Fecundity, egg masses and hatchlings of <i>Benthoctopus</i> spp. (Octopodidae) in Falkland waters

Four Benthoctopus species are recognized in the waters of the Falkland Islands: B. eureka , B. magellanicus, Benthoctopus sp. A , and Benthoctopus sp. B . Initial oocyte reserve of B. eureka is 250–535 eggs, the actual fecundity is 75–234 eggs while the rest of the oocytes degenerate at maturation. Larger females have higher fecundity. Gonad maturation of Benthoctopus sp. A and Benthoctopus sp. B follows a similar pattern. The Benthoctopus egg masses contained 170–190 eggs. The hatchlings possess arms that are much longer than mantle length with a large number of suckers, and do not have discernible chromatophores.