Bigfin reef squid
Sepioteuthis lessoniana
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Mollusca
- Class
- Cephalopoda
- Order
- Myopsida
- Family
- Loliginidae
- Genus
- Sepioteuthis
- Species
- Sepioteuthis lessoniana
The bigfin reef squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana) is a shimmering, semi-transparent squid with a broad fin running the full length of its body, often seen hovering in small groups over the reef. Its wide fin makes it look almost like a cuttlefish, and its skin glows with iridescent greens and blues.
Adults typically reach a mantle length of 20-30 cm. They feed mainly at night on shrimps and small fish, and during the day they cruise shallow reefs, seagrass and sandy areas, sometimes curious enough to approach divers. Their lives are short, often under a year, and females attach finger-like egg capsules to rocks, coral or seagrass.
The species is common across the tropical Indo-West Pacific, including throughout the Philippines, where schools of bigfin reef squid are a regular sight on night dives and in the shallows, and they are also caught by local fishermen.