Reef Cephalopods Codexery

Ascarosepion mestus

Red cuttlefish endemic to Australia's east coast.

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Ascarosepion mestus

John Turnbull · via Wikipedia: Ascarosepion mestus · CC BY-SA 2.0

Ascarosepion mestus, commonly called the reaper cuttlefish or red cuttlefish, is a species endemic to Australia's east coast from northern Queensland to Jervis Bay.[1][2] It lives on rocky reefs at depths up to 22 m and is typically recognized by its red colouration and two dark spots on the posterior.[3][4] The species exhibits sexual dimorphism, with females reaching a mantle length of 124 mm while males do not exceed 77 mm.[5]

Scientific classification

  1. OrderSepiida
  2. FamilySepiidae
  3. GenusAscarosepion
  4. SpeciesAscarosepion mestus

Named by (Gray, 1849)

Close relatives

Other species of Ascarosepion with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Ascarosepion mestus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 1666994 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2012

Source: IUCN Red List assessment

How big is it?

Size comparison: Ascarosepion mestus and a personA 0.12 m long ascarosepion mestus drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.12 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.12 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Ascarosepion mestus

Where the ascarosepion mestus has been recorded

Where the ascarosepion mestus has been recorded42 mapped locations from 793 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Queensland, Jervis BayQueenslandJervis Bay

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (793 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 20 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Key facts and history

Common prey includes different species of shrimp, crab, and young fish.[6] Earlier records placing this cuttlefish in China and Vietnam have been determined to be errors.[5] In 2023, the genus Ascarosepion was brought back into use, with Sepia mestus designated as its type species.[7] By contracting its mantle to force water out through a narrow funnel, A. mestus achieves jet-powered movement.[8]

Bluefish, summer flounder, and black seabass are among the animals that prey on A. mestus.[9] A male A. mestus uses a series of visual signals to try to draw a female's interest for mating.[10] Both male and female A. mestus typically perish soon after they have spawned and brooded their eggs.[11] The conservation status assigned to this species is least concern.[12]

What the cited sources add

The "Guide to Squid, Cuttlefish and Octopuses of Australasia" (published by CSIRO Publishing in 2000) notes that cuttlefish including A. mestus differ from octopuses by having an additional pair of feeding tentacles located between arms three and four.[13][8] According to the same reference, A. mestus is able to modify its skin's surface by raising papillae, which are specialized skin flaps, to mimic the textures of rocks, corals, and seaweed.[13][8] That source further notes that A. mestus can hide from predators by digging itself into sand.[13][8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Ascarosepion mestus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Reaper Cuttlefish - Whats That Fish!", www.whatsthatfish.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Ascarosepion mestus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Cuttlefish - Sepia mestus - Details - Encyclopedia of Life", Encyclopedia of Life (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Ascarosepion mestus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Falkner, "Underwater Sydney", 2019 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Ascarosepion mestus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Cuttlefish - Sepia mestus - Details - Encyclopedia of Life", Encyclopedia of Life; "Sepia mestus, reaper cuttlefish", sealifebase.ca; "Cuttlefish - Sepia mestus - Details - Encyclopedia of Life", Encyclopedia of Life (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Ascarosepion mestus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Reid, A., P. Jereb, & C.F.E. Roper 2005. Family Sepiidae. In: P. Jereb & C.F.E. Roper, eds. Cephalopods of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Ascarosepion mestus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Darmaillacq, "Effect of early feeding experience on subsequent prey preference by cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis", Developmental Psychobiology, 2004, p. 239–244 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Ascarosepion mestus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lupše, "Cuttlefishes (Cephalopoda, Sepiidae): the bare bones—an hypothesis of relationships", Marine Biology, 16 June 2023, p. 93 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Ascarosepion mestus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Norman, "Guide to Squid, Cuttlefish and Octopuses of Australasia", 2000 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Ascarosepion mestus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Staudinger, "Defensive Responses of Cuttlefish to Different Teleost Predators", The Biological Bulletin, December 2013, p. 161–174 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Ascarosepion mestus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sepia mestus, reaper cuttlefish", sealifebase.ca; Norman, "Guide to Squid, Cuttlefish and Octopuses of Australasia", 2000 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Ascarosepion mestus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sepia mestus, reaper cuttlefish", sealifebase.ca (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Ascarosepion mestus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sepia mestus, reaper cuttlefish", sealifebase.ca; "Cuttlefish - Sepia mestus - Details - Encyclopedia of Life", Encyclopedia of Life (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Open Library record, ISBN 9780643101098 ("Guide to Squid, Cuttlefish and Octopuses of Australasia"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ascarosepion mestus (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Same family (Sepiidae)

Acanthosepion esculentum Acanthosepion esculentumAcanthosepion lycidas Acanthosepion lycidasPharaoh cuttlefish Acanthosepion pharaonis

More in Reef Cephalopods

Common cuttlefishDwarf cuttlefishErythalassa trygoninaGiant cuttlefishSepia australisSepia braggiSepia dollfusiSepia hedleyiSepia hierreddaSepia prashadiSepia tuberculataSepia vermiculata

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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