Sepia (cephalopod)

Sepia is a genus of cuttlefish in the family Sepiidae encompassing some of the best known and most common species. The cuttlebone is ellipsoid in shape. The name of the genus is the Latinised form of the Ancient Greek σηπία (sēpía) "cuttlefish".

Sepia
Temporal range:
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Sepiida
Family: Sepiidae
Genus: Sepia
Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Sepia rugosa
Bowdich, 1822
Subgenera

Acanthosepion Rochebrune, 1884
Anomalosepia Khromov, 1987
Doratosepion Rochebrune, 1884
Hemisepius Steenstrup, 1875
Rhombosepion Rochebrune, 1884
Sepia Linnaeus, 1758

Sepia apama
Sepia elegans
Sepia latimanus
Sepia officinalis
Sepia pharaonis
Sepia prashadi
Sepia spp.

Anatomy

All members of Sepia share the presence of eight arms and two tentacles. Tentacles are retractable limbs used to target and latch onto prey, whereas arms are used for handling prey and producing patterns of light and dark to distract prey. Once a prey item has been caught, the tentacles detach from it and have no other function. The tentacles reside in sheaths that run below the eyes and behind the head, into the visceral mass, where they are reserved as coiled, spring-loaded appendages, waiting to be ejected towards a food target.

Classification

The species listed above with an asterisk (*) are questionable; they need further study to determine if they are a valid species or a synonym. The question mark (?) indicates questionable placement within the genus.

Extinct species
Fossil cuttlebone of the Pliocene species Sepia rugulosa
Fossil cuttlebone of Sepia stricta

A number of extinct species have been described from the Neogene of Europe, though many of these are likely synonyms.[4] They include:[4]

  • Sepia bertii Foresti, 1890
  • Sepia complanata Bellardi, 1872
  • Sepia craversii Gastaldi, 1868
  • Sepia gastaldii Bellardi, 1872
  • Sepia granosa Bellardi, 1872
  • Sepia harmati Szörenyi, 1933
  • Sepia hungarica Lörenthey, 1898
  • Sepia isseli Bellardi, 1872
  • Sepia michelotti Gastaldi, 1868
  • Sepia rugulosa Bellardi, 1872
  • Sepia stricta Bellardi, 1872
  • Sepia verrucosa Bellardi, 1872
  • Sepia vindobonensis Schloenbach, 1869

References
  1. Whiteaves, J.F. (1897). "On some remains of a Sepia-like cuttle-fish from the Cretaceous rocks of the south Saskatchewan". The Canadian Record of Science. 7: 459–462.
  2. Hewitt, R.; Pedley, H.M. (1978). "The preservation of the shells of Sepia in the middle Miocene of Malta". Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. 89 (3): 227–237. doi:10.1016/S0016-7878(78)80013-3.
  3. Neethiselvan, N.; Venkataramani, V.K. (2010). "A new species of cuttlefish, Sepia vecchioni (Cephalopoda, Sepiidae) from Colachal coast, south India". Journal of American Science. 6 (4): 12–21. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  4. Hiden, H.R. (1995). "Sepia vindobonensis (Cephalopoda, Coleoida) aus dem Mittel-Miozän von Retznei (Steiermark, Österreich)" [Sepia vindobonensis (Cephalopoda, Coleoida) from the middle Miocene of Retznei (Styria, Austria)] (PDF). Mitteilungen der Abteilung für Geologie und Paläontologie am Landesmuseum Joanneum [Communications from the Department of Geology and Palaeontology of the [Archduke] Johann State Museum] (in German). 52–53: 111–124. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  • Mangold, Katharina M.; Young, Richard E. (2016) [10 November 2012]. "Sepia". Tree of Life web project (tolweb.org). Retrieved 28 August 2023.
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