Abdopus aculeatus
species of mollusc
Abdopus aculeatus is a small species of octopus in the order Octopoda. It has the common name algae octopus due to its typical resting camouflage, which resembles a gastropod shell overgrown with algae. It is small in size with a mantle around the size of a small orange (c. 7 cm or 3 inches) and arms 25 cm (10 inches) in length, and is adept at mimicking its surroundings.
World range and habitat
Algae octopuses are found throughout intertidal zones along the Indonesian, Philippine, and Northern Australian coastlines. They primarily live in areas with abundant sea grass coverage and occupy dens built into the sandy seafloor, which they line with small pebbles. In its resting camouflage, A. aculeatus displays mottled ochre, gray, and brown colors that resemble a shell overgrown with algae, and dark arm bars reminiscent of hermit crab legs.
Feeding behavior
Algae octopuses are most active during the day, leaving their dens to forage and returning at night. In some areas (mainly Northern Australia), Algae Octopuses will forage among coral, but typically they do not. They tend to feed on small crustaceans including portunid and calappid crabs by groping and pouncing on small rocks and clusters of algae, and digging into the sand.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Abdopus aculeatus” as species of mollusc. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of mollusc. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3166948. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Abdopus aculeatus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.