Overview
- Researchers formally described the species in a Zootaxa paper published in May 2026 and gave it the name Microeledone galapagensis (also reported as Microeledone galapagosensis).
- The holotype was collected by the ROV Hercules during an E/V Nautilus dive in 2015 at about 1,773 meters and was not delivered to the Field Museum until 2022 because of logistical delays.
- Scientists used micro‑computed tomography to scan the single fragile specimen so they could examine internal anatomy without cutting it open and preserve the specimen intact.
- The octopus is palm‑sized with blue flesh, large eyes, short arms, no ink sac, and 13 eggs in its mantle cavity, evidence the examined animal was an adult female.
- Shipboard tissue taken for DNA was lost after collection, so molecular confirmation is limited even though ROV footage from the same dive and a nearby seamount shows additional individuals and suggests a broader deep‑sea distribution.