Reaper Cuttlefish

Taxobox
name = Reaper Cuttlefish


image_caption =
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Mollusca
classis = Cephalopoda
ordo = Sepiida
familia = Sepiidae
genus = "Sepia"
subgenus = "Sepia"
species = "S. mestus"
binomial = "Sepia mestus"
binomial_authority = Gray, 1849
synonyms =
*"Ascarosepion verreauxi"
Rochebrune, 1884
*"Solitosepia liliana"
Iredale, 1926

The Reaper Cuttlefish ("Sepia mestus") is a species of cuttlefish native to the southwestern Pacific Ocean, specifically Escape Reef off Queensland (coord|15|47|S|145|47|E|scale:250000) to Murrays Beach off Jervis Bay (coord|35|08|S|150|46|E|scale:250000). 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.Reid, A., P. Jereb, & C.F.E. Roper 2005. Family Sepiidae. "In:" P. Jereb & C.F.E. Roper, eds. "Cephalopods of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of species known to date. Volume 1. Chambered nautiluses and sepioids (Nautilidae, Sepiidae, Sepiolidae, Sepiadariidae, Idiosepiidae and Spirulidae)". FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 4, Vol. 1. Rome, FAO. pp. 57–152.]

"S. mestus" exhibits sexual dimorphism. Females grow to a mantle length (ML) of 124 mm, while males do not exceed 77 mm ML.

The type specimen was collected off the Australian coast and is deposited at The Natural History Museum in London. [ [http://www.mnh.si.edu/cephs/newclass.pdf Current Classification of Recent Cephalopoda] ]

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