Octopidal

[slemslempike]

Does anyone know what "octopidal" means, or what it might be an error for? I have encountered it in Gyles Brandreth's biography of John Gielgud, on an announcement about Gielgud's performance on HMS Nelson, saying "Loudspeakers are being rigged so that any audience in the octopidal should be able to hear".

Neither google nor the OED are any help. I do not mean octopedal.