IDENTIFIKASI SPESIES GURITA DI SELAT ALAS

Identification of Octopus Species in the Alas Strait

Abstract

Octopus is one of the important fishery commodities in the Alas Strait, West Nusa Tenggara, which has high economic value and plays a role in the marine ecosystem. This study aims to identify and characterise octopus species caught in the Alas Strait based on morphometric and taxonomic characters. Sampling was conducted at seven fishing locations in the Alas Strait, namely Gili Lebur, Pulau Kambing, Pulau Panjang, Pulau Belang, Gili Belang, Pasir Putih, and Gili Ular. A total of 29 individual octopuses were collected and analysed based on morphometric characters, including body weight, head length (HL), mantle length (ML), HL/ML ratio, body colour, and key taxonomic characters. The identification results showed that all octopus specimens caught in the Alas Strait belonged to one species, namely Octopus cyanea (Gray, 1849), which is a member of the family Octopodidae and Genus Octopus. The main diagnostic characters found include the presence of oceli on the arm crown, white to light blue spots on the lateral surface of the arms, zebra stripes on the latero-ventral surface, and HL/ML ratios ranging from 15.8–42.9%. The specimens found consisted of 16 adult individuals and 13 juvenile individuals, with body weights ranging from 0.33–2.70 kg and mantle lengths of 7–22 cm.