Seven-arm Octopus
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The Seven-arm Octopus (Haliphron atlanticus) is the largest known species of octopus, with a mantle lengt of 40 cm and a total body length of 200 cm..
It is so named because in males the hectocotylus (a specially modified arm used in egg fertilization) is coiled in a sac beneath the right eye. Due to this species' thick gelatinous tissue, it is easily overlooked, giving the appearance of just seven arms.
In 2002, a single specimen of giant proportions was caught by fisheries trawling off the eastern Chatham Rise, New Zealand (see image). This specimen, the largest of this species and of all octopuses, was the first validated record of Haliphron from the South Pacific.
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