Diet composition and reproductive biology of spineless cuttlefish Sepiella inermis (Orbigny, 1848) from Ratnagiri (Arabian Sea, North-west coast of India)
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Abstract
In the present study, we investigated some biological aspects of the spineless cuttlefish,
Sepiella inermis (Orbigny, 1848) along the Ratnagiri coast of Maharashtra, India. A study on
diet composition and reproductive biology of the species was carried out. Dorsal mantle
length (DML) ranged from 35.9 to 93.3 mm for males and 29.3 to 98 mm for females.
Feeding intensity was noted to be low during most of the study period. S. inermis was found
to have a protracted spawning season. The overall male: female ratio was 1:1.02 during the
study period. The average fecundity was found to be 358 eggs. Length at sexual maturity
was estimated to be 42 mm and 53 mm for males and females respectively. The information
obtained from the study will help the fishery agencies to formulate management measures
in sustaining the landings of S. inermis in the region.
Keywords:
Biological studies, Cephalopods, Maharashtra,
Ratnagiri coast, Sepiella inermis, Spineless
cuttlefish