Sepia latimanus, Broadclub Cuttlefish [+]

Kingdom Animalia Phylum Mollusca Class Cephalopoda Order Sepiida Family Sepiidae Genus Sepia species: Sepia latimanus [+ITIS +WoRMS]

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Description & Behavior

The broadclub cuttlefish, Sepia latimanus (Quoy/Gaimard, 1832), is a large fascinating cephalopod with an oval mantle and crescent-shaped club. This species can reach up to 50 cm in mantle length and weigh up to 10 kg. Like many cephalopods, the broadclub can be seen displaying a range of colors and textures. Commonly they are light brown or yellowish with white mottled markings. Males are sometimes dark brown, particularly during courtship and mating. The arms have longitudinal white bands that appear as broad white blotches when extended. Some arms have longitudinal brown bands that extend to the head. The dorsal mantle can sometimes be seen with a saddle mark with small white and brown spots. The dorsal mantle also has narrow brown transverse bands, and bold, white, transverse stripes and spots. The eyes are yellow around the ventral margins and the fins are pale with white, transverse stripes extending onto mantle and narrow, white bands along outer margins.

The broadclub has a variety of different sucker sizes, some that are significantly larger than others. The cuttlebone is bluntly rounded on the anterior and posterior ends, with a convex dorsal surface that flattens at the anterior end. The dorsal mantle is also covered with numerous large papillae and elongate papillae along the sides adjacent to base of each fin.

World Range & Habitat

The broadclub cuttlefish, Sepia latimanus, is found in the Indo-Pacific from southern Mozambique, throughout the periphery of the Indian Ocean, the Malacca Strait, the Melanesian Islands, South and East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and in Japan to southern Kyushu. They are also found in Indonesia south to northwestern and northeastern Australia and across northern Australian waters to southern Great Barrier Reef, the Coral Sea, Palau, Guam, New Caledonia, Fiji and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. They are found in waters up to 30 m near tropical coral reefs.

» GBIF occurrence data in Google Earth [Tips] | Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) (World Distribution) [about]

Feeding Behavior (Ecology)

The broadclub cuttlefish, Sepia latimanus, feeds during the day active and appears to mesmerize prey with its rhythmic colored bands. The broadclub feeds on small fishes and crustaceans.

Life History

Sepia latimanus mates in shallow water between January and May. The eggs hatch in 38 to 40 days. During the breeding season, males establish a territory, defending a coral head where females lay eggs after mating. Courtship is highly ritualized and involves striking visual displays. Males often guard females to ward off other males. This species mates head-to-head and the male places spermatophores the female's buccal membrane near the mouth. The eggs harden after they are laid, which makes them difficult for predators to extract from the coral. When they hatch, juveniles hide among the coral and coral rubble, and often mimic mangrove leaves.

Conservation Status/Additional Comments

The broadclub cuttlefish, Sepia latimanus, is an important species to fisheries throughout its range and is taken by trawls, hand lines, and spears. It is also caught as bycatch in southeast Asian trawl fisheries.