A new species of cuttlefish Sepia ramani sp. nov. (Class : Cephalopoda) from Tuticorin Bay, southeast coast of India
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Date
2001-06
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Indian Journal of Marine Sciences
Abstract
A new cuttlefish Sepia ramani sp.nov. collected from Tuticorin Bay (8o48'N, 78o11' E), India, is described based on 50
specimens covering both-sexes with a comparison of the closely related species of the same genus, Sepia pharaonis. Sepia
ramani sp.nov resembles S. pharaonis in morphological characters such as fins, funnel, head, buccal membrane and colour
and in most of the morphometric characters. However, in S. ramani sp.nov, the tentacular club is long with 15-24 enlarged
suckers and enlarged suckers are almost sub equal in size, in contrast to 6 enlarged medial suckers of which 3 to 4 suckers
are greatly enlarged in S. pharaonis. Further, the left ventral arm in males of S. ramani.sp.nov is hectocotylised, with l4-16
basal series of quadriserially arranged normal suckers instead of 10-12 in S. pharaonis. Both the newly erected species and
S. pharaonis belonging to Sepia sensu strico species complex as the inner cone of both the species are with plate like callosity
and without any cavity.
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