Old woman octopus
Cistopus indicus
- Usual depth602 m
- Water temperature25–29 °C
- Best monthsJune, July, and October
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Shaunak Modi, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 0 records
- February: 1 records
- March: 1 records
- April: 1 records
- May: 0 records
- June: 3 records
- July: 3 records
- August: 0 records
- September: 2 records
- October: 3 records
- November: 3 records
- December: 2 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 602 m · Deepest record: 602 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 25–29 °C
Photos
(c) Shaunak Modi, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Old woman octopus, Indian Pouched Octopus, Old-lady Octopus, old woman octopus, Old-woman Octopus
Names in 2 more languages
- Thai
- ปลาหมึกสายใหญ่
- Simplified Chinese
- 小孔蛸
Other scientific names: Cistopus bursarius, Octopus indicus
Similar species
Big blue octopusOctopus cyanea
Algae OctopusAbdopus aculeatus
Greater blue-ringed octopusHapalochlaena lunulata
Mimic octopusThaumoctopus mimicus
WonderpusWunderpus photogenicus
- Mosaic Drop-arm Octopus
Abdopus abaculus
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 23 open-data records from 1835 to 2011.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
Log what you see on your next dive
The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.