Individually unique, fixed stripe configurations ofOctopus chierchiaeallow for photoidentification in long-term studies

Abstract

The Lesser Pacific Striped Octopus, Octopus chierchiae, is a small iteroparous octopus known to inhabit intertidal regions of the Pacific coast of Central America. Many details about the species’ life history in the wild remain unknown. For apparently rare and delicate animals such as O. chierchiae, non-extractive sampling methods are necessary to study individuals and populations over time. After photographically documenting the physical development of 25 octopuses from hatching, we have concluded that individual O. chierchiae have individually unique body patterns that remain constant throughout their lifetimes. Furthermore, using photographs taken of animals in captivity on different dates over many months, we show that untrained volunteers can accurately identify whether or not a pair of images depicts the same individual octopus. These results demonstrate that wild individuals could be recognized and observed for in situ longitudinal studies. In addition, our results imply potential for photoidentification and community science to be used as non-extractive, non-intrusive sampling methods for future studies of wild O. chierchiae and other octopuses.