Biology
| Species | Sepioteuthis australis |
| Common Name | Southern calamari |
| Importance | Key |
| Habitat | Shallow to inshore water (Gomon et al., 2008) |
| Distribution | Endemic to southern Australia and northern New Zealand (Gomon et al., 2008) |
| Diet | Various crustaceans and fishes (Norman, 2000) |
| Stock Structure | Preliminary genetic studies revealed a minimum of 5 distinct stocks in Australia, with 98% of the Tasmanian population belonging to a single genetic stock that is also found in South Australia, New South Wales and Western Australia, suggesting some degree of connectivity. A more comprehensive genetic study revealed a single stock across southern Australia and that Tasmanian is particularly important in terms of reproduction (Triantafillos and Adams, 2001; Smith et al. 2015b) |
| Movement | Highly mobile, including migrations between feeding and spawning grounds |
| M (Natural Mortality) | High; embryo mortality rate between 5 – 25% (Steer et al., 2004) |
| Maximum Age (years) | < 1 (275 days for males, 263 days for females) (Pecl et al., 2004; Pecl and Moltschaniwsky, 2006) |
| Growth Rate (non-von Bertalanffy) | Rapid: 7 – 8% body weight per day (<100 days old), 4 – 5% body weight per day (>200 days old); growth for males and females after recruitment (age t >80 days) L=2e^(-6) t^3.5332, where L = dorsal mantle length (mm); variability in growth explained partly by temperature and food availability (warmer seasons means faster growth), but also likely a genetic component. |
| Length (L; dorsal mantle length (mm))– Weight (W; g) Relationship | W=0.00081L^2.427 (Pecl et al., 2004; Triantafillos, 2004; Pecl, 2004) |
| Size at Maturity (mantle length; cm) | 18.45 (females) Pecl and Moltschaniwsky, 2006) |
| Spawning Season | September – February with low levels likely year-round |
| Spawning Location | Great Oyster Bay (known ground) |
| Additional Spawning Information | Multiple spawners reproductively active over several months (up to 3.5 months); females deposit eggs in collective egg masses, attaching capsules to substrate by small stalks (Pecl and Moltschaniwsky, 2006; Pecl et al., 2004; Moltschaniwskyj and Pecl, 2003) |
| Early Life History | Incubation time 4 – 8 weeks, depending on water temperature; hatchlings (2.4 – 7mm) swim to surface and can be found near spawning grounds for 20 – 30 days; habitat and ecology at age 20 – 80 days unknown; from 80 – 150 days old juveniles found in deeper water adjacent to spawning ground; individuals available to the fishery 90 – 120 days old (Steer et al., 2002; Pecl, 2000; Pecl, 2004) |
