Acanthosepion pharaonis

(Ehrenberg, 1831)

Vernacular names
English : Pharaoh cuttlefish
French : Seiche pharaon

Classification
Class : Cephalopoda
Order : Sepiida
Family : Sepiidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Elongated oval-shaped body, reaching a length of 42 cm for a weight of 5 kg. Head with big eyes with W-shaped pupil and 8 short tentacles. Coloration variable but usually with numerous thin dark and white stripes on body and tentacles.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in most of the Indian Ocean, from Red Sea and East Africa to Indonesia and north-west Australia. Lives in sandy and muddy bottoms, marine grasslands, down to 130 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : DATA DEFICIENT
CITES : Not listed
Status : The species cannot be assessed as it is most probably a complex of 3 species which are all impacted by fisheries and pollution at various degrees.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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