Unravelling the phylogenetic and ecological drivers of beak shape variability in cephalopods

19 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables, supplementary Information https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-022-09744-5.-- Data availability: Genetic data underlying this article are available in the GenBank Nucleotide Database at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/ and can be accessed with the GenBank accession numbers OP151115-OP151122, OP161136-OP161143, OP235417-OP235424. The FastQ files can be accessed within the GenBank Nucleotide Database with the BioProject accession number PRJNA866317. Stable isotope and geometric morphometric data are available upon request from the corresponding author. Additional material is available in Supplementary files 1–3Cephalopod beaks are essential for prey acquisition and fragmentation during feeding. Thus, it is expected that ecological pressures affect cephalopod beak shape. From a practical perspective, these structures are also used to identify gut contents of marine megafauna, such as toothed whales, sharks, seabirds, and large pelagic fishes. Here, we investigated the relative importance of ecological pressures and phylogenetic relatedness in the evolution of beak shape using a wide range of Mediterranean cephalopod species. Phylogenetic analyses based on complete mitogenomes and nuclear ribosomal genes provided a well-supported phylogeny among the 18 included cephalopods. Geometric morphometric and stable isotope methods were implemented to describe interspecific beak shape and trophic niche variability, respectively. Phylogenetic signal was detected in the shape of both parts of the beak (upper and lower). However, lower beak shape was more distinct among closely related species, in line with the empirical notion that lower beak morphology is more useful as an identification tool in cephalopods. Interestingly, no association between beak shape and trophic niche (stable isotope values) was found. These results suggest that the evolution of cephalopod beak shape as quantified here is mainly driven by phylogenetic relationships, while feeding habits play a minor roleWe are thankful to the crew of the projects SAP (ARP029/18/00003, Departament d'Acció Climàtica, Alimentació i Agenda Rural, Generalitat de Catalunya), to BITER, OCTOSET and ECOPHYN (PID2020-114732RB-C31, RTI2018-097908-B-I00 and PID2021-126824NB-C32 respectively, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Gobierno de España) for granting the access to the samples and to Núria Lombarte Recasens for the illustrations provided of the beaks and major taxonomic groups. This study is part of the Master thesis of A.S.-M., who was supported by a JAE-Intro grant of CSIC (JAEIntro2020-ICM-2). F.Á.F.-Á. was supported by an Irish Research Council–Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (ref. GOIPD/2019/460) and a JdC-I Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant (ref. IJC2020-043170-I) awarded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. A.K. is supported by a Ramón y Cajal research grant co-funded by the Spanish State Research Agency and the European Social Fund (RYC2019-026688-I/AEI/10.13039/501100011033). M.T. was funded by a Ph.D. fellowship from the Irish Research Council (GOIPG/2017/1740) and was supported by the Dr. Tony Ryan Research Fund. This research was supported by the Spanish government through the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S). [...] Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer NaturePeer reviewe

Review of the systematic taxonomy of Todaropsis eblanae and its position within Ommastrephid squids

Trabajo final de grado presentado por Oscar Escolar Sánchez en la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, realizado bajo la dirección del Dr. Roger Villanueva López y del Dr. Fernando Ángel Fernández-Álvarez del Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC)Peer Reviewe

Estructura poblacional y ciclo reproductor de Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) en la costa central catalana

Trabajo final presentado por Oscar Escolar Sánchez para el Máster en Oceanografía y Gestión del Medio Marino de la Universitat de Barcelona (UB), realizado bajo la dirección del Dr. Roger Villanueva López y del Dr. Fernando Ángel Fernández-Álvarez del Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC).-- 39 pages, 26 figures, 8 tables, 1 annexThe common octopus Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 is an important fishery resource with a high demand worldwide. Recently, its landings are decreasing, while both fishery effort and price are increasing. Its catches could fluctuate annually, due to its short life cycle and the interannual changes of the environmental factors which could affect the recruitment survival. The present study attempts to assess the current state of the O. vulgaris population structure and the periods of sexual maturity on the Central Catalonian coast. To attain this objective, this study samples the landings of the artisanal and trawler fleet measuring different biological parameters: the weight, the mantle length, the sex, the sexual maturity stage and the presence/absence of sperm in both female spermatheca and oviducts. Moreover, several samplings were made on board a fishing boat to analyze octopus below the commercial size. Additionally, the presence of recently settled juveniles was reported and studied for first time aboard a fishing vessel using an opportunistic sampling based on common artisanal fishing methods. This study characterized a female maturity peak of females that range from march to October. On the contrary, males were sexually mature during all the sampling period. Captured octopuses showed significant differences in sizes between months: the biggest individuals were caught during May, June and July, while the smallest ones were caught from September and October. However, trawlers landed smallest individuals than artisanal fleet along the survey. The presence of a juvenile peak on may is discussed and several hypotheses to explain its presence are proposed. All this new knowledge was summarized in a theoretical model of the annual cycle of O. vulgaris in the Central Catalonian coast and its expected that it might help to improve its exploitation if fisheries co-management plans are developed for this species in the futurePeer Reviewe

Biologia del pop roquer (Octopus vulgaris) i seguiment de la seva població a la costa central catalana durant els darrers dos anys

Jornada técnica sobre la Gestió del pop roquer ( Octopus vulgaris). El cas del Delta de l’Ebre, celebrada el martes 4 de junio de 2019 en Sant Carles de la Ràpit

Unconventional characters in cephalopod systematics are able to solve the controversial taxonomic status of Todaropsis eblanae (Ball, 1841)

Cephalopod International Advisory Council Conference (CIAC 2018) : Cephalopod Research Across Scales: From Molecules to Ecosystems, 12-16 November 2018, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA.-- 1 pageTraditionally, three subfamilies for the familyOmmastrephidae Steenstrup, 1857 have been recognized: Illicinae Posselt, 1891,Todarodinae Adam, 1960 and Ommastrephinae Posselt, 1891. Controversy existsregarding the actual number of subfamilies. Particularly difficult is the taxonomicposition of Todaropsis eblanae(Ball,1841), whose placement varies according with the taxonomists ́s criteria, beingallocated as Illicinae or Todarodinae, and even a monotypic subfamily -TodaropsinaeNigmatullin, 2000-has been proposed to allocate this species. Different molecularsystematics works showed a closerrelation between T. eblanaeand Illicinae instead that between T. eblanaewith members of the Subfamily Todarodinae, astraditional taxonomy considered. Since traditional taxonomic morphologicalcharacters seem to be unable to solve the taxonomic positionof this particularspecies, some unconventional characters in cephalopod systematics were studied.T. eblanaeshares with Illicinae thebiflagellate spermatozoa. Both taxa also shared an earlier development ofchromatophores during the embryonic phase in comparison with otherommastrephids. These synapomorphies provide further morphological support tothe clade formed by both groups in molecular systematic works. Three hatchlingmorphological autoapomorphies isolates T. eblanaefrom the remaining ommastrephids: its larger hatching size and thehigher degree of development of the arm crown and the respiratory system.Although the absence of seminal receptacles in Illicinae isolates this groupfrom T. eblanaeand the remainingommastrephids, the morphology ofthe seminal receptacles of T.eblanaeis unique among the family. Thenew described synapomorphies of the clade (Todaropsis(Illicinae))preclude the inclusion of T. eblanaewithin Todarodinae. However, both Illicinae and T. eblanaehave enough private apomorphies to consider them asseparated subfamiliesPeer Reviewe

Captador de pulpos juveniles

Captador de pulpos juveniles, destinado a sumergirse en el mar, caracterizado por que comprende: un cuerpo tubular (1) definido por una superficie perimetral (2) de malla y dos extremos (3), en el que al menos uno de los extremos (3) está abierto; al menos una tapa (4) que cierra el extremo (3) abierto; un relleno (5) de material semirrígido alojado en el interior del cuerpo tubular (1) destinado a albergar pulpos juveniles y animales invertebrados.Peer reviewedConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)U Solicitud de modelo de utilida

B-esterases characterisation in the digestive tract of the common octopus and the European cuttlefish and their in vitro responses to contaminants of environmental concern

11 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables, supplementary data https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2022.112961Cephalopods are a group of marine invertebrates that have received little attention as sentinel species in comparison to other molluscs, such as bivalves. Consequently, their physiological and biochemical xenobiotic metabolism responses are poorly understood. Here we undertake a comparative analysis of the enzymatic activities involved in detoxification reactions and neural transmission in the digestive tract of two commercial cephalopods: the Common octopus, Octopus vulgaris, and the European cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis. For methodological purposes, several common B-esterases (five carboxylesterase (CE) substrates and three cholinesterase (ChE) determinations) were assayed as a proxy of metabolic and neuronal activities, respectively. Four components of the digestive tract in each species were considered: salivary glands, the stomach, the digestive gland and the caecum. The in vitro responses of digestive gland homogenates to model chemicals and contaminants of environmental concern were contrasted between both cephalopod species. The baseline biochemical activities in the four digestive tract components were also determined. Moreover, in order to validate the protocol, purified proteins, recombinant human CE (CE1 and CE2) and purified eel acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were included in the analysis. Overall, carboxylesterase activities were higher in octopus than in cuttlefish, with the activity quantified in the digestive tract components in the following order: digestive gland ≈ caecum > stomach ≈ salivary glands, with higher hydrolysis rates reached with naphthyl-derived substrates. In contrast, cuttlefish hydrolysis rates with ChE substrates were higher than in octopus. This trend was also reflected in a higher sensitivity to CE inhibitors in octopus and to AChE inhibitors in cuttlefish. Given the detoxification character of CEs and its protective role preventing AChE inhibition, octopus could be regarded as more efficiently protected than cuttlefish from neurotoxic exposures. A full characterisation of B-esterases in the digestive tract of the two common cephalopods is also providedTo the institutional support of the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S). RV and OE were funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (OCTOSET project, RTI2018-097908-B-I00, MCIU/AEI/FEDER, EU). To CESAM by FCT/MCTES (UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020+ LA/P/0094/2020) and the RED RIESCOS “Evaluación de los Efectos de los Contaminantes Emergentes en Organismos Acuáticos y sobre la Salud Humana”, Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo (CYTED) ref. 419RT0578Peer reviewe

Transitional characters to the benthic lifestyle in juvenile merobenthic octopuses

Cephalopod International Advisory Council Conference (CIAC 2018) : Cephalopod Research Across Scales: From Molecules to Ecosystems, 12-16 November 2018, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA.-- 1 pageMerobenthic octopuses produce numerous small eggs that hatch into planktonic, free-swimming hatchlings with few suckers, simple chromatophores and transparent musculature. After a planktonic period that can range from few weeks to half a year, depending on the species and temperature, a major metamorphosis occurs in morphology, physiology and behaviour when animals settle on the sea bottom. At settlement, a positive allometric arm growth emerges and their body surface generates chromatophores, iridiophores and leucophores, and skin sculptural components develop. At the same time, they seems to lose the Kölliker organs, whose function is unknown, as well as the lateral line system. These organs are present on its external epithelium from hatching, however, they have never been reported from the skin of subadult and adult benthic octopods. These structures and their possible presence, transformation and/or degeneration are carefully searched here over the skin body surface of recently settled juveniles as well as in subadult merobenthic octopuses Eledone cirrhosa and Octopus vulgaris. Techniques used are Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy (SPIM). All of these morphological changes are discussed in the context of the ontogenetic transition towards a benthic lifestylePeer Reviewe

Potentially handicapped but otherwise functional: Malformations in prey capture tools show no impacts on octopus life

Larval mortality is a keystone ecological factor for many benthic octopus since it mostly occurs before their settlement in the sea bottom as benthic juveniles. The literature had revealed that records of adult animals with morphological abnormalities (teratologies) are fewer in species with complex life cycle than in those with direct development. This is a direct consequence of the morphological, physiological, and development challenges that the transition from the larval to the adult morphology represents. During a routine fishing sample, we found an immature female horned octopus with additional buccal structures in two suckers of its ventral arms, likely rendering these suckers as inefficient. Based on the literature about the natural history of octopus, we provide evidence that these abnormalities were present at the moment of hatch. We evaluated the impact of the teratologies by comparing the shape of the buccal beaks and the trophic niche of the individual with five normal conspecifics. Although the beaks showed a different shape than normal individuals, the trophic niche was similar. Surprisingly, the teratological condition of the individual likely had no severe impacts on its life, even though it likely represents a handicap for its survival during its planktonic life. We also comment on other previous records from the literature of teratological adult octopus to highlight the amazing adaptive capacity of octopus to deal with challenging morphologies.We are thankful for SAP crew (project Ref. ARP029/18/00003, Departament d'Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca i Alimentació, Generalitat de Catalunya) for granting the access to the samples. Elena Guerrero (ICM‐CSIC) performed the curation of the morphological vouchers under the CBR‐ICM. We thank Keith Browne (National University of Ireland Galway) for proofreading the text. We thank three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. F.Á.F.‐Á. was supported by an Irish Research Council—Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (Ref. GOIPD/2019/460). MF was contracted within the framework of the project CLIFISH (CTM2015‐66400‐C3‐3‐R, MINECO/FEDER), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and by the European Regional Development Fund. JN was funded by the Spanish National Program Ramón y Cajal (RYC‐2015‐17809). RV has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (OCTOSET project, RTI2018‐097908‐B‐I00, MCIU/AEI/ FEDER, EU). This is a contribution to the Initiative AFOC (shape analysis of cephalopods' beaks; ICM‐CSIC).peer-reviewe