Order Sepiida Genus Sepia Scientific name Sepia bandensis Rank Species | Subgenus Sepia Higher classification Sepia | |
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Similar Cuttlefish, Cephalopod, Sepia, Metasepia pfefferi, Molluscs | ||
Dwarf cuttlefish sepia bandensis feeding
Sepia bandensis, commonly known as the stumpy-spined cuttlefish or dwarf cuttlefish, is a species of cuttlefish. Sepia baxteri and Sepia bartletti are possible synonyms. It reaches 7 centimeters in mantle length; males weigh about 40 grams, females 45 grams. The body is coloured light brown, or greenish yellow, with white spots on the head and short white bars on the dorsal mantle. The fins, of pale colour, have rows of small fluorescent blue spots.
Sepia bandensis lives in shallow coastal waters of the Philippines and Indonesia (Borneo, Jawa, Sulawesi, New Guinea and lesser islands), and probably also on the northern coast of Australia and the Marshall Islands. The holotype of the species was caught in Banda Neira, Indonesia. It is common in coral reef and sandy coast habitats, usually in association with sea cucumbers and sea stars.
Sepia bandensis "walks", rather than swims, using its arms and the flaps of the mantle.
