Shell · Genus
Argonauta
Paper nautilus
The paper nautilus (Argonauta) is an octopus whose female secretes a thin, ribbed, boat-shaped egg case that is often mistaken for a true nautilus shell; Argonauta argo, A. hians and A. nodosa are the collected species. Egg cases are fragile and light, and complete large ones are worth a few hundred dollars. It is not the chambered nautilus and needs no CITES permit.
| Habitat | Pelagic, open warm oceans; the female secretes the egg case |
|---|---|
| Regions | Worldwide warm oceans, Mediterranean, Australia, Japan |
| Family | Argonautidae |
| Authority (WoRMS) | G. Karsten in A. Engler & K. Prantl, 1928· WoRMS / MolluscaBase |
| Status (WoRMS) | accepted· WoRMS / MolluscaBase |
| Classification (WoRMS) | Chromista › Heterokontophyta › Bacillariophyceae· WoRMS / MolluscaBase |
CITES and protection
Not CITES-listed (unlike the true Nautilus); some Australian and Japanese beaches see mass strandings.
Care (Byne's disease)
The egg case is paper-thin calcite; store in a rigid box and never in wooden drawers.
Elsewhere
- WoRMS AphiaID: 602335
- Wikidata: Q2050688
- WoRMS / MolluscaBase record
- Wikipedia: Argonauta
- CITES Appendices
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Argonauta" (Shell family). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19. https://stratum.black/study/shells/argonauta. Accessed 2026-09-20.
@misc{stratum-argonauta,
title = {Argonauta},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/shells/argonauta}},
year = {2026},
note = {Shell family article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19; sources: stratum, worms, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-20.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.