''Metasepia'' is a small

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of small

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 ...

from the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. The two members of this genus are characterised by a small, thick, diamond-shaped

cuttlebone Cuttlebone, also known as cuttlefish bone, is a hard, brittle internal structure (an internal shell) found in all members of the family Sepiidae, commonly known as cuttlefish, within the cephalopods. In other cephalopod families it is calle ...

Species

This genus contains two known

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

: *Pfeffer's flamboyant cuttlefish, ''

Metasepia pfefferi ''Metasepia pfefferi'', also known as the flamboyant cuttlefish, is a species of cuttlefish occurring in tropical Indo-Pacific waters off northern Australia, southern New Guinea, as well as numerous islands of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malay ...

'' *paintpot cuttlefish, '' Metasepia tullbergi''

References

* Norman, M.D. 2000. ''Cephalopods: A World Guide''. ConchBooks. * Ross, R. 2010
Aquarium Invertebrates: ''Metasepia pfefferi'' – the aptly named Flamboyant Cuttlefish
Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine.

External links

* Cuttlefish Cephalopod genera Taxa named by William Evans Hoyle {{cuttlefish-stub