Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797
Common octopus
photo by FAO

Family:  Octopodidae (octopuses), subfamily: Octopodinae
Max. size:  180 cm TL (male/unsexed); 120 cm TL (female); max.weight: 10,000.0 g
Environment:  reef-associated; marine; depth range 0 - 347 m, oceanodromous
Distribution:  Circumglobal in temperate and tropical seas.
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Maximum common depth is 150 m in Ref. 75927. Maximum depth range from Ref. 114857. Maximum length for female from Ref. 804. This octopus is taken by amateur fishers and in small to large-scale harvest throughout its range. The greatest fishery effort occurs off northwest Africa, and it is know as one of the most valuable octopod species throughout the Mediterranean Sea where it is marketed fresh or frozen (Ref. 96968). Inhabits rocky, sandy and muddy bottoms of the coastline to the edge of the continental shelf (Ref. 2133). Found in intertidal and subtidal areas (Ref. 83938).
IUCN Red List Status: (LC); Date assessed: 08 April 2016 Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans: 
Country info:   
 

Source and more info: www.sealifebase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.