Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Faunal Directory

Museums

Regional Maps

Order SEPIIDA Zittel, 1895


Compiler and date details

November 2013 - Dr. Julian Finn, Museum Victoria.

2007 - A.L. Reid, University of Wollongong, Australia

July 2001 - C.C. Lu, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan

Introduction

Members of the order Sepiida are mesopelagic or benthic, and include the oceanic ram's horn shell, Spirulidae, the benthic cuttlefishes, Sepiidae, and the bottletailed squid Sepiadariidae.

 

Diagnosis

Mantle either not fused or fused with head at occipital area and regions of mantle and funnel cartilages. Nuchal, mantle, and funnel cartilages present unless fused with head. Ten appendages: 4 pairs of arms and one pair of tentacles. Tentacular stalks retractile, may be retracted into special pockets at bases of tentacles. Arms and tentacles armed only with stalked suckers; suckers with a chitinous ring that is usually denticulate on edge; ring never modified into a hook. Arms short, with shallow or broad web or without web. Fins always present and not connected posteriorly, oval or kidney-shaped, situated on sides of body or near posterior end or extend laterally along entire mantle in form of marginal fin. Hectocotylisation may or may not be present; when present, left ventral arm or both ventral arms are modified. Shell either a calcareous plate, calcareous spiral or absent. Oviduct unpaired, accessory nidamental glands present. All radular teeth unicuspid, or radula absent.

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
12-Nov-2013 SEPIIDA 12-Nov-2013 MODIFIED Dr Julian Finn (NMV)
12-Feb-2010 (import)