Southern giant octopus (Enteroctopus magnificus)
Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from SeaLifeBase, conservation from IUCN Red List.
Southern giant octopus (Enteroctopus magnificus) is a marine species in the family Enteroctopodidae (Mollusca › Cephalopoda › Octopoda), recorded in the World Register of Marine Species as Enteroctopus magnificus (Villanueva, P. Sánchez & Compagno Roeleveld, 1992) under AphiaID 535784.
- Scientific name
- Enteroctopus magnificus
- Authority
- (Villanueva, P. Sánchez & Compagno Roeleveld, 1992)
- Family
- Enteroctopodidae
- Order
- Octopoda
- Maximum length
- 167 cm
- Depth range
- 2–560 m
- Habitat zone
- benthic
- Iucn red list
- Least Concern
Classification (WoRMS)
Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Mollusca · Class: Cephalopoda · Order: Octopoda · Family: Enteroctopodidae · Genus: Enteroctopus.
Accepted name: Enteroctopus magnificus · Authority: (Villanueva, P. Sánchez & Compagno Roeleveld, 1992) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 535784.
Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Octopus magnificus Villanueva, P. Sánchez & Compagno Roeleveld, 1992.
Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=535784 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)
Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Enteroctopus magnificus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.
Maximum length: 167 cm · Depth range: 2–560 m · Habitat zone: benthic · Vulnerability index: 90 of 100 · Fishery importance: minor commercial.
SeaLifeBase notes: It's mantle length is 36 cm (Ref. 96968).
Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 94156) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Enteroctopus-magnificus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Conservation status (IUCN Red List)
The IUCN Red List assesses Enteroctopus magnificus (Villanueva, Sanchez & Compagno, 1992) as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.
Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 163183) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/163183/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 6521560) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/6521560/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.
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