Ascarosepion mestus
Reaper cuttlefish | Sepia mestus
Similar Species
Distribution
Temperate Australasia
Description
Although the red cuttle has often been seen by divers, its specific identity remained unknown until recently. Sepia mestus characteristically has a red body with dark blotches towards the back of the upper surface and yellow colouration around the eye. It is moderately common in estuaries and along the open coast of NSW.
Current literature suggests that A. mestus cannot be confidently differentiated from Sepia grahami using in-situ observations, so RLS records of A. mestus may also encompass Sepia grahami.
Information
Max Size: N/A cm
Sea Temperature Range: 15.5-26.2°C
Depth: 1-300m
Habitat Generalization Index: N/A
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Least Concern
Occurrence: Common (21.2% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney