Although deep-sea cephalopods are key marine organims, their feeding ecology remains essentially unknown. Here, we report for the first time the trophic structure of an assemblage of these animals (19 species) by measuring the isotopic signature of wings of their lower beaks, which accumulated in stomachs of stranded sperm whales. Overall, the species encompassed a narrow range in delta(13)C va...

Octopod (Octo) is a mutation of the moth Manduca sexta, which results in the homeotic transformation of the ventral surface of the first (A1) and less often the second (A2) abdominal segments in the anterior direction. The extent of the transformation ranges from a slight deformation of the ventral cuticle, up to the formation of miniature thoracic legs on A1. The extent of the transformation i...

Platinum (Pt) and platinum-rhodium (PtRh) nanoparticles (NPs) are active catalysts for a range of important industrial reactions, and their response has been shown to be affected by size, morphology, composition, and architectural configuration. We report herein the engineering of these functionalities into NPs by suitably modifying our single-step fabrication process by using microwave irradia...

It is our target to develop underwater microrobots for medical and industrial applications. This kind of underwater microrobots should have the characteristics of flexibility, good response and safety. Its structure should be simple and it can be driven by low voltage and produces no pollution or noise. The low actuating voltage and quick bending responses of Ionic Conducting Polymer Film (ICPF...

Cephalopods (nautiluses, cuttlefishes, squids and octopuses) exhibit direct development and display two major developmental modes: planktonic and benthic. Planktonic hatchlings are small and go through some degree of morphological changes during the planktonic phase, which can last from days to months, with ocean currents enhancing their dispersal capacity. Benthic hatchlings are usually large,...

The variation of paralarval abundance in a region subjected to wind-driven upwelling (Ria of Vigo, northwestern Spain) was studied. Research cruises were undertaken during the favourable upwelling season (May to October) in 2000 and 2001. Each cruise included biological and hydrographic sampling and consisted of five stations in waters located to the east and west of the Cies Islands. A total o...

The new species, Paroctopus cthulu sp. nov. Leite, Lima, Lima and Haimovici was recorded from shallow coastal waters of south southeastern Brazil, where most specimens were found sheltered in marine debris. It is a small octopus; adults are less than 35 mm mantle length (ML) weight around 15 g. has short- to medium-sized arms, enlarged suckers on the arms both males females, relatively large be...