소형 두족류의 일종인 낙지(Octopus minor)는 근연종인 문어나 주꾸미에 비하여 산란수가 적고 갯벌 속 깊은 은신처에서 어미 낙지의 독특한 포란 행동으로 부화하기 때문에 배의 발달 과정을 관찰하기가 매우 어렵다. 본 연구에서는 인공 산란관을 설치하여 낙지의 산란과 부화를 유도하고 배 발달과정을 관찰하였다. 낙지의 배아에서는 산란 후 4일째에 배반엽이 형성되었으며 28일이 경과하면 여러 기관의 원기들이 난황낭의 중앙부에 출현하였다. 이 발생 원기는

The small octopus(Octopus minor), a species in the cephalopod class spawns the fewer eggs compared with its relatives such as Octopus vulgaris and Octopus ocellatus and exerts special efforts in nursing eggs hiding in the deep cave beneath the mud flat. Correspondingly, its embryogenic process had been hardly observed. In this study, we induced the small octopus to spawn its eggs in the artificial spawning tube and to nurse the developing embryos under the periodical observation. The early embryogenic change in the fertilized eggs was appearance of blastodisc on the animal pole at 4 days after spawning. A mass of rudiments of several organs developed in the middle of the yolk sac at 28-th day and it moved gradually toward the animal pole. At 38 days after spawning, two eyes appeared on the head and the trunk with heart developed on the apical part of the yolk sac. At 45-th day of embryonic development, the trunk and head occupied a half of the egg capsule and consequently the yolk sac was reduced to a half of its original size. Two eyes became prominent at the bottom of the trunk with several spots at day 60. Embryonic development was completed at about 80 days after spawning and the arms stuffed the lower half of egg capsule. The young fry squeezed out of the egg capsules with their long and slender arms first and mantles later. Soon after hatching, it swam actively and squirted ink.

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