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 Latinized form of the Ancient Greek σηπία, sēpía, cuttlefish.
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 sprung.
Classification
- Genus Sepia
- Subgenus undetermined
- Subgenus Acanthosepion
- Subgenus Anomalosepia
- Subgenus Doratosepion
- Subgenus Hemisepius
- Subgenus Rhombosepion
- Subgenus Sepia
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Sepia angulata *
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Sepia apama, Australian giant cuttlefish
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Sepia bandensis, stumpy-spined cuttlefish
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Sepia bertheloti, African cuttlefish
- Sepia chirotrema
- Sepia dollfusi
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Sepia elobyana, Guinean cuttlefish
- Sepia gibba
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Sepia hierredda, giant African cuttlefish
- Sepia insignis
- Sepia irvingi
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Sepia latimanus, broadclub cuttlefish
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Sepia mestus, reaper cuttlefish
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Sepia novaehollandiae, New Holland cuttlefish
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Sepia officinalis, common cuttlefish
- Sepia papillata
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Sepia papuensis, Papuan cuttlefish
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Sepia pharaonis, pharaoh cuttlefish
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Sepia plangon, mourning cuttlefish
- Sepia plathyconchalis
- Sepia ramani
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Sepia rozella, rosecone cuttlefish
- Sepia simoniana
- Sepia tuberculata
- Sepia vermiculata
The species listed above with an asterisk (*) are questionable and 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
A number of extinct species have been described from the Neogene of Europe, though many of these are likely synonyms.[4] They include:[4]
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Sepia bertii Foresti, 1890
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Sepia complanata Bellardi, 1872
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Sepia craversii Gastaldi, 1868
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Sepia gastaldii Bellardi, 1872
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Sepia granosa Bellardi, 1872
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Sepia harmati Szörenyi, 1933
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Sepia hungarica Lörenthey, 1898
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Sepia isseli Bellardi, 1872
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Sepia michelotti Gastaldi, 1868
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Sepia rugulosa Bellardi, 1872
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Sepia stricta Bellardi, 1872
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Sepia verrucosa Bellardi, 1872
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Sepia vindobonensis Schloenbach, 1869
References
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^ 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.
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^ 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.
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^ Neethiselvan, N. & V.K. Venkataramani 2010. "A New Species of Cuttlefish, Sepia vecchioni (Cephalopoda, Sepiidae) from Colachal Coast, South India". Journal of American Science 6(4): 12–21.
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^ a b (in German) Hiden, H.R. 1995. "Sepia vindobonensis (Cephalopoda, Coleoida) aus dem Mittel-Miozän von Retznei (Steiermark, Österreich)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-12-22. Retrieved 2012-11-15. Mitteilungen der Abteilung für Geologie und Paläontologie am Landesmuseum Joanneum 52/53: 111–124.
Sepia apama 
Sepia elegans .jpg)
Sepia latimanus 
Sepia officinalis 
Sepia pharaonis 
Sepia prashadi 
Sepia sp. 
