Pharaoh cuttlefish
The Pharaoh cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis, recently reclassified as Acanthosepion pharaonis) is a medium- to large-sized cephalopod in the family Sepiidae, characterized by a broad, dorsoventrally flattened mantle, prominent eyes, internal cuttlebone for buoyancy regulation, and specialized skin chromatophores enabling rapid color and pattern changes for camouflage, hunting, and communication.[1][2] Native to the tropical and subtropical Indo-West Pacific, it inhabits shallow benthic and epibenthic environments such as sand flats, seagrass beds, and coral reefs, typically at depths of 0–40 m but ranging up to 130 m, often migrating vertically to hunt at night.[1][2] Adults grow to a maximum mantle length of 43 cm (males) or 33 cm (females), with weights up to 5 kg, and exhibit semelparous reproduction where mature individuals form spawning aggregations, females deposit clusters of 300–600 eggs on substrata after internal fertilization, and both sexes die post-reproduction following a lifespan of about 240 days.[1][3] This species is an ambush predator, primarily feeding on crustaceans like crabs and shrimp, small fish, and occasionally other cephalopods or even conspecifics through cannibalism, using jet propulsion, ink ejection, and arm-flapping behaviors for capture and escape.[1][2] Its distribution spans from the Red Sea and Persian Gulf eastward through the Arabian Sea, Andaman Sea, and to the western Pacific including Taiwan and Australia, with occasional records in the Mediterranean via Lessepsian migration.[1][2][3] Commercially significant, S. pharaonis supports artisanal and industrial fisheries, aquaculture operations, and the aquarium trade across its range, particularly in the Gulf of Oman and Andaman Sea, where it is abundant and landed at sizes of 15–20 cm.[1] Despite this importance, the species is assessed as Data Deficient (2009) by the IUCN Red List due to insufficient data on population trends, with potential threats including overfishing, habitat degradation, and ocean acidification.[1][4]Taxonomy and nomenclature
Scientific classification
The Pharaoh cuttlefish is classified within the kingdom Animalia, phylum Mollusca, class Cephalopoda, subclass Coleoidea, superorder Decapodiformes, order Sepiida, suborder Sepiina, family Sepiidae, and genus Acanthosepion.[5] Its binomial name is Acanthosepion pharaonis (Ehrenberg, 1831), originally described as Sepia pharaonis in 1831 based on specimens from the Red Sea.[6]| Taxonomic Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Mollusca |
| Class | Cephalopoda |
| Subclass | Coleoidea |
| Superorder | Decapodiformes |
| Order | Sepiida |
| Suborder | Sepiina |
| Family | Sepiidae |
| Genus | Acanthosepion |
| Species | A. pharaonis |