225
Chapter 13
Sepiella inermis
Jaruwat Nabhitabhata
J. Iglesias et al. (eds.), Cephalopod Culture, DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-8648-5_13,
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014
J. Nabhitabhata ()
Excellence Centre for Biodiversity of Peninsular Thailand, Faculty of Science,
Prince of Songkla University, HatYai, Songkhla 90112, Thailand
e-mail: jaruwat.n5@gmail.com; jaruwat.n@psu.ac.th
Abstract The spineless cuttlefish, Sepiella inermis, is an economic species of the
Indian Ocean. S� inermis habit is bentho-nektonic but active in a higher degree compared to Sepia cuttlefish. This species can tolerate environment fluctuations and
culture conditions very well, which favour aquaculture. S� inermis can be cultured
through several consecutive generations in open seawater systems. The culture
methodology is comparable to other sepiid cuttlefish, particularly Sepia pharaonis,
comprising collection of live broodstocks, incubation of egg masses, nursing of
young and growout phase. The planktonic phase of hatchling is different from Sepia
cuttlefish. The moderate final size of 50–100 g is appropriate to frozen food product
packaging and maintenance in home aquarium.
Keywords Sepiella inermis · Moderate size · Planktonic hatchling · Benthonektonic · Open seawater systems · Consecutive generations
13.1 Importance of this Species in the Market
The common name “spineless cuttlefish” comes from the unique character of the
cuttlebone which lacks a spine at the posterior tip (Reid 1998; Reid et al. 2005;
Roper et al. 1984). The Thai vernacular “Pla Muk Kra-dong Hang Mai” arises
from the black colour of the anal gland and pore at the posterior tip of the mantle,
which is another unique characteristic. The function of this gland is still unknown.
Nabhitabhata and Polkhan (1983b) observed the release of brown fluid from the
anal pore after an abrupt change to low salinity, suggesting the functions are related
to the osmoregulation process. This species is the only sepiid cuttlefish known to
inhabit the estuarine areas (Roper et al. 1984). The geographical distribution covers
the Indo-West Pacific region, 30–120°E, 30°N–20°S (Reid 1998; Reid et al. 2005;
Roper et al. 1984). Sepiella inermis is a demersal, benthic species, with distribution from shallow water to depths of about 40 m. The maturity in the wild stocks
is at a mantle length of about 50 mm, with fecundity of between 200 and 1,000
Chapter 13
Sepiella inermis
Jaruwat Nabhitabhata
J. Iglesias et al. (eds.), Cephalopod Culture, DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-8648-5_13,
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014
J. Nabhitabhata ()
Excellence Centre for Biodiversity of Peninsular Thailand, Faculty of Science,
Prince of Songkla University, HatYai, Songkhla 90112, Thailand
e-mail: jaruwat.n5@gmail.com; jaruwat.n@psu.ac.th
Abstract The spineless cuttlefish, Sepiella inermis, is an economic species of the
Indian Ocean. S� inermis habit is bentho-nektonic but active in a higher degree compared to Sepia cuttlefish. This species can tolerate environment fluctuations and
culture conditions very well, which favour aquaculture. S� inermis can be cultured
through several consecutive generations in open seawater systems. The culture
methodology is comparable to other sepiid cuttlefish, particularly Sepia pharaonis,
comprising collection of live broodstocks, incubation of egg masses, nursing of
young and growout phase. The planktonic phase of hatchling is different from Sepia
cuttlefish. The moderate final size of 50–100 g is appropriate to frozen food product
packaging and maintenance in home aquarium.
Keywords Sepiella inermis · Moderate size · Planktonic hatchling · Benthonektonic · Open seawater systems · Consecutive generations
13.1 Importance of this Species in the Market
The common name “spineless cuttlefish” comes from the unique character of the
cuttlebone which lacks a spine at the posterior tip (Reid 1998; Reid et al. 2005;
Roper et al. 1984). The Thai vernacular “Pla Muk Kra-dong Hang Mai” arises
from the black colour of the anal gland and pore at the posterior tip of the mantle,
which is another unique characteristic. The function of this gland is still unknown.
Nabhitabhata and Polkhan (1983b) observed the release of brown fluid from the
anal pore after an abrupt change to low salinity, suggesting the functions are related
to the osmoregulation process. This species is the only sepiid cuttlefish known to
inhabit the estuarine areas (Roper et al. 1984). The geographical distribution covers
the Indo-West Pacific region, 30–120°E, 30°N–20°S (Reid 1998; Reid et al. 2005;
Roper et al. 1984). Sepiella inermis is a demersal, benthic species, with distribution from shallow water to depths of about 40 m. The maturity in the wild stocks
is at a mantle length of about 50 mm, with fecundity of between 200 and 1,000