Abstract Haliphron atlanticus Steenstrup, 1861 (=
Alloposus mollis Verrill, 1880) is reported from New
Zealand waters on the basis of a single specimen of
giant proportions caught recently by fisheries trawl
off the eastern Chatham Rise. This specimen, possibly
the largest known of this species and of all
octopods, proves to be the first validated record of
Haliphron from the South Pacific. Although extensively
damaged, details of its morphology and
anatomy are described.