FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes Western

Octopodidae 821
Hapalochlaena lunulata (Quoy and Gaimard, 1832)
En - Greater blue-ringed octopus.
Small octopus (maximum mantle length 50 mm) with short arms (1.5 to 2 times
mantle length). Colour: cream to orange base colour with large iridescent
blue rings (to 12 mm in diameter) on dorsal mantle, arm crown and arms.
Intertidal and shallow coral reefs. No fisheries value but extremely venomous,
tetrodotoxin venom produced in the salivary glands and responsible for a
number of human deaths. Tropical waters of Indo-Malayan Archipelago from
at least the Philippines to northern Australia and east to Vanuatu.
Hapalochlaena cf. maculosa (from Roper and Hochberg, 1988)
(after Roper and Hochberg, 1988)
En - Lesser blue-ringed octopus.
Small octopus (maximum mantle length 40 mm) with short arms (1.5 to 2.5
times mantle length). Colour: cream to orange base colour with small
iridescent blue rings (approximately 2 mm in diameter) on dorsal mantle
and single or linked blue rings on arm crown and arms. Intertidal and shallow
coral reefs to depths of at least 55 m. No fisheries value but potentially
venomous, as in other members of the genus. Tropical waters of northeastern
Australia from southern Great Barrier Reef to southern Gulf of Carpentaria.
(after Roper and Hochberg, 1988)
dorsal view
dorsal view