Octopus aff. tetricus or the Western Australian common octopus is an endemic species of the temperate waters of Western Australia. It is closely related to the cosmopolitan O. vulgaris species complex, and the ‘gloomy octopus’, O. tetricus on the east coast of Australia and New Zealand, but has been conclusively identified as a separate species through genetic and morphometric studies (Guzik et al., 2005; Amor et al., 2014). Currently, the common octopus supports the largest single-species octopus fishery in Australia, however the animal caught is an unnamed species, and carries the species affinis “Octopus aff. tetricus” instead. This is not an ideal situation for two reasons. First, it hinders a proper assessment of its significant contribution to the Australian cephalopod fisheries harvest. For example there is no dedicated SAFs report for this species, despite the catch levels harvest being three times greater than the 'Pale Octopus' (Octopus pallidus) from Tasmania, which does have its own SAFs assessment report. Secondly, there is an industry impetus to differentiate the product in the marketplace in order to create a distinct branding of the Western Australian octopus fishery into the future. Thus there is both a scientific/administrative need and a marketing need to formalise the correct species name, and its associated common name.
Project number:
2018-178
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$94,058.00
Principal Investigator:
Anthony Hart
Organisation:
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) WA
Project start/end date:
7 Dec 2019
-
29 Jun 2021
Contact:
FRDC
SPECIES
1. Develop a formal species name for Octopus aff. tetricus
2. Develop an approved common name for Octopus aff. tetricus
Author:
Dr Anthony M. Hart and Dr Michael D. Amor
Final Report
•
1.68 MB
2018-178-DLD.pdf
This report summarises the scientific and consultation work undertaken to identify a new species name (Octopus djinda) and new common name (Western Rock Octopus) for the species that supports Australia’s largest octopus fishery, with 734 tonnes harvested in 2022. The species had been previously referred to as Octopus cf. tetricus, or Octopus aff. tetricus, otherwise known as the Gloomy Octopus. The species is endemic to Western Australia, and the work was a collaboration between the Western Australian Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories (Dr Anthony Hart) and Dr Michael Amor of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and the Western Australian Museum. Type specimens including males and females were sampled from across the species distribution in Western Australia, including from Geraldton, Mandurah, and Esperance. Using the latest technology in evolutionary genetics and multivariate morphology, the specimens were analysed, and a scientific manuscript proving they were a unique species was submitted to the journal Zootaxa. The species’ Holotype and Paratypes were then deposited in the Western Australian Museum. Parallel to this, a stakeholder consultation process investigated a range of options for species names and common names. The new species is now called Octopus djinda, and the new common name is Western Rock Octopus. The name “djinda” is a Noongar word for star, and the Noongar are traditional custodians of the land in South-Western Australia. The description provided by this project will enable proper reporting of catch statistics for Australia’s largest and fastest growing octopus fishery.
