Sepia hierredda

Last updated

Sepia hierredda
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Sepiida
Family: Sepiidae
Genus: Sepia
Subgenus: Sepia
Species:
S. hierredda
Binomial name
Sepia hierredda
Synonyms [2]
  • Acanthosepion goreense Rochebrune, 1884
  • Acanthosepion oculiferaRochebrune, 1884

Sepia hierredda, the giant African cuttlefish, is a species of cuttlefish from the family Sepiidae, which was previously considered conspecific with the common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis. It is found along the western coast of Africa and is an important species to fisheries.

Contents

Description

Sepia hierredda is very similar to the common cuttlefish but there are a number of consistent morphological differences which can be used to identify S. hieredda from S. officinalis, the two species being sympatric off northwestern Africa. [3] The colour pattern shown by S. hierredda is very similar to that of S. officinalis. The morphological features that distinguishing this species from the common cuttlefish are that in S.hierraedda the number of transverse rows of suckers is higher, for specimens of similar mantle lengths, the striated zone on the cuttlebone of common cuttlefish from the northeastern Atlantic is shorter than the same feature in S. hierredda, however, in common cuttlefish from the Canary Islands this character is not useful because the striated zone is the same length as it is in this species, the mantle of S. hierredda is narrower and the arms are shorter. [4] Genetic differences are consistent and sampling revealed no signs of hybridisation in specimens samples off Senegal where the two species are sympatric. [3] As its vernacular name suggests the giant African cuttlefish is a very large species which can grow to a mantle length of up to 500mm and a weight which can reach 7.5 kg. [1]

Distribution

Sepia hierredda occurs along the west coast of Africa from Cape Blanc in Mauritania south to Baia dos Tigres in Angola. [1] It is also found around the Endeavour Bank off northwestern Africa. [4]

Habitat and ecology

Sepia hierredda starts to spawn early in the year, in February and this continues into September. They have a lifespan of 24 months. Migrations of this species have been recorded off West Africa. Females become sexually mature at a mantle length of 130mm. Where this species is sympatric with the common cuttlefish, then the giant African cuttlefish shows a strong preference for waters above 50m in depth, whereas the common cuttlefish can be found as in depths over of 100m. [4]

Fisheries

Sepia hierredda is a commercially important quarry species for fisheries off the western coast of Africa. In waters off Western Sahara and Mauritania, S. hierredda is the main species caught by Spanish trawlers. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Sepia latimanus</i> Species of cephalopods known as the broadclub cuttlefish

Sepia latimanus, also known as the broadclub cuttlefish, is widely distributed from the Andaman Sea, east to Fiji, and south to northern Australia. It is the most common cuttlefish species on coral reefs, living at a depth of up to 30 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common cuttlefish</span> Species of cephalopod

The common cuttlefish or European common cuttlefish is one of the largest and best-known cuttlefish species. They are a migratory species that spend the summer and spring inshore for spawning and then move to depths of 100 to 200m during autumn and winter. They grow to 49 cm in mantle length (ML) and 4 kg in weight. Animals from subtropical seas are smaller and rarely exceed 30 cm in ML.

Sepia adami is a species of cuttlefish native to the southwestern Indian Ocean. It is known only from the type locality, S 79ºE off Cape Natal. It lives at a depth of up to 99 m.

Sepia aureomaculata is a species of cuttlefish native to the northwestern Pacific Ocean, specifically the Kii Channel, Tosa Bay, Hyuga-Nada, and the East China Sea. It lives at a depth of between 190 and 350 m.

Sepia erostrata is a species of cuttlefish native to the northwestern Pacific Ocean, specifically off western mainland Japan, from Sagami Bay to the Kii Peninsula. It inhabits subtidal, inshore habitats. It is the commonest species of cuttlefish occurring in rocky shorelines around Japanese coasts.

Sepia hieronis is a species of cuttlefish native to the southeastern Atlantic Ocean and southwestern Indian Ocean, specifically southern Namibia, from approximately 27°S to Port Alfred, South Africa, and east Africa from 17°S to Kenya and Mozambique. It is also present in the Saya-de-Malha Bank. It lives at depths of between 43 and 500 m, although it is most abundant at 110 to 250 m depth.

<i>Sepia mestus</i> Species of cuttlefish

Sepia mestus, also known as the reaper cuttlefish or red cuttlefish, is a species of cuttlefish native to the southwestern Pacific Ocean, specifically Escape Reef off Queensland to Murrays Beach off Jervis Bay. Reports of this species from China and Vietnam are now known to be misidentifications. S. mestus lives at a depth of between 0 and 22 m.

Sepia mirabilis is a species of cuttlefish native to the western Indian Ocean. Specifically, it is present off Sokotra Island, and its natural range probably stretches to the east coast of Africa. It lives at depths to 50 m.

<i>Sepia novaehollandiae</i> Species of cuttlefish

Sepia novaehollandiae is a species of cuttlefish native to the southern Indo-Pacific. Its natural range stretches from Shellharbour, New South Wales to North West Shelf in Western Australia. It lives at depths of between 15 and 348 m.

Sepia hedleyi, or Hedley's cuttlefish, is a species of cuttlefish in the family Sepiidae, endemic to subtropical and temperate waters off Australia.

<i>Sepia papillata</i> Species of cuttlefish

Sepia papillata is a species of cuttlefish native to the southeastern Atlantic Ocean and southwestern Indian Ocean. Its natural range stretches from Lüderitz Bay, South Africa, to the coast of KwaZulu-Natal off the Tugela and Umvoti Rivers. It is also present in Mascarene Ridge. It lives at depths of between 26 and 210 m.

Sepia pardex is a species of cuttlefish native to the western Pacific Ocean, specifically off Japan, along the Pacific coast from the Chiba Peninsula, and along the Japan Sea coast from Toyama Bay to South Korea. It is also present off Taiwan and in the East China Sea. The depth range of this species is unknown.

Sepia pulchra is a species of cuttlefish native to the southeastern Atlantic Ocean, specifically off the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. It lives at depths of between 15 and 50 m.

Sepia subtenuipes is a species of cuttlefish native to the western Pacific Ocean, specifically the East China Sea and the Kii Channel in southwestern Japan. It lives at depths of 90 to 300 m.

<i>Sepia tuberculata</i> Species of mollusc

Sepia tuberculata is a species of cuttlefish native to South African waters from Melkbosstrand to Knysna. It belongs to the genus Sepia. It lives in very shallow water to a depth of 3 m. It is endemic.

<i>Sepia prashadi</i> Species of cuttlefish

Sepia prashadi, common name hooded cuttlefish, is a widely distributed species of cuttlefish. It has a thin, oval body and grows from 5 to 11 cm. The tips of the tentacles have a distinct club shape. S. prashadi is a migratory, demersal cuttlefish living in shallow waters at depths of approximately 40 to 50 metres. It is found in many locations including the east coast of Africa, around India, in the Red Sea, and Persian Gulf.

Sepia braggi, the slender cuttlefish, is a species of cuttlefish native to the Indo-Pacific Ocean. It has been found in coastal waters of southern Australia. This species was first collected in South Australia by its namesake, William Lawrence Bragg. Sepia braggi was then described by Sir Joseph Cooke Verco in 1907.Sepia braggi is part of the subgenus Doratosepion which contains to 41 species of cuttlefish in total.

<i>Sepia elegans</i> Species of cuttlefish

Sepia elegans, the elegant cuttlefish, is a species of cuttlefish in the family Sepiidae from the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is an important species for fisheries in some parts of the Mediterranean where its population may have suffered from overfishing.

Sepia bertheloti, the African cuttlefish, is a species of cuttlefish from the family Sepiidae which is found in the warmer waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean off Africa.

<i>Sepia orbignyana</i> Species of cuttlefish

Sepia orbignyana, the pink cuttlefish, is a species of small cuttlefish from the family Sepiidae. It is occurs in the temperate and tropical waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Barratt, I.; Allcock, L. (2012). "Sepia hierredda". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2012: e.T162498A902737. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T162498A902737.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Julian Finn (2016). "Sepia hierredda Rang [in Férussac & d'Orbigny], 1835". World Register of Marine Species. Flanders Marine Institute. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  3. 1 2 Angel Guerra; Marcos Pérez Losada; Francisco Rocha; Andrés Sanjuan (2001). "Species differentiation of Sepia officinalis and Sepia hieradda (Cephalopoda:Sepiidae) based on morphological and allozyme analysis" (PDF). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK. 81 (2): 271–281. doi:10.1017/s0025315401003745. hdl: 10261/26125 . S2CID   83509831.
  4. 1 2 3 P. Jereb; C.F.E. Roper, eds. (2005). Cephalopods of the World an Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Cephalopod Species Known to Date Volume 1 Chambered Nautiluses and Sepioids (Nautilidae, Sepiidae, Sepiolidae, Sepiadariidae, Idiosepiidae and Spirulidae). Food and Agriculture Organization Rome. pp. 88–89. ISBN   92-5-105383-9.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.