The giant octopus Haliphron atlanticus (Mollusca: Octopoda) in New Zealand waters

Abstract

Haliphron atlanticus Steenstrup, 1861 (= Alloposus mollis Verrill, 1880) is reported from New Zealand waters on the basis of a single specimen of giant proportions caught recently by fisheries trawl off the eastern Chatham Rise. This specimen, possibly the largest known of this species and of all octopods, proves to be the first validated record of Haliphron from the South Pacific. Although extensively damaged, details of its morphology and anatomy are described. © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2004.