Overview
- Researchers published the formal description of Microeledone galapagensis on Monday, May 25, 2026, naming a previously unknown octopus based on one captured specimen and ROV video.
- The animal was first filmed during a 2015 ROV expedition near Isla Darwin at about 1,773–1,800 meters, where teams recorded three individuals and collected a single female for study.
- The octopus is roughly the size of a golf ball, has a light-blue dorsal surface and dark-violet underside, and short thick arms bearing a single row of about 30 suckers.
- Scientists avoided destructive dissection because only one specimen existed and instead used thousands of micro-CT scans to build a 3D model that revealed internal and external anatomy.
- The species' closest known external match lives off Uruguay, a finding that raises questions about deep-sea dispersal, convergent evolution, and how little is known about remote ocean-floor life.