First report of Cistopus platinoidus Sreeja, Norman & Biju Kumar, 2015 (Cephalopoda, Octopoda, Octopodidae) from the tropical Hooghly-Matlah estuary, West Bengal, India

Abstract

Cistopus platinoidus Sreeja, Norman & Biju Kumar, 2015 is a tropical benthic cephalopod in the Octopodidae family with eight tiny mucous pouches that are present between the bases of each arm. The current findings revealed the presence of the ‘pouched octopus’, C. platinoidus, from the Hooghly-Matlah estuary, West Bengal, India. The mean salinity of the collection sites was measured at 27.80±2.55 ppt, and the location is approx. 75 km from the river mouth and is bordered by mangrove forest. The present study confirms the range extension of C. platinoidus from the west coast (Kerala and Gujarat) to the east coast (West Bengal).