First report of Amphioctopus neglectus (Nateewathana amp; Norman, 1999) and A. rex (Nateewathana amp; Norman, 1999) (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) from the Indian coast

Two ocellate octopus species from the genus Amphioctopus; Amphioctopus neglectus (Nateewathana Norman, 1999) and A. rex (Nateewathana Norman, 1999) are recorded from Indian waters for the first time. These octopus species are present in fisheries trawl catches off the Kerala coast and have current or potential commercial value. The new records extend the known distribution of these species, previously known from Thai territorial waters, both in the Gulf of Thailand (Pacific Ocean) and the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean), and suggest their potentially continuous distribution from the tropical continental waters of south-east Asia to the western Indian Ocean. These taxa are also discriminated from other ocellate Amphioctopus species described or reported more widely from the tropical Indian Ocean.