Hubb's octopus (Octopus hubbsorum)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Mollusca · Class: Cephalopoda · Order: Octopoda · Family: Octopodidae · Genus: Octopus.

Accepted name: Octopus hubbsorum · Authority: S. S. Berry, 1953 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 341983.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=341983 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)

Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Octopus hubbsorum. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 22 cm · Depth range: 0–30 m · Habitat zone: benthic · Vulnerability index: 12 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial.

SeaLifeBase notes: Maximum total length is over 1 meter. It is fished along Baja California, on both sides of the southern Gulf of California and south to Oaxaca. It is fished from March to October (Ref. 96968). This is a benthic species found on soft bottoms, particularly in intertidal and subtidal areas (Ref. 83938). Opportunistic predator, foraging at night on a wide variety of prey (Ref. 108489).

Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 58203) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Octopus-hubbsorum.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

361 georeferenced occurrence records for Octopus hubbsorum are published through GBIF from 20 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 70 distinct locations from a sample of 361 records, omitting 37 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: Mexico (230); Costa Rica (43); Panama (26); Spain (20); Malta (8); Colombia (5); Egypt (5); Peru (4); Ecuador (3); Indonesia (3); Chile (2); Greece (2); Türkiye (2); United States of America (2); Brazil (1).

Marine regions with a valid WoRMS distribution record: East North Pacific; Gulf of California.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2289709) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2289709&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=341983 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Octopus hubbsorum Berry, 1953 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 163248) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/163248/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2289709) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2289709/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

O. hubbsorum is a benthic free-swimming octopus commonly found in intertidal and shallow subtidal zones of the Mexico pacific. Typically, they are found hiding in small places along coral reefs in shallow waters. Additionally, they do not stay in one area, rather they display seasonal movement due to changes in diet patterns. The typical mantle length is medium sized at 220 mm with an average weight of 766.6 g. It has been found that there is a continuous mature population, which can be accredited to the warmer waters they live in. Additionally, mature males were typically smaller than mature females. It is interesting to note that the species was noticed to have no ocelli. Some other physical characteristics include a rounded mantle shape, individually enlarged proximal suckers in males and females, and tapered arms.

O. hubbsorum, like all other octopods, display carnivorous tendencies. Their diet, however, varies throughout their lifespan. The typical diet of mature individuals is rather broad when compared to the diet of juveniles. One study found that O. hubbsorum feeds on 50 different types of prey. There is a notable difference between the diets of mature males and females. This is seen in other species of octopuses and is most likely due to the fact that female octopuses are more metabolically taxed when reproducing. These reproducing females are noticed to ingest organisms that are not frequently ingested by others, most likely due to the need to stay close to the nest and just eating what is available. Senscent females (post reproduction) when monitored, were more likely to have empty stomachs when caught when compared to males of the same age. This similar behaviour is seen in the species O. mimus and is accredited to the fact that females undergo hormonal changes at this point in their lives that ultimately alter their diet. Overall, crustaceans make up the majority of both male and female diets. However, they also have been found to eat mollusks and fishes as well as echinoderms, chaetognaths, siphonophores, and polychaetes. Overall, feeding patterns vary according to time of year, sex, and with maturation. As for their hunting strategy, they are thought to hunt at night, as octopods caught in the morning in one study had full stomachs.

O. hubbsorum spawns with synchronous ovulation, where egg laying is followed by the animal's death (simultaneous terminal spawning). During this period, there is a lack of oocyte maturation. The eggs are cared for by the mother and are laid in a cave or a den. The growth and feeding habits of the female slows during the spawning period as her energy goes to caring for the eggs. Overall, it was found that female O. hubbsorum have low fecundity. Additionally, females are found to have smaller oocytes. Mating can either be performed with one or many males present.

A study performed in the Mexican Pacific found many male octopuses to have double hectocotylization (Mariana Díaz-Santana-Iturrios et al, 2019). It is ubiquitous for male octopodes to possess a hectocotylus, which is a modified arm with a characteristic ventral groove. This arm contains an aboral ligula and an oral calamus. These structures are responsible for releasing and transferring the spermatophore. The above mentioned study found that the double hectocotylization is mostly non bilateral, meaning that they are not in the same pair of arms. The additional hectocotylus does not contain ligula. Because of this, it is characterized as an accessory hectocotylus and is still used in the mating ritual, but not directly in copulation. It is also thought that the presence of the second hectocotylus is a product of sexual selection, due to the tendency of O. hubbsorum to congregate in large groups. The current thought is that double hectocotylization acts as a visual signal for mating as opposed to the commonly practiced chemical signals for mating.

The embryonic development of O. hubbsorum is like that of many other cephalopods. Females produce large clutch sizes with small eggs, which is most likely due to the ability to invest little care and energy for each individual egg. As for the structure of the egg itself, a pear shaped chorion and long chorion stalk envelope and tether the egg, respectively. The eggs are off white in color with an average length of 0.9 - 2.4 mm and the average width of 0.06 - 0.18 mm. The egg clusters were noticeably kept together by a green matrix. Though the study did not list the chemical makeup, it can be inferred that this is simply a secretion that allows the eggs to be held together. Chromatophores appear in stages XIV to XV according to Naef morphological descriptions, and iridocytes appear at stage XVII. Arms begin to grow at stage XIV and end up having three suckers each by the time they hatch. At stage XX, the eyes are able to move freely.

O. hubbsorum exhibits direct development. Though egg hatching was monitored in a lab, it is unknown what the source for the cause of hatching is, though it begins with contractions of the mantle. Paralarvae have a mean mantle length of 1.06 - 1.38 mm with equal arm length. It is important to note that the paralarvae are not larval in nature, rather a planktonic juvenile. The species are planktonic swimmers once hatched and are able to use jet propulsion but stay near the surface. Parental care of the eggs is shown through the female ventilating, cleaning, and protecting the eggs until all have hatched. Octopods in the post embryonic stage are very high energy with keen ability to hunt. There was, however, a low survival rate of paralarvae due to the dangerous and competitive environment (María del Carmen Alejo-Plata, Sac-nicté Herrera Alejo, 2014).

Source: Wikipedia: Octopus hubbsorum — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_hubbsorum (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.