 - 8 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2571
Abstract
A new octopus species, Callistoctopus tenuipes sp. nov., was formally described from the southeastern coastal waters of China using morphological description and molecular analysis methods. C. tenuipes sp. nov. is a small- to moderate-sized octopus, which is characterized by very narrow and long [...] Read more.
A new octopus species, Callistoctopus tenuipes sp. nov., was formally described from the southeastern coastal waters of China using morphological description and molecular analysis methods. C. tenuipes sp. nov. is a small- to moderate-sized octopus, which is characterized by very narrow and long arms. Although it was previously misidentified as the juvenile of Octopus minor (Sasaki, 1920), it can be recognised by spots, gill lamellae count, funnel organ shape, enlarged suckers, and ligula shape. C. tenuipes sp. nov. differs from the small-sized octopus Callistoctopus xiaohongxu, mainly in the gill lamellae count, funnel organ shape, and arm-length index. In the molecular analysis, sequences obtained from the cytochrome c-oxidase subunit I (COI) gene of eight specimens were 590 bp in length. The pairwise Kimura 2-parameter (K2P) genetic distances between Octopodidae species ranged from 8.58 to 23.79% based on the COI gene. The phylogenetic analyses suggested that C. tenuipes sp. nov. belonged to the Callistoctopus clade and may have a close affinity with C. xiaohongxu and O. minor. Moreover, three species delimitation methods all strongly supported C. tenuipes as a separate species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Taxonomy, Biology and Evolution of Cephalopods)
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31 pages, 9483 KiB  
Article
Detailed Description and Morphological Assessment of Sepia typica (Steenstrup, 1875) (Cephalopoda: Sepiidae)
by Robin W. Leslie, Anthony J. Richardson and Marek R. Lipiński
Diversity 2022, 14(12), 1073; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14121073 - 5 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2832
Abstract
A detailed systematic account of Sepia (Hemisepius) typica, an endemic southern African species of cuttlefish, is presented. An analysis of morphological data (morphometric and meristic characters) suggests that S. typica is a single well-established species without morphs or subspecies. It is, however, [...] Read more.
A detailed systematic account of Sepia (Hemisepius) typica, an endemic southern African species of cuttlefish, is presented. An analysis of morphological data (morphometric and meristic characters) suggests that S. typica is a single well-established species without morphs or subspecies. It is, however, highly variable, perhaps more so than other small sepiids from the region, and there are slight, but significant indications of population structure. Therefore, molecular biological studies based upon a large sample could help investigate broad genetic patterns in what morphologically appears to be a single highly variable species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Taxonomy, Biology and Evolution of Cephalopods)
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16 pages, 1996 KiB  
Article
High-Density Genetic Linkage Map of the Southern Blue-ringed Octopus (Octopodidae: Hapalochlaena maculosa)
by Brooke L. Whitelaw, David B. Jones, Jarrod Guppy, Peter Morse, Jan M. Strugnell, Ira R. Cooke and Kyall Zenger
Diversity 2022, 14(12), 1068; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14121068 - 4 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3615
Abstract
Genetic linkage maps provide a useful resource for non-model genomes and can aid in genome reassembly to form more contiguous pseudo-chromosomes. We present the first linkage map of any cephalopod, H. maculosa, composed of 47 linkage groups (LG). A total of 2166 [...] Read more.
Genetic linkage maps provide a useful resource for non-model genomes and can aid in genome reassembly to form more contiguous pseudo-chromosomes. We present the first linkage map of any cephalopod, H. maculosa, composed of 47 linkage groups (LG). A total of 2166 single nucleotide polymorphisms and 2455 presence–absence variant loci were utilised by Lep-Map3 in linkage map construction. The map length spans 2016.62 cM with an average marker distance of 0.85 cM. Integration of the recent H. maculosa genome allowed 1151 scaffolds comprising 34% of the total genomic sequence to be orientated and/or placed using 1278 markers across all 47 LG. The linkage map generated provides a new perspective on HOX gene distribution in octopods. In the H. maculosa linkage map three (SCR, LOX4 and POST1) of six identified HOX genes (HOX1/LAB, SCR, LOX2, LOX4, LOX5, POST1) were located within the same LG (LG 9). The generation of a linkage map for H. maculosa has provided a valuable resource for understanding the evolution of cephalopod genomes and will provide a base for future work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Taxonomy, Biology and Evolution of Cephalopods)
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