A new species of octopus has been described in south-west Australia, after a study determined it is different enough from its eastern Australian relative to be considered taxonomically distinct. Although the species has only now been given its own name, people have long been catching and eating the animal, which supports one of the world鈥檚 few sustainable octopus fisheries.
The new species has been named Octopus djinda, following consultation with the Aboriginal Advisory Committee of the 聽in Perth. Djinda means 鈥渟tar鈥� in the Nyungar language.
The octopus is found along the south-west coast of Australia. It was previously believed to belong to the O. tetricus species that lives along Australia鈥檚 east coast and New Zealand, but at the Western Australian Museum and Anthony Hart at the Western Australian Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories have found that O. djinda has more suckers along its arms.
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鈥淚t may not sound like much,鈥� says Amor, but when trying to identify species of octopus hiding in plain sight, 鈥渁 few suckers can be a big deal鈥�.
Genetic analysis also suggests that the octopus is sufficiently distinct from聽O. tetricus to be considered a separate species.
O. djinda is targeted by , which is the largest and fastest-growing聽 such fishery in Australia. But it has appropriate catch limits, says Amor, and is one of only two octopus fisheries worldwide that has been certified as sustainable by the .
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However, it is often the case that many types of octopus are lumped together in fishing statistics, which makes it difficult to assess how many of a particular species are being caught. 鈥淭his is a major problem when trying to interpret catch trends, especially with increasing fishing pressure and climate change,鈥� says Amor.
鈥淣ow that O. djinda is formally recognised as a species and, importantly, distinguished from O. tetricus, formal catch statistics reporting can proceed at the species-level in Australia and globally,鈥� he says.
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