Sepiidae

Common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)

Sepiidae are a family of Zehnarmigen squid from the order of Sepiida with about 100 species in three genera.

Features

Sepiidae are small to medium-sized cephalopods with a weight of up to 12 kg, whose shell can reach a length of 50 cm. The oval, oblong or nearly round shell is surrounded by a narrow, discontinuous at the rear end, Flossensaum. The dorsal in the jacket, lying under the skin cuttlefish is usually the same length as the jacket ( with the exception of the genus Metasepia ) and oval- lanceolate or rhomboidal. The massive head is slightly narrower than the mantle, the bulging eyes are covered by a transparent membrane. Around the mouth are the eight arms and two tentacles extended. On the arms sit in transverse rows two to four, at the club-shaped thickened ends of the tentacles of four or more cups with chitinverstärkten rings. The tentacles can be retracted into side coat pockets. Sepiidae are equipped with two gills.

Dissemination

Sepiidae are in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of the Old World, in the Mediterranean to find Australia and to Tasmania. The northern limit of distribution lies in the west in Norway, to the east at the height of Peter- the - Great Bay.

Habitat and behavior

Sepiidae inhabit the continental shelf and upper continental slope to a depth of 1000 m. They are primarily bottom dwellers of rocky, sandy and muddy sand, seagrass meadows, kelp forest and coral reefs. Some species take temperature-related walks and accumulate, usually in shallow water to breed. The medium sized eggs are attached to a substrate, the development time is temperature dependent. The females often die after reproducing. The life expectancy is 18 to 24 months, males of some species can also be older. Their diet consists of invertebrates and bony fishes.

System

• Sepiidae family, genera, subgenera and species selection: genus Metasepia Splendor Sepia ( Metasepia pfefferi )

• Subgenus Acanthosepion
• Subgenus Anomalosepia
• Subgenus Doratosepion
• Subgenus Hemisepius
• Subgenus Rhombosepion
• Subgenus Sepia Giant cuttlefish (Sepia apama )
• Breitarm - Sepia (Sepia latimanus )
• Common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)