Opisthoteuthis californiana, also known as the flapjack octopus or adorabilis, is a species of umbrella octopus. Description The flapjack octopus usually appear pinkish. They have fins above their eyes, similar to those found on some species of squid. Their maximum size is mantle length. They have eight jointed legs which are affixed together in an umbrella shape. They have a gelatinous body, which spreads into a parachute shape when maneuvering through dimly lit water. They swim by moving their fins, pulsing their webbed arms, pushing water through their funnel for jet propulsion, or all three at once. Distribution Opisthoteuthis californiana has a distribution in the northern and northeastern Pacific, ranging in the west from off central Honshū (Japan) and the Sea of Okhotsk, its northernmost range is the Bering Sea, and its eastern range is along the western coast of North America as far south as Eureka Bar, California (the type locality, at 350 m depth). The depth at which the species occurs typically ranges from 124 m to 823, however, more recent records indicate that they may occur down to 1500 m depth. Reproduction Opisthoteuthis (like other cirrate octopuses) use 'continuous spawning' where the female lays one or two large eggs at a time over several years (rather than a large batch near the end of the lifespan). These eggs have a hard protective outer shell (unlike the eggs of incirrate octopus) and are not brooded or protected by the mother, the hatched young undergo direct development (lacking the paralarvae stage of incirrate octopus) and are likely benthic. Mature Opisthoteuthis californiana females carry approximately 1400–2381 eggs in the ovary, with the individually spawned mature eggs measuring 11 mm long. Estimations of egg hatching time (using water temperature and egg size) for O. californiana are up to 1.4 years at 4°C. Mating has never been observed in Opisthoteuthis, the males lack the hectocotylus of typical octopus, instead having a series of enlarged suckers that presumably have a role in mating or competition. Classification Opisthoteuthis californiana is one of 14 species in the genus Opisthoteuthis, these species are also collectively known as the flapjack devilfishes (due to the anterior-posterior compression of the body). Opisthoteuthis californiana is morphologically very similar to Opisthoteuthis albatrossi and they may be the same species, but the two have never been critically compared (due to the latter being historically placed in the genus Stauroteuthis). If they are