Sepia vercoi Adam 1979

Sepia vercoi Adam, 1979

See Lu (1998a).

Sepia vermiculata Quoy and Gaimard, 1832

Sepia jousseaumi Rochebrune, 1884:117.

ILLUSTRATIONS.—Adam and Rees, 1966, pl. 10: figs. 55, 56, pl. 45: fig. 271; and Roeleveld, 1972, pls. 35c,d, 36a,b.

DIAGNOSIS.—Animals mature at 150 mm ML, with maximal mantle length 250 mm. Arm suckers quadriserial. Left arm IV of male hectocotylized, with 6 normal suckers at base followed by 8–13 rows of modified suckers. Tentacular club length roughly of mantle length, with 8 longitudinal rows of suckers arranged in oblique, transverse series, median suckers of proximal part enlarged, 2.0–2.5 times as large as marginal suckers. Sepion broadly oval, tapering somewhat anteriorly and posteriorly, dorsal surface tuberculate. Striated zone with median longitudinal ridge. Anterior striae rounded, M-shaped. Spine present, surrounded by chitinous covering.

ORIGINAL REFERENCE.—Quoy, and Gaimard, 1832:64, pl. I: figs. 1–5.

TYPE LOCALITY.—South Africa, Cape of Good Hope.

TYPES.—Holotype: Lost; originally deposited at Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris.

Paratypes: None.

Topotypes: The Natural History Museum, London, and the South African Museum.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.—From South Africa, 30°42′S, 15°59′E, to central Mozambique; Saya-de-Malha Bank. The limits of the geographical distribution of this species are not well known because the western Indian Ocean has been poorly sampled.

Sepia vercoi Adam, 1979

DIAGNOSIS.—Mantle elongate-oval; anterior dorsal mantle margin acutely acuminate, reaching beyond midlevel of eyes; ventral margin slightly emarginate. Tentacular club (Figure 25a) short, swimming membrane wide, thin, extended slightly beyond base of club. Protective membranes separated at base of club. Club suckers in 5 longitudinal series, 5 or 6 suckers in median series twice as wide as neighboring ones. Largest club sucker less than of wide as largest arm sucker. Arms I effilated, suckers biserial throughout. Arms II and III shorter, stouter, suckers quadriserial. Arms IV shorter than arms I but longer than arms II and III, suckers quadriserial. Left arm IV hectocotylized, 6 rows of large suckers on basal of arm, suckers on distal abruptly smaller, widely spaced, closer together near tip of arm.

Sepion (Figure 25b,c) elongate, widest in anterior , tapering gradually toward posterior end. Dorsal surface flattened, slightly convex, with very low median rib; posterior end covered by smooth, glaze-like material. Ventral surface with narrow, shallow median sulcus along entire length. Striae weakly convex, nearly straight in middle. Limbs of inner cone very narrow, forming rounded, shiny ridges limiting striated zone, vanishing toward middle of sepion; posterior inner cone forming slightly wider ledge, surrounding weak posterior depression. Outer cone forming cup-like widening, separating inner cone from spine. Spine straight, without keels, slightly directed upward. (Based on original description of holotype and paratypes.)

ORIGINAL REFERENCE.—Adam, 1979:190, pl. 10: figs. 5, 6.

TYPE LOCALITY.—West of Shark Bay, WA (25°31′S, 112°29′E), 130 m.

TYPES.—Holotype: WAM 441-65, by original designation, male specimen in alcohol, 31 mm ML; not examined.

Paratypes: WAM 770-75, N shore of Broke Inlet, WA (34°56′S, 116°27′E), 1 incomplete sepion; WAM 772–75, NW of Carnarvon, WA (24°04′S, 112°59′E), 1 sepion. Not examined.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.—Known only from the original description, southwestern Australia from Broke Inlet (34°56′S, 116°27′E), on the south coast, to Carnarvon (24°04′S, 112°59′E), on the west coast.

Sepia vercoi is a species of cuttlefish native to the southeastern Indian Ocean, specifically the waters off Western Australia ( to ). It lives at depths of 76 to 201 m.

Both sexes of S. vercoi grow to 46 mm in mantle length.

The type specimen was collected west of Shark Bay, Western Australia (). It is deposited at the Western Australian Museum in Perth.

76 to 201 m.