REPRODUCTION AND EMBRYONIC-DEVELOPMENT TIME OF BATHYPOLYPUS-ARCTICUS,A DEEP-SEA OCTOPOD (CEPHALOPODA, OCTOPODA)

Mating, brooding, and embryonic development rate of Bathypolypus arcti cus, a deep-sea octopod, are described. Live specimens of B. arcticus were collected in the Bay of Fundy, Canada, and kept in a flow-through system in the lab. Two of the octopods laid and brooded viable eggs. Brooding and embryological development took over a year at average tem peratures of 7.3 degrees C and 7.8 degrees C. Brooding females ate occ asionally and left their eggs shortly before dying. Hatchlings weighed 208 +/- 17 (SD) mg from the first batch and 283 +/- 20 (SD) mg from t he second batch. There was no evidence of multiple spawning. Mating of B. arcticus was also observed. The usually smaller male sits upon the female, enveloping much of the female's mantle in his web, and he ins erts his large ligula into her mantle. One or two large spermatophores are transferred by a combination of mantle pumping and arm groove per istalsis. A filmed mating sequence lasted 140 seconds.