Blue-lined octopus: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the blue-lined octopus lives – recorded in 2 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Hapalochlaena fasciata
Group	Octopuses, squid & cuttlefish
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	2 countries
Continents	Asia, Oceania
Class	Cephalopod
Order	Octopoda
Family	Octopodidae

Where does the blue-lined octopus live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the blue-lined octopus in 2 countries and territories across Asia and Oceania.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the blue-lined octopus endangered?

The blue-lined octopus’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the blue-lined octopus?

The blue-lined octopus (Hapalochlaena fasciata) is a cephalopod in the order Octopoda and the family Octopodidae, genus Hapalochlaena. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the blue-lined octopus

The blue-lined octopus (Hapalochlaena fasciata) is one of four species of extremely venomous blue-ringed octopuses. It can be found in Pacific Ocean waters that stretch from Australia to Japan. It is most commonly found around intertidal rocky shores and coastal waters to a depth of 15 metres (49 ft) between southern Queensland and southern New South Wales. It is relatively small, with a mantle up to 45 millimetres (1.8 in) in length. In its relaxed state, it is a mottled yellow-brown with dark blue or black streaks covering the whole body apart from the underside of its arms, but its vibrant blue markings appear as a warning to predators when it feels threatened. Along with its other closely related species, the blue-lined octopus is regarded as one of the most dangerous animals in the sea, and its venom can be fatal to humans. This benthic octopus is one of four members of the genus Hapalochlaena, with the other species being the greater blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata), southern blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena maculosa), and the blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena nierstraszi). The blue-lined octopus is the only species of the four to display lined iridescent blue marking, as opposed to circular iridescent blue marking that the three other species tend to exhibit.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Blue-lined octopus (revision 1373806538), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q2120872 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).