| Austrorossia mastigophora | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Female Austrorossia mastigophora (ca. 45 mm ML) from the east African coast | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Sepiolida |
| Family: | Sepiolidae |
| Subfamily: | Rossiinae |
| Genus: | Austrorossia |
| Species: | A. mastigophora |
| Binomial name | |
| Austrorossia mastigophora | |
| Synonyms | |
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Austrorossia mastigophora is a species of bobtail squid native to western, southern and eastern Africa, from Guinea and Somalia to the Cape of Good Hope. A doubtful record of this species exists from Chile. It lives at depths to approximately 640 m. [3]
On average, females are larger than males; they grow to 46 mm and 31 mm in mantle length, respectively. [3]
The type specimen was collected in the Indian Ocean near the east African coast ( 0°27′S42°47′E / 0.450°S 42.783°E ) by the Valdivia Expedition and the species was described by the leader of that expedition, Carl Chun, the description being published in 1915. [4] It is deposited in the Zoological Collection of the Natural History Museum, Berlin. [5]