First records of Amphioctopus mototi (Mollusca: Octopodidae) in Western Australia

Western Australia hosts extensive marine ecosystems, with Ningaloo Reef representing a key biodiversity hotspot. However, distributional knowledge of many invertebrates, including octopuses, remains limited, likely due to their use of complex reef structures, camouflage, and broad depth ranges. This knowledge gap is particularly relevant for non-target taxa such as Amphioctopus. During routine fish monitoring surveys at Ningaloo, Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) systems incidentally recorded seven Amphioctopus mototi individuals. These observations extend the known distribution of the species into Western Australia, beyond previously confirmed range in the western and South Pacific. The footage also captured rare behavioural observations, including reproductive behaviour, locomotion, and predator–prey interactions, providing new insights into the ecology of this poorly documented species. However, it remains unclear whether A. mototi has historically occurred at Ningaloo but remained undetected or represents a recent range extension. While aspects of the species’ distribution and ecology remain to be resolved, these observations represent the first record of A. mototi in Western Australia and contribute to our understanding of biodiversity at Ningaloo Reef.