Sepia tuberculata | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Cephalopoda |
Order: | Sepiida |
Family: | Sepiidae |
Genus: | Sepia |
Subgenus: | Sepia |
Species: | S. tuberculata |
Binomial name | |
Sepia tuberculata | |
Sepia tuberculata is a species of cuttlefish native to South African waters from Melkbosstrand (an area near Cape Town) ( 33°43′S18°26′E / 33.717°S 18.433°E ) to Knysna (In the South) ( 34°03′S23°03′E / 34.050°S 23.050°E ). [3] It belongs to the genus Sepia. [4] It lives in very shallow water to a depth of 3 m. [5] It is endemic.
The type specimen was collected off the coast of South Africa and is deposited at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. [6]
Sepia tuberculata grows to a mantle length of 82 mm. [5] The upper surface of the body is rough with variably extending bumps. The lower body surface has two glandular patches. Like all cuttlefish, this species has ten arms, of which two are elongated tentacles used for catching prey. It has narrow fins which extend the length of the body. [7]
Sepia tuberculata is capable of changing colour rapidly. It feeds on shrimps. It uses its glandular patches to cling to rocks.
It is the prey of the Cape Clawless Otter – an opportunistic mammal that is adept at capturing available prey. It is often caught in the Tsitsikama Coastal National Park in South Africa. [8] It is part of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species however it is considered “data deficient” since there is very little published information on the species and thus cannot be put into a Red List Category. [9] A huge threat to Sepia tuberculata, as well as many other Cephalopods, is ocean acidification due to anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. Changes in the 33chemistry of seawater has been found to increase calcification rates in a relative of S. tuberculata, S. officinalis. Increased calcification in the cuttlebone has a negative impact in that it affects the cuttlebone’s function as a lightweight, buoyancy structure in cuttlefish. [10]
Cuttlefish have made a lot of the earnings for several fisheries in the English Channel however it is unknown if S. tuberculata is of interest to fisheries in South Africa. [11]
Not much is known about specific prey preference S. tuberculata, but the common cuttlefish is known to feed on shrimp. This exhibition of food preference is shown very early in life for cuttlefish and suggests that choosing to prey on shrimp is an innate behavior. [12]
Much of the research published about Sepia tuberculata has been concerning the topic of adhesion. Adhesion is a common occurrence that is used by many plants and animals including Cephalopods, the class to which all Cuttlefish belong. [4] It is effectively bonding, or how plants and animals hold onto substrates. Adhesion, for Cephalopods, typically happens by means of a pressure system that includes use of the suckers on their and tentacles. [13] Sepia are one taxa of cephalopods that produce a chemical substance to be used for adhesion; the use of this secretion varies depending on each specific animal. In addition, S. tuberculata is one of at least four Sepia species that actually possesses an adhesive structure. [14]
No information has been published on whether or not S. tuberculata has the ability to change colors/produce patterns on its body, but the common cuttlefish, S. officinalis, possesses the ability to produce 13 different body patterns composed of a number of different chromatic, textural, postural and locomotor components in its body. The changing of body patterns is primarily used for concealment, and specific patterns are chosen depending on the strategy the cuttlefish intends to use be that disruptive coloration or general color resemblance . [15]
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.
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.
The pharaoh cuttlefish is a large cuttlefish species, growing to 42 cm in mantle length and 5 kg in weight. It is also known as seiche pharaon.
Sepia angulata is a species of cuttlefish native to the southeastern Atlantic Ocean, from Bloubergstrand to Still Bay. It is known only from cuttlebones. The validity of S. angulata has been questioned.
Sepia bartletti is a species of cuttlefish native to the western Pacific Ocean. It is known only from the type locality. Depth range is unknown. Some authorities regard S. bartletti as a nomen dubium.
Sepia baxteri is a species of cuttlefish native to the southwestern Pacific Ocean, specifically the waters around Lord Howe Island. It is known only from the type cuttlebones. Depth range is unknown.
Sepia insignis is a species of cuttlefish native to the southwestern Indian Ocean, specifically South Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to Natal. It lives at depths to 42 m.
Sepia ivanovi is a species of cuttlefish native to the southwestern Indian Ocean, probably throughout southeast Africa, including Kenya, Mozambique, to the mouth of the Zambezi River. It lives at depths to 50 m.
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 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 australis, the southern cuttlefish, is a species of cuttlefish which is found in the eastern South Atlantic Ocean and the western Indian Ocean off the coasts of Southern Africa, possibly extending into the waters off East Africa.
Sepia peterseni is a species of cuttlefish native to the western Pacific Ocean. Its natural range stretches south of central Honshū to southern Kyūshū, and it is also present in South Korea. It lives on the inner shelf at depths of between 20 and 100 m.
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 reesi is a species of cuttlefish native to the southeastern Indian Ocean. Cuttlebone of this species known only from the type locality.
Cuttlefish or cuttles are marine molluscs of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. Cuttlefish have a unique internal shell, the cuttlebone, which is used for control of buoyancy.
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.
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.
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.