LAUSR

Cephalopods are important members of deep-sea communities. However, the preference of many incirrate octopods for rocky substrate makes them largely unavailable with traditional sampling methods such as trawls. Therefore, much remains to be discovered about their diversity. This study focuses on the diversity and distribution of bathyal incirrate species in the western North Atlantic. We used observations from remotely operated vehicle (ROVs) videos, augmented by museum specimens and records from the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), to compile a summary of the diversity of bathyal incirrates in the study area and their general distribution. In 22,861 approximately 5-min ROV video clips, we counted 2017 unique incirrate octopod individuals representing at least seven different species. Across observation types, the most common species we recorded were Bathypolypus bairdii Verrill, 1873, Graneledone verrucosa Verrill 1881, Muusoctopus spp., Scaeurgus unicirrhus Delle Chiaje in Ferussac & Orbigny, 1841, Pteroctopus tetracirrhus Delle Chiaje, 1830, and Tetracheledone spinicirrus Voss, 1955.