This is true for the scientific sense that it’s order Octopoda (e.g. the plural for members of Hexapoda is “hexapods” and likewise “decapods” for Decapoda), but then it’s kind of like saying the plural for “lobster” is “nephropids”. The names are close for Octopoda and octopus, but it’s still taking the colloquial name and pluralizing it into its scientific name. I think it’s a reasonable alternative since it’s so close, but it’s not specifically “to bring it in line with cephalopod”; that’s just how taxa ending in ‘poda’ work generally.
Strictly speaking, “octopods” is the plural of “octopod”.
This is true for the scientific sense that it’s order Octopoda (e.g. the plural for members of Hexapoda is “hexapods” and likewise “decapods” for Decapoda), but then it’s kind of like saying the plural for “lobster” is “nephropids”. The names are close for Octopoda and octopus, but it’s still taking the colloquial name and pluralizing it into its scientific name. I think it’s a reasonable alternative since it’s so close, but it’s not specifically “to bring it in line with cephalopod”; that’s just how taxa ending in ‘poda’ work generally.
Strictly speaking, “octopods” is the plural of “octopod”.
Once I learned that “octopodes” is pronounced oct-TOP-o-dees not OCT-uh-pohds it became my pluralization of choice.
Octopodes nuts
I hadn’t even thought about that, it makes total since being derived from Greek. I am now fully on team octopodes.