| Sepiadarium austrinum | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Sepiolida |
| Family: | Sepiadariidae |
| Genus: | Sepiadarium |
| Species: | S. austrinum |
| Binomial name | |
| Sepiadarium austrinum Berry, 1921 | |
Sepiadarium austrinum, the southern bottletail squid, [1] [2] is a species of cephalopod [3] in the genus Sepiadarium. [4] It was first described by S. Stillman Berry in 1921 [3] based on a specimen found in St. Vincent Bay in South Australia. [5]
Sepiadarium austrinum is very small and round, with kidney-shaped fins on the back third of its body. [6] It has a mantle length of up to three centimeters [3] and a total length of up to four centimeters. [2] It can be transparent, yellow, or orange, with egg-shaped white leucophores. [3] S. austrinum has ten arms and tentacles [6] with nine or ten rows of suckers on each arm. [3]
Sepiadarium austrinum is found in the southern Indo-Pacific [3] in southern Australia, [6] with a small population in the Spencer Gulf. [2] They are mostly found in sandy habitats in shallow, [6] sheltered waters [2] at depths up to 65 meters. [6]
Sepiadarium austrinum buries itself in the sand during the day and feeds at night. [6] It is able to produce slime [3] when threatened. [1]
Sepiadarium austrinum is carnivorous. [7] It feeds in the sand and near seagrass beds. [6] Its diet is mostly composed of small fish and crustaceans, including amphipods [3] and especially benthic isopods. [2]
Sepiadarium austrinum reproduce from a young age; [3] immature females can also store sperm. [2] Individuals mate with multiple partners. Mating is initiated by males and there is no observed courtship behavior. [8] Males pass sperm packages to the female, who stores them in a pouch below her mouth. Males can also use a special arm to remove the sperm of other males from the pouch. [2] Females can also remove sperm from the pouch, [8] and regularly consume spermatophores. [9] They fertilize eggs by passing them over the pouch. [8] Clumps of eggs [6] are covered in sand and attached to seaweed or seagrass. [3]
Sepiadarium austrinum is an annual species. [8] Juveniles settle quickly after hatching. [3]
Sepiadarium austrinum survives well in aquariums, which may make them of commercial interest. [3] They may bite when handled. [7]