blue-ringed octopus

Definitions

Any octopus of the genus Hapalochlaena, with distinctive blue rings, that carry the highly poisonous venom tetrodotoxin (TTX).

Equivalents

Examples

“In terms of diversity, cephalopods include⟳ the egg case making argonauts, shelled nautiluses, venomous blue-ringed octopuses and enigmatic giants like⟳ the giant and colossal squid. […] The blue-ringed octopus Hapalochlaena lunulata has tetrodotoxin, the deadly toxin it also releases in a bite⟳, in their ink but the concentrations and effect in inking are not known.”

CEFR level