Taiwanese scientists have hatched the eggs of Penghu Island octopuses under lab conditions, in a potential breakthrough for artificially breeding the endangered species.
The cephalopods, designated octopus sp. TW-10 — which researchers in 2006 identified as a previously undocumented species — is threatened by population decline from overfishing, the National Penghu University of Science and Technology said in a statement last week.
The miniature octopuses are a scientific mystery, famous for being seen almost exclusively during spawning, which takes place between March 29 and April 12, said Lee Meng-fang (李孟芳), an associate professor of aquaculture at the university.
Photo courtesy of Lee Meng-fang
The species’ short lifespan of about a year and its female members’ habit of retreating into the ocean’s depths immediately following mating make the octopuses difficult to observe or study, he said.
The program to breed the octopuses in captivity, which took a decade to achieve results, utilized specimens captured during the spring spawning season, he said.
Female octopuses of the species carry only about 100 of the tiny, 16mm-long eggs, compared with other small cephalopods that lay thousands of eggs at a time, Lee said.
No eggs were documented until the Penghu branch of the Fisheries Research Institute found four caught in the filter of a tank, he added.
Female octopuses of the species carry inseminated eggs internally for between three and four months, then lay clutches of eggs that they protect for three more months, he said, adding that this gestation period takes up almost half of the octopuses’ life cycle.
The research found that female octopuses are highly sensitive to light and other interference when guarding their eggs, often preferring to dispose of the eggs if they are disturbed, he said.
This suggests that light pollution in the seas around Penghu might have contributed to the decline of the octopus population, Lee said.
The study produced 30 octopus larvae, which matured rapidly and attached themselves to the simulated ocean floor as soon as they hatched, bypassing the planktonic phase of normal octopods, he said.
Preliminary success achieved in the captive breeding program could allow the octopuses to be farmed throughout their lifecycle for food, similar to the sea urchins currently being cultivated in Penghu, he said.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
South Korea is planning to revise its controversial electronic arrival card, a step Taiwanese officials said prompted them to hold off on planned retaliatory measures, a South Korean media report said yesterday. A Yonhap News Agency report said that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to remove the “previous departure place” and “next destination” fields from its e-arrival card system. The plan, reached after interagency consultations, is under review and aims to simplify entry procedures and align the electronic form with the paper version, a South Korean ministry official said. The fields — which appeared only on the electronic form
RSS