First record of Octopus vulgaris (Cuvier, 1797) (Octopodidae) in the Iraqi coastal waters, NW Arabian Gulf.

The present study identifies one species of the genus Octopus in the order: Octopoda (Cephalopoda: Mollusca), recorded for the first time in the Iraqi coastal waters and Arabian-Persian Gulf. The study extended from January 2019 to December of the same year. The Octopus specimens were seasonally obtained from the fishing trawlers operating in the Iraqi coastal waters in the South of Al-Fao District, Basrah-Iraq, NW Arabian Gulf. The Octopus was identified as O. vulgaris in Iraqi coastal waters depending on morphological features. The habitats of living specimens are briefly described. Some observations were reported on the occurrence of this species and the measurement of some environmental factors. The species was identified up to species level using standard literature. This species looks similar morphologically to the species which is already identified from the other areas around the world. The present study records significant expansion in the distribution range of this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]