FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes Western

Sepiidae 753
Sepia smithi Hoyle, 1885
Frequent synonyms / misidentifications:
Acanthosepion pageorum Iredale, 1954 /
Sepia whitleyana (Iredale, 1926).
FAO names: En - Smiths cuttlefish.
Diagnostic characters: Arms in both sexes
with tetraserial suckers. Left ventral arm (IV)
of males hectocotylized: 8rowsofnormal
suckers proximally, followed by 8 rows of
reduced suckers, then remainder normal to
tip of arm; reduction marked, 2 dorsal and 2
ventral series widely spaced; 2 ventral series,
smaller than dorsal series; oral surface
wide, fleshy, with transversely grooved ridges
and a shallow median furrow. Tentacular club
sucker-bearing face convex; with 20
similar-sized, minute suckers in transverse
rows; swimming keel extends beyond
sucker-bearing face of club; dorsal and ventral
protective membranes not fused at base of
club, joined to stalk at base of club, not
separated from stalk by a membrane. Cuttlebone
outline oblong, V-shaped anteriorly,
rounded posteriorly; dorsal surface convex
medially, flattened laterally, granulose;
median rib faint, broadens anteriorly; lateral
ribs indistinct; spine present, curving upward;
keel absent; striated zone concave; sulcus
deep, wide; anterior striae inverted U-shape; inner cone limbs broaden posteriorly, thickened
posteriorly forming a raised, flattened ledge from outer margin of inner cone; outer cone narrow
anteriorly, broadens posteriorly. Colour: pale pinkish purple.
Size: Maximum mantle length 170 mm.
Habitat, biology, and fisheries: At depths of 33 to 138 m. Taken as bycatch of prawn and mixed species
trawl fisheries.
Distribution: Northern Australia, Timor, Arafura, and Coral Seas.
Remarks: Often confused with
Sepia whitleyana. In S.
whitleyana, both ventral arms
are modified in males, with all
reduced suckers equal in size,
rather than differing in size as in
S. smithi. The swimming keel
does not extend beyond the
sucker-bearing face of the club
in S. whitleyana. The inner
cone limbs form a small ridge
but do not form a distinct
ledge posteriorly in S.
whitleyana.
?
10 mm
ventral view
cuttlebone
?
tentacular club