Sepia vossi

Lore & Background

All members of Sepia possess eight arms and two tentacles. The tentacles are retractable limbs used to target and latch onto prey, whereas the arms are used for handling prey and producing patterns of light and dark to distract prey. Once a prey item has been caught, the tentacles detach from it and have no other function. The tentacles reside in sheaths that run below the eyes and behind the head, into the visceral mass, where they are reserved as coiled, spring-loaded appendages, waiting to be ejected towards a food target.

Reader's Guide

Sepia vossi belongs to a genus that has undergone extensive revision in a 2023 paper, which split many species out of Sepia into revived genera or elevated subgenera. As a result, the current composition of the genus includes 58 species according to WoRMS, though a number of these species need further verification. The species marked with an asterisk in the source article were examined in the 2023 paper, but Sepia vossi is not listed among those examined. The genus also includes a number of extinct species described from the Neogene of Europe, though many of these are likely synonyms. The cuttlebone of Sepia species is ellipsoid in shape, a characteristic feature of the genus. The name Sepia itself derives from the Ancient Greek word for cuttlefish.

Did You Know?

• The tentacles of Sepia species are retractable and reside in sheaths running below the eyes and behind the head.
• A 2023 paper extensively revised the composition of genus Sepia, splitting many species into revived genera or elevated subgenera.