Sepia smithi explained

Sepia smithi, also known as Smith's cuttlefish, is a widely distributed species of cuttlefish in the family Sepiidae.^{[1] [2]} The species has been observed off the coast of Northern Australia.^{[3] [4]}

Description

The species is usually a varying shade of brown in color, and can have white "dots" on their exterior. The species has 3 pairs of arms, and both sexes have eye-spots.^[5] Sepia smithi was first described by William Evans Hoyle in 1885.

Taxonomy

A 2023 phylogenetic analysis found Sepia smithi to be sister to Sepia elliptica. Both were found to belong to a larger clade of Indo-Pacific species, assigned by the authors to the reinstated genus Acanthosepion, previously synonymized with Sepia.^[6]

Further reading

• van Elden . Sean . Meeuwig . Jessica J. . December 2020 . Wild observation of putative dynamic decapod mimicry by a cuttlefish (Sepia cf. smithi) . Marine Biodiversity . en . 50 . 6 . 10.1007/s12526-020-01117-0 . 1867-1616.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Sepia smithi Hoyle, 1885 . 2024-08-25 . Museums Victoria Collections.
2. Web site: Acanthosepion smithi Smith’s cuttlefish . 2024-08-25 . www.reeflex.net.
3. Web site: Australia . Atlas of Living . Species: Sepia smithi (Smith's Cuttlefish) . 2024-08-25 . bie.ala.org.au . en-AU.
4. Web site: Sepia smithi Hoyle, 1885 - Ocean Biodiversity Information System . 2024-08-25 . portal.obis.org.
5. Web site: Smith's Cuttlefish . 2024-08-25 . The Australian Museum . en.
6. Lupše . Nik . Reid . Amanda . Taite . Morag . Kubodera . Tsunemi . Allcock . A. Louise . August 2023 . Cuttlefishes (Cephalopoda, Sepiidae): the bare bones—an hypothesis of relationships . Marine Biology . en . 170 . 8 . 10.1007/s00227-023-04195-3 . 0025-3162. free .