title: Laboratory maintenance, breeding, rearing, and biomedical research potential of the Yucatan octopus (Octopus maya).
abstract: Eggs of the Yucatan octopus, Octopus maya, were collected at Campeche, Mexico, transported to Hawaii, and incubated in glass funnels. Benthic juveniles hatched from the large (17-mm) eggs and were reared on a variety of live and frozen foods. As many as 200 animals were reared for the first month in a 20-liter aquarium. No disease or parasite problems were encountered and nearly all well-fed juveniles survived to sexual maturity. The species was reared through four generations in the laboratory. Animals weighed 0.1 g at hatching and within 8.5 months attained an average weight of 3231 g. Mating was promiscuous and sperm were stored in the oviducts until spawning. Spawning occurred at 8-9 months of age. Up to 5,000 eggs were laid by large females and nearly 100% of fertilized eggs developed to hatching. Females brooded eggs during the 45-day period of development but artificial was as successful as natural incubation by the mother. Pos-reproductive senescent decline of both males and females was rapid and average life span was 300 days from hatching. Areas of biomedical research in which O maya could be a useful model were suggested and included neurobiology, comparative psychology, ontogeny of behavior, immunology, endocrinology, and studies of aging.
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D000830:Animals, Laboratory / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight; D001947:Breeding; D005260:Female; D006799:Housing, Animal; D008297:Male; D049831:Octopodiformes / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D012098:Reproduction; D012741:Sexual Maturation