WoRMS name details
Sepia pharaonis Ehrenberg, 1831
181376 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:181376)
unaccepted > superseded combination
Species
Sepia formosana S. S. Berry, 1912 · unaccepted (synonym)
Sepia framea Ortmann, 1891 · unaccepted (synonym)
Sepia hulliana (Iredale, 1926) · unaccepted (synonym)
Sepia koettlitzi Hoyle & Standen, 1901 · unaccepted (synonym)
Sepia rouxii A. d'Orbigny, 1842 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Sepia singalensis E. S. Goodrich, 1896 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Sepia tigris M. Sasaki, 1929 · unaccepted (synonym)
Sepia torosa Ortmann, 1888 · unaccepted (synonym)
Sepia ursulae (Cotton, 1929) · unaccepted (synonym)
marine, brackish, fresh, terrestrial
Ehrenberg, C. G. (1828-1831). Symbolae physicae, seu, Icones et descriptiones corporum naturalium novorum aut minus cognitorum, quae ex itineribus per Libyam Aegyptum Nubiam Dongalam Syriam Arabiam et Habessiniam publico institutis sumptu Friderici Guilelmi Hemprich et Christiani Godofredi Ehrenberg, Animalia evertebrata, Animalia Mollusca. <em>Zoologica.</em> II: unpaginated [46 pages, 1831], plates 1-2 [1828]., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48517219
page(s): [4] [details]
page(s): [4] [details]
Type locality contained in Gulf of Suez
type locality contained in Gulf of Suez [details]
Taxonomy "Phylogenetic analyses of a dataset comprising all three-gene regions revealed a monophyletic S. pharaonis complex...
Taxonomy "Phylogenetic analyses of a dataset comprising all three-gene regions revealed a monophyletic S. pharaonis complex consisting of a western Indian Ocean clade, a northeastern Australia clade, a Persian Gulf/Arabian Sea (‘Iranian’) clade, a western Pacific clade and a central Indian Ocean clade. Relationships among these clades remain somewhat poorly supported except for a clade comprising the Iranian clade, the western Pacific clade and the central Indian Ocean clade. Both specimens of S. ramani are members of the S. pharaonis complex, but their mtDNA haplotypes are not closely related – one is a member of the central Indian Ocean clade, while the other is rather distantly related to the northeastern Australia clade. We suggest that ‘S. pharaonis’ may consist of several species, but morphological work is needed to clarify species-level taxonomy within this complex" (Anderson et al. 2011) [details]
MolluscaBase eds. (2026). MolluscaBase. Sepia pharaonis Ehrenberg, 1831. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=181376 on 2026-03-12
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Nomenclature
original description
Ehrenberg, C. G. (1828-1831). Symbolae physicae, seu, Icones et descriptiones corporum naturalium novorum aut minus cognitorum, quae ex itineribus per Libyam Aegyptum Nubiam Dongalam Syriam Arabiam et Habessiniam publico institutis sumptu Friderici Guilelmi Hemprich et Christiani Godofredi Ehrenberg, Animalia evertebrata, Animalia Mollusca. <em>Zoologica.</em> II: unpaginated [46 pages, 1831], plates 1-2 [1828]., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48517219
page(s): [4] [details]
basis of record Roper, C.F.E., M.J. Sweeney & C.E. Nauen (1984). FAO Species catalogue. Vol 3. Cephalopods of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of species of interest to fisheries. FAO Fish. Synop. (125), Vol 3: 277 p. [details]
page(s): [4] [details]
basis of record Roper, C.F.E., M.J. Sweeney & C.E. Nauen (1984). FAO Species catalogue. Vol 3. Cephalopods of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of species of interest to fisheries. FAO Fish. Synop. (125), Vol 3: 277 p. [details]
Taxonomy
status source
Anderson F.E., Engelke R., Jarrett K., Valinassab T., Mohamed K.S., Asokan P.K., Zacharia P.U., Nootmorn P., Chotiyaputta C. & Dunning M. (2011) Phylogeny of the <i>Sepia pharaonis</i> species complex (Cephalopoda: Sepiida) based on analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data. <i>Journal of Molluscan Studies</i> 77(1): 65-75.
[details]
Identification resource
identification resource
Lu, C.C. & Chung, W.S. (2017). <em>Guide to the cephalopods of Taiwan</em>. National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, Taiwan, 560 pp. ISBN 978-986-05-2569-4.
page(s): 162 [details]
page(s): 162 [details]
Other
context source (Introduced species)
Katsanevakis, S.; Bogucarskis, K.; Gatto, F.; Vandekerkhove, J.; Deriu, I.; Cardoso A.S. (2012). Building the European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN): a novel approach for the exploration of distributed alien species data. <em>BioInvasions Records.</em> 1: 235-245., available online at http://easin.jrc.ec.europa.eu [details] Available for editors 
[request]
context source (HKRMS) Gleadall, I. G. (1997). Hong Kong Cephalopada: A brief review of current knowledge and identification of specimens collected in 1995. <em>In: Morton B, editor. Proceedings of the Eighth International Marine Biological Workshop: The Marine Flora and Fauna of Hong Kong and Southern China. The Marine Flora and Fauna of Hong Kong and Southern China IV. Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong.</em> 503-513., available online at https://doi.org/10.1515/9789882202184-034 [details]
additional source Zenetos, A., M.E. Cinar, M.A. Pancucci-Papadopoulou, J.G. Harmelin, G. Furnari, F. Andaloro, N. Bellou, N. Streftaris & H. Zibrowius. (2005). Annotated list of marine alien species in the Mediterranean with records of the worst invasive species. <em>Mediterranean Marine Science.</em> 6 (2): 63-118., available online at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273213810_Annotated_list_of_marine_alien_species_in_the_Mediterranean_with_records_of_the_worst_invasive_species [details] Available for editors [request]
additional source Zenetos, A., S. Gofas, M. Verlaque, M. Cinar, J. Garcia Raso, C. Bianchi, C. Morri, E. Azzurro, M. Bilecenoglu, C. Froglia, I. Siokou, D. Violanti, A. Sfriso, G. San Martin, A. Giangrande, T. Katagan, E. Ballesteros, A. Ramos-Espla, F. Mastrototaro, O. Ocana, A. Zingone, M,. Gambi & N. Streftaris. (2010). Alien species in the Mediterranean Sea by 2010. A contribution to the application of European Union's Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Part I. Spatial distribution. <em>Mediterranean Marine Science.</em> 11(2): 381-493., available online at https://doi.org/10.12681/mms.87 [details]
additional source Zenetos, A., E. Meric, M. Verlaque, P. Galli, C.F. Boudouresque, A. Giangrande, M. Cinar & M. Bilecenoglu. (2008). Additions to the annotated list of marine alien biota in the Mediterranean with special emphasis on Foraminifera and Parasites. <em>Mediterranean Marine Science.</em> 9(1): 119-165., available online at https://doi.org/10.12681/mms.146 [details] Available for editors [request]
additional source Reid, A., Jereb, P. & Roper, C.F.E. (2005). Family Sepiidae. pp. 57-152, in P. Jereb & C.F.E. Roper eds. <em>Cephalopods of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of cephalopod species known to date.</em> Volume 1. Chambered nautiluses and sepioids (<em>Nautilidae</em>, <em>Sepiidae</em>, <em>Sepiolidae</em>, <em>Sepiadariidae</em>, <em>Idiosepiidae</em> and <em>Spirulidae</em>). <em>FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes [Rome, FAO].</em> 4(1): 262 pp. 9 pls.
page(s): 106-108, pl. 5 figs 32-34, figs 170-171 [details]
[request]context source (HKRMS) Gleadall, I. G. (1997). Hong Kong Cephalopada: A brief review of current knowledge and identification of specimens collected in 1995. <em>In: Morton B, editor. Proceedings of the Eighth International Marine Biological Workshop: The Marine Flora and Fauna of Hong Kong and Southern China. The Marine Flora and Fauna of Hong Kong and Southern China IV. Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong.</em> 503-513., available online at https://doi.org/10.1515/9789882202184-034 [details]
additional source Zenetos, A., M.E. Cinar, M.A. Pancucci-Papadopoulou, J.G. Harmelin, G. Furnari, F. Andaloro, N. Bellou, N. Streftaris & H. Zibrowius. (2005). Annotated list of marine alien species in the Mediterranean with records of the worst invasive species. <em>Mediterranean Marine Science.</em> 6 (2): 63-118., available online at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273213810_Annotated_list_of_marine_alien_species_in_the_Mediterranean_with_records_of_the_worst_invasive_species [details] Available for editors
[request]additional source Zenetos, A., S. Gofas, M. Verlaque, M. Cinar, J. Garcia Raso, C. Bianchi, C. Morri, E. Azzurro, M. Bilecenoglu, C. Froglia, I. Siokou, D. Violanti, A. Sfriso, G. San Martin, A. Giangrande, T. Katagan, E. Ballesteros, A. Ramos-Espla, F. Mastrototaro, O. Ocana, A. Zingone, M,. Gambi & N. Streftaris. (2010). Alien species in the Mediterranean Sea by 2010. A contribution to the application of European Union's Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Part I. Spatial distribution. <em>Mediterranean Marine Science.</em> 11(2): 381-493., available online at https://doi.org/10.12681/mms.87 [details]
additional source Zenetos, A., E. Meric, M. Verlaque, P. Galli, C.F. Boudouresque, A. Giangrande, M. Cinar & M. Bilecenoglu. (2008). Additions to the annotated list of marine alien biota in the Mediterranean with special emphasis on Foraminifera and Parasites. <em>Mediterranean Marine Science.</em> 9(1): 119-165., available online at https://doi.org/10.12681/mms.146 [details] Available for editors
[request]additional source Reid, A., Jereb, P. & Roper, C.F.E. (2005). Family Sepiidae. pp. 57-152, in P. Jereb & C.F.E. Roper eds. <em>Cephalopods of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of cephalopod species known to date.</em> Volume 1. Chambered nautiluses and sepioids (<em>Nautilidae</em>, <em>Sepiidae</em>, <em>Sepiolidae</em>, <em>Sepiadariidae</em>, <em>Idiosepiidae</em> and <em>Spirulidae</em>). <em>FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes [Rome, FAO].</em> 4(1): 262 pp. 9 pls.
page(s): 106-108, pl. 5 figs 32-34, figs 170-171 [details]
Present Present in aphia/obis/gbif/idigbio Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
From editor or global species database
Taxonomy "Phylogenetic analyses of a dataset comprising all three-gene regions revealed a monophyletic S. pharaonis complex consisting of a western Indian Ocean clade, a northeastern Australia clade, a Persian Gulf/Arabian Sea (‘Iranian’) clade, a western Pacific clade and a central Indian Ocean clade. Relationships among these clades remain somewhat poorly supported except for a clade comprising the Iranian clade, the western Pacific clade and the central Indian Ocean clade. Both specimens of S. ramani are members of the S. pharaonis complex, but their mtDNA haplotypes are not closely related – one is a member of the central Indian Ocean clade, while the other is rather distantly related to the northeastern Australia clade. We suggest that ‘S. pharaonis’ may consist of several species, but morphological work is needed to clarify species-level taxonomy within this complex" (Anderson et al. 2011) [details]From regional or thematic species database
Introduced species vector dispersal in Israeli part of the Mediterranean Sea - Eastern Basin (Marine Region) : Canals: natural range expansion through man-made canals [details]Unreviewed
Habitat shelf [details]
| Language | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Mak moHŭ-Bān-Wu-ZéiFoo baan woo chack | [details] |
| English | Pharaoh cuttlefish | [details] |
| French | Seiche pharaon | [details] |
| German | Pharao-TintenfischPharaosepie | [details] |
| Japanese | トラフコウイカTorafu-kouikaMongouika | [details] |
| Spanish | Sepia faraón | [details] |
To Barcode of Life (110 barcodes)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (1 publication) (from synonym Sepia rouxii A. d'Orbigny, 1842)
To Biological Information System for Marine Life (BISMaL)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Sepia pharaonis)
To GenBank (5943 nucleotides; 53768 proteins)
To IUCN Red List (Data Deficient)
To PESI
To USNM Invertebrate Zoology Mollusca Collection
To ITIS
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (1 publication) (from synonym Sepia rouxii A. d'Orbigny, 1842)
To Biological Information System for Marine Life (BISMaL)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Sepia pharaonis)
To GenBank (5943 nucleotides; 53768 proteins)
To IUCN Red List (Data Deficient)
To PESI
To USNM Invertebrate Zoology Mollusca Collection
To ITIS
