RESEARCH PAPER
Redescriptions of two species of Sepia (Cephalopoda: Sepiidae) from South African waters: Sepia robsoni (Massy, 1927) and S. faurei Roeleveld, 1972
 
 
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1
Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science (DIFS), Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
 
2
South African Institute of Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), Grahamstown, South Africa
 
 
Submission date: 2020-08-14
 
 
Final revision date: 2020-10-10
 
 
Acceptance date: 2020-10-25
 
 
Online publication date: 2020-11-23
 
 
Corresponding author
Marek R. Lipiński   

Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science (DIFS), Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, 6140 Grahamstown, South Africa
South African Institute of Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), 11 Somerset Rd., 6140 Grahamstown, South Africa
 
 
Folia Malacol. 2020;28(4):253-285
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Two species of cuttlefish: Sepia robsoni (Massy) and Sepia faurei Roeleveld, are redescribed based on sexually mature males and females of both species. They were previously known only from their holotypes: male and female, respectively. They belong to a distinct group of small-sized sepiids, all near-endemics of southern African waters. The knowledge of the systematics and biology of this group is still limited despite the long time since the first description (1875). This is because, inter alia, of their small size: not larger than 4 cm mantle length at maturity. Twenty-one individuals of S. robsoni described here were scattered from Port Nolloth area to the Tsitsikamma coast (bottom depth <37–449 m). Eight known individuals of S. faurei came from the eastern Agulhas Bank (bottom depth 116–184 m). S. robsoni can be identified by extremely thinly calcified cuttlebone (transparent); smooth skin of dorsal mantle and head; tips of first pair of arms thick, finger-like, devoid of suckers. S. faurei can be distinguished by the following combination of characters: thick, heavily calcified cuttlebone but with flat and fused inner cone; skin of dorsal mantle and head very densely covered by characteristic warts; thin, whip-like tips of first pair of arms devoid of suckers. All described specimens of both species are deposited in the South African Institute of Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) and in Iziko, South African Museum (SAMC).
 
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eISSN:2300-7125
ISSN:1506-7629
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