Species Fact Profile: Flamboyant Cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi)

Flamboyant Cuttlefish
Metasepia pfefferi (Hoyle, 1885)

Range: Tropical Indo-Pacific waters off the coasts of northern Australia, southern New Guinea, and various islands in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines

Habitat: Tropical waters with sand or mud substrate at depths from 3 meters to 86 meters

Diet: Crustaceans, Bony Fish

Social Grouping: Loosely Social

Reproduction:  Breeding takes place in the spring, over a course of about 6-8 weeks.  One of the male’s arms is modified for holding and transferring sperm to the female.  Males perform colorful displays to attract females .  Fertilization is internal, with the female taking sperm from the male and placing them on her round, white eggs.  Eggs are then hidden individually in rock crevices as protection from predators.  No additional parental care provided  Young develop directly with no metamorphosis. Sexually mature at 3 months of age

Lifespan: 18-24 Months (Die after spawning)

      Conservation Status: Not Evaluated

•          Up to 60 centimeters in total length.  Females are on average larger than males.  Broad, oval mantle is flattened dorsoventrally. The dorsal mantle has three large, flap-like papillae which cover the eyes.  Cuttlebone runs two-thirds the length of the mantle.  The head is narrower than the mantle.  The mouth is surrounded by ten appendages – two tentacles, eight arms, which are broad and blade-like.
•       Sexes look alike.  Have the ability to change their color, but base coloration is usually a dark brown, with overlying patterning of white and yellow, purple, pink, and orange on the arms.  
•       Subordinate males may change their color to mimic females to avoid more aggressive males while still hanging around females.  Young are capable of changing color within hours of hatching
•       Relatively slow swimmer (largely due to cuttlebone), typically “walks” along seafloor instead.  Can only float for short periods of time
•       Hunts by sight, using large, well-developed eyes (though likely color-blind) to look for food, chromatophores to blend into surrounding while approaching prey.  Forages by day, unusual among cephalopods, which are predominately nocturnal.  
•       Primary defense against predators is camouflage, but is also venomous (bright coloration can serve as a warning).  Also capable of secreting ink to disorient a predator while it flees
•       Potentially venomous (bright coloration may be a warning), but if it is, venom is of undetermined potency.  May be powerful enough to kill a human (conversely, there are some caretakers who suggest that the species might not be toxic, though it is generally treated as such during handling).  If it is toxic, it would be one of the few venomous cephalopods and the only known venomous cuttlefish
•       Species is currently not well known, but its small size and attractive coloration make it a potential target for over-collection for private home aquariums.  It may possibly be threatened in the future by ocean acidification, which can cause the body to form denser cuttlebones, further reducing their buoyancy
•       The first (and currently only) aquatic invertebrate managed as a Species Survival Plan by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums