Argonauta cornuta

Taxobox
name = "Argonauta cornuta"


image_caption = Eggcase of "Argonauta cornuta"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Mollusca
classis = Cephalopoda
ordo = Octopoda
familia = Argonautidae
genus = "Argonauta"
species = "A. cornuta"
binomial = "Argonauta cornuta"
binomial_authority = Conrad, 1854
synonyms =
*?"Argonauta dispar"
Conrad, 1854
*"Argonauta expansa"
Dall, 1872

"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 98.6 mm. [cite book | author = Pisor, D. L. | year = 2005 | title = Registry of World Record Size Shells | edition = 4th edition | publisher = Snail's Pace Productions and ConchBooks | pages = p. 12]

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. [ [http://www.mnh.si.edu/cephs/newclass.pdf Current Classification of Recent Cephalopoda] ]

References

* Sweeney, M. J. (2002). [http://www.tolweb.org/accessory/Argonautidae_Taxa?acc_id=2464 Taxa Associated with the Family Argonautidae Tryon, 1879.] "Tree of Life web project".

External links

* [http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Argonauta Information on the genus "Argonauta"]