''Belosaepia'', occasionally incorrectly ''Belosepia'',
[e.g. ] is an extinct
genus of
cuttlefish
Cuttlefish or cuttles are marine molluscs of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. Cuttlefish have a unique internal shell, the cuttlebone, which is used for control of ...
-like
cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head ...
known from the
Eocene.
Morphology
Species of the genus ''Belosaepia'' reached in length and across and had a large
siphuncle
The siphuncle is a strand of tissue passing longitudinally through the shell of a cephalopod mollusk. Only cephalopods with chambered shells have siphuncles, such as the extinct ammonites and belemnites, and the living nautiluses, cuttlefish, and ...
that penetrated its oblique septa.
[ The shell was endogastrically coiled.][ It had a small belemnite-like guard, which took the form of a short horn at the posterior end of the shell;][ usually, only a small portion of the shell closest to the guard is preserved. The chambers in the shell closely resemble those present in the cuttlebone of modern cuttlefish.][
]
Ecology
''Belosaepia'' lived close to the sea floor.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4884559
Cenozoic cephalopods
Cephalopod genera
Eocene animals of Europe
Extinct cephalopods