page_title: Velodona
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Velodona / Description
caption_attribution_description: Velodona togata
context_page_description: Velodona togata is a species of octopus in the monotypic genus Velodona. First described by Carl Chun in 1915, with a second subspecies discovered by Guy Coburn Robson in 1924, it was named for the distinctive membranes on its arms.
  Described as being similar to members of the genera Pareledone, Eledone, and Enteroctopus, V. togata has a large body with large eyes and extensive membranes that link the octopus' arms together. The species has a single line of suckers on each arm, and its head, mantle, and part of its arms are covered in warts. Although the reproductive habits of V. togata have not been extensively studied, the species is believed to be one of the most fecund among octopuses in its region and depth level, despite the species possessing large eggs and extremely large spermatophores.
  The species is found in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of South Africa, Mozambique, and Tanzania. The species has been captured from depths between 400 and 750 meters below sea level, and a 2009 study found the species most heavily concentrated between 400 and 600 meters below sea level. V. togata's conservation status has not been assessed.
context_section_description: Chun described the first specimen he caught, a male, as looking similar to the genus Eledone, but with larger membranes, a differently shaped hectocotylus, and a differently shaped funnel organ (siphon). The specimen had "a sac-shaped body and very large eyes", with arms that "are folded back and have very large membranes which enclose the whole animal", and had a "characteristic pale coloration". Reiterating Chun, Guy Robson summarized the differences between Eledone and V. togata as "the possession of (a) a funnel organ composed of two separate pieces, (b) a sigmoid bend in the hectocotylized arm, and (c) the development of extensive lateral membranes on the arms". Robson, however, was not fully convinced that the shape of the hectocotylized arm was of value in identifying the species, positing that the curve could have been caused by a shrinkage of the membrane. In comparing the distinctive features of V. togata with other known octopus species, Robson found similarities between V. togata and species in the genera Moschites (now considered a synonym for Pareledone and Eledone, the former now considered to be in the family Megaleledonidae  and the latter in the family Eledonidae), and Polypus (now considered a synonym for Enteroctopus, in the family Enteroctopodidae). He found V. togata closest to the southern species of Moschites, such as M. charcoti (now Pareledone charcoti) and M. brevis (now Eledone massyae), due to having similar funnel organs and suckers as those species.
  The specimen's head, mantle, and dorsal arms were covered in warts of varying sizes. Chun measured the specimen's mantle as being 99 millimeters wide and 80 millimeters long. The specimen's head was as wide as the mantle, and was dominated by large eyes, which were measured as 38 millimeters wide and 53 millimeters long, with sickle-shaped pupils. Chun described the arms as being "well developed", and noted that the dorsal arms were the longest, and the arms got shorter as they moved to the ventral end. V. togata has a single line of suckers on each arm. Chun described the membranes on the arms in detail, stating that "The arms bear dorsal and ventral membranes. The ventral margins are unusually large and extend to the tip of all arms. They are not restricted to the ventral surface but also extend to the dorsal margin of the neighboring ventral arms, where they again continue to the tip, but are more weakly developed.". The hectocotylus is on the third arm. V. togata contains an ink sac, but it is tiny and does not contain any ink, a common trait in cephalopods that live in deep water where there is little or no light.
  Velodona togata capensis, the subspecies first described by Guy Coburn Robson in 1924, differs from Velodona togata togata in three areas that Robson considered significant. Where the mantle of Chun's specimen (Velodona togata togata) was significantly wider than it is long, the mantles of Robson's specimens had a much smaller difference between width and length, with one specimen having a mantle with identical width and length. The length of the membrane that links the octopus's arms — the umbrella — was shorter in Robson's specimens than in Chun's, and there were additional warts with papillates on his specimens that were not described in Chun's specimen. Robson also noted a significant difference in the hectocotylus in Chun's specimen and those in his specimens. He noted that while two of his specimens appeared to be fully sexually developed, their hectocotyli looked comparatively underdeveloped. Owing to the difference in overall size between Chun's and Robson's specimens, however, Robson conjectured that the difference in hectocotyli may be due to the specimens' ages. Robson described the coloring of the specimens as "a rather deep reddish brown (verging in a distinctly purple shade in one)" for the males, with a "darker brown" for the female.
caption: A top-down view of V. togata, showing the membranes connecting the arms
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