Occurrence of morphological aberrations in Pharaoh cuttlefish Acanthosepion pharaonis (Ehrenberg, 1831) from the Arabian Sea

Vidya R; Geetha  Sasikumar; Jestin Joy K.M; KK Sajikumar

doi:10.21077/

Authors

Vidya R
Geetha Sasikumar
Jestin Joy K.M
KK Sajikumar CMFRI

Abstract

The pharaoh cuttlefish Acanthosepion pharaonis (Ehrenberg, 1831) (=Sepia pharaonis) is a widely distributed commercial cephalopod species in Indo-Pacific waters. This study documents two separate mature female specimens of A. pharaonis from the south-eastern Arabian Sea, one exhibiting an unusual double bifurcation of the right second arm and the other possessing an abnormal cuttlebone. The specimens had dorsal mantle lengths of 252 and 163 mm, and corresponding body weights of 1181 and 318 g, respectively. This represents the first documented case of double arm bifurcation in a cuttlefish from the region, contributing to the limited knowledge of morphological abnormalities in cuttlefish.

Keywords: Arm bifurcation, Cuttlebone, Dorsal mantle length, Double bifurcation, Regeneration

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