Finned octopus Cirroteuthis Eschricht, 1836 (Cephalopoda: Cirrata: Cirroteuthidae) confirmed from Australian waters

ABSTRACT The finned octopus Cirroteuthis muelleri is abundant in the far northern hemisphere, yet limited records exist of a possible undescribed southern hemisphere species, Cirroteuthis cf. muelleri. A single specimen of C. cf. muelleri was identified amongst material collected during a 2017 abyssal survey off eastern Australia. The specimen had a dorsal mantle length of about 116 mm when fresh and 56 mm following preservation and was captured at 2338−2581 m depth. Morphological characteristics of this specimen aligned closely with C. cf. muelleri from New Zealand, and differences in these to C. muelleri from the North Atlantic and North Pacific, combined with the disjunct distribution, warrant further investigation of the southern hemisphere specimens as a possible new species. This discovery represents a significant range extension of Cirroteuthis and is the first occurrence of this genus from Australian waters.