Sepioteuthis australis

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Sepioteuthis australis
Sepioteuthis australis 2.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Myopsida
Family: Loliginidae
Genus: Sepioteuthis
Species:
S. australis
Binomial name
Sepioteuthis australis
Quoy & Gaimard, 1832 [2]
Synonyms [2]
  • Sepia bilineata Quoy & Gaimard, 1832
  • Sepioteuthis bilineata (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832)

Sepioteuthis australis, commonly known as the southern calamari [3] or the southern reef squid, [4] is a species of reef squid that is native to oceans off the coast of Australia and New Zealand. This species is caught commercially by trawling, as bycatch in the prawn fishing industry and by recreational anglers.

Contents

Description

The maximum length of this squid is about 38 cm (15 in), with a maximum weight of around 1 kg (2.2 lb). [4] The mantle is robust and tapers bluntly to a point. The eight arms have three rings of suckers with up to thirty hooks, and the two tentacles have long clubs with moderate-sized suckers and further hooks around the suckers. The diamond-shaped fins, which extend for almost the whole length of the mantle are widest in the middle, and are more than half as wide as they are long. The colour of this squid in life is semi-transparent, but if caught and removed from the sea, it will soon change to a uniform orangish-brown or rust colour. The base of the fin has a white or bluish luminescent streak. [3] [5]

Distribution and habitat

The southern reef squid is native to the subtropical Indo-Pacific region where it is found between 16°S and 42°S, and between 112°E and 179°E. It is a benthopelagic species with a depth range between 0 and 10 m (0 and 33 ft). [4] It occurs in southern Australia, its range extending from the Ningaloo Coast in Western Australia along the south coast as far as Tasmania and the Great Barrier Reef, as well as around North Island in New Zealand. Typical habitats include sandy areas, seagrass beds and reefs. [3]

Ecology

This squid is mainly nocturnal and often forms small groups. It feeds on crustaceans and small fish and is itself preyed on by larger fish. If attacked, it can emit a cloud of purple ink and escape while the water is opaque. [3] It is a common species and is of interest to fisheries over much of its range. It is caught commercially by trawling, and is also taken as bycatch in the prawn fishing industry and by recreational anglers using trolled jigs over seagrass meadows. [5]

Breeding takes place at different times of year in different parts of the range; there is typically an annual cycle, with the lifespan being about a year. Courtship occurs with males displaying to females, and males are antagonistic towards other males at this time. While a male is jostling and trying to drive off an interloper, "sneaker" males often get a chance to approach the female and copulate by depositing a spermatophore in her mantle cavity. When the female spawns, the egg strand most commonly contains eggs fertilized by three different males. [5] Each strand typically consists of six to nine eggs and is attached to seaweed or seagrass fronds. Sometimes aggregations of hundreds of eggs occur with many females spawning at one site. [5]

Related Research Articles

Squid Superorder of cephalopod molluscs

A squid is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, and a mantle. They are mainly soft-bodied, like octopuses, but have a small internal skeleton in the form of a rod-like gladius or pen, made of chitin.

Marbled parrotfish Species of fish

The marbled parrotfish, also known as the seagrass parrotfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish from the family Scaridae and is the only known member of the genus Leptoscarus. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution and is also found in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean. It is a coastal species found in beds of sea grass and seaweed.

Crested bullhead shark Species of shark

The crested bullhead shark is an uncommon species of bullhead shark, in the family Heterodontidae. It lives off the coast of eastern Australia from the coast to a depth of 93 m (305 ft). This shark can be distinguished from other members of its family by the large size of the ridges above its eyes and by its color pattern of large dark blotches. It typically attains a length of 1.2 m (3.9 ft).

<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.

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

<i>Nototodarus sloanii</i> Species of mollusc

Nototodarus sloanii is a species of squid commonly known as the New Zealand arrow squid or Wellington flying squid. It is also known by its Māori name of wheketere. It is a favoured prey species of a number of marine mammals and diving birds. It is an important food source for the New Zealand fur seal and two endangered species: the New Zealand sea lion and the yellow-eyed penguin. N. sloanii is sought by trawler fishermen for human consumption; New Zealand sea lions are frequently caught in trawl nets and drowned when feeding on N. sloanii.

Bigfin reef squid Species of squid

Sepioteuthis lessoniana, commonly known as the bigfin reef squid, glitter squid or oval squid, is a species of loliginid squid. It is one of the three currently recognized species belonging to the genus Sepioteuthis. Studies in 1993, however, have indicated that bigfin reef squids may comprise a cryptic species complex. The species is likely to include several very similar and closely related species.

<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.

<i>Pinnoctopus cordiformis</i> Species of mollusc

Pinnoctopus cordiformis is a species of octopus found around the coasts of New Zealand.

<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.

<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.

<i>Alloteuthis media</i> Species of squid

Alloteuthis media, the midsize squid or little squid is a species of squid in the family Loliginidae from the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. It is generally a by catch species in trawl fisheries, although there is an active fishery in the western Mediterranean.

Antarctic flying squid Species of squid

The Antarctic flying squid is a species of squid from the subfamily Todarodinae of the family Ommastrephidae, a family of pelagic squid from the order Oegopsida. It has a circumglobal distribution in the seas around the lower latitudes of the Southern Oceans.

The little flying squid is a species of squid, one of the arrow squids of the genus Todarodes, in the subfamily Todarodinae of the flying squid family Ommastrephidae. It is a small species from the waters around northern Australia and Indonesia.

European flying squid Species of squid

The European flying squid is a species of squid from the continental slope and oceanic waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is the type species of the genus Todarodes, the type genus of the subfamily Todarodinae of the pelagic squid family Ommastrephidae. It is a species which is targeted by some fisheries, although it is more often a bycatch.

<i>Doryteuthis gahi</i> Species of squid

Doryteuthis gahi, also known as the Patagonian longfin squid and Patagonian squid, is a small-sized squid belonging to the family Loliginidae. It occurs in coastal waters in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and the southwestern Atlantic Ocean where it is caught and eaten for food.

<i>Sepioloidea lineolata</i> Species of cuttlefish

Sepioloidea lineolata or more commonly known as the striped pyjama squid or the striped dumpling squid is a type of bobtail squid, that inhabits the Indo-Pacific Oceans of Australia. Although it is not quite a cuttlefish, as it does not have a cuttlebone, it is otherwise exactly the same as cuttlefish. Therefore it is a sepioid, not a real cuttlefish. However, it is usually referred to as a cuttlefish for public simplification. It is not a squid either. The striped pyjama squid lives on the seafloor and is both venomous and poisonous. When fully mature, a striped pyjama squid will only be about 7 to 8 centimeters in length. Baby striped pyjama squids can be smaller than 10mm.

<i>Uroteuthis noctiluca</i> Species of cephalopods known as the luminous bay squid

Uroteuthis noctiluca, commonly known as the luminous bay squid, is a species of squid native to shallow water on the eastern coast of Australia. It uses a pair of luminous organs to camouflage itself from predators at night.

Goulds squid Species of mollusc

Nototodarus gouldi, also known as the Gould's squid, Gould's flying squid, or arrow squid, is a squid belonging to the family Ommastrephidae. It inhabits the tropical and temperate waters of Australia and New Zealand. It is frequently caught and eaten for food. They live up to one year.

References

  1. Allcock, A.L. (2019). "Southern Calamari". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T163356A1001389. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T163356A1001389.en . Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 Julian Finn (2016). "Sepioteuthis australis Quoy & Gaimard, 1832". World Register of Marine Species. Flanders Marine Institute. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Runck, Allison (12 October 2018). "Southern Calamari Squid". Australian Museum. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 "Sepioteuthis australis Quoy & Gaimard, 1832". SeaLifeBase. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Reid, Amanda (2016). Cephalopods of Australia and Sub-Antarctic Territories. Csiro Publishing. pp. 41–45. ISBN   978-1-4863-0394-6.