Octopus minor (more strictly Callistoctopus minor), also known as the long arm octopus or the Korean common octopus, is a small-bodied octopus species distributed along the benthic coastal waters bordering China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula. It lives at depths ranging from the sea surface to 200 metres (650 feet; 100 fathoms).[1][2]O. minor is commonly found in the mudflats of sub-tidal zones where it is exposed to significant environmental variation.[3] It is grouped within the class Cephalopoda along with squids and cuttlefish.[4]
O. minor carries cultural and economic value in the countries in which it is found. It is important commercially to the fishing communities in Korea, where it contributes to the $35 million octopus industry.[5] It is a Korean seafood, commonly referred to as nakji (Korean: 낙지). The octopus is served both cooked and raw, and is often a snack during sporting events.[6]
There have been multiple findings concerning the physiological makeup of O. minor. It has been shown to host a dangerous parasite, while also demonstrating the ability to adapt its morphology to a wide range of environmental conditions. These characteristics have increased interest in the species and its genome has been mapped.[3][7]
^Du, Xin; Dong, Chao; Sun, Shi-Chun (2018-10-01). "Octopicola huanghaiensis n. sp. (Copepoda: Cyclopoida: Octopicolidae), a new parasitic copepod of the octopuses Amphioctopus fangsiao (d'Orbigny) and Octopus minor (Sasaki) (Octopoda: Octopodidae) in the Yellow Sea". Systematic Parasitology. 95 (8–9): 905–912. doi:10.1007/s11230-018-9819-8. ISSN0165-5752. PMID30276653. S2CID52896143.