
Broadclub Cuttlefish
Ascarosepion latimanus
- Usual depth1–55 m
- Water temperature23–30 °C
- Best monthsMay, September, and October
- How commonOccasional
Photo credit: (c) Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Ascarosepion latimanus, also known as the broadclub cuttlefish, is widely distributed from the Andaman Sea, east to Fiji, and south to northern Australia. It is the most common cuttlefish species on coral reefs, living at a depth of up to 30 m.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Ascarosepion latimanus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 144 records
- February: 125 records
- March: 184 records
- April: 168 records
- May: 186 records
- June: 152 records
- July: 180 records
- August: 175 records
- September: 196 records
- October: 198 records
- November: 185 records
- December: 186 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–55 m · Deepest record: 55 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 23–30 °C
Photos

(c) Pauline Walsh Jacobson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist 
(c) Bart, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Broadclub Cuttlefish
Names in 6 more languages
- German
- Breitarm-Sepia
- Spanish
- Sepia de manos largas
- French
- Seiche à grandes mains, Seiche à larges mains
- Japanese
- コブシメ
- Thai
- ปลาหมึกกระดองมือยาว
- Simplified Chinese
- 寬腕烏賊(白班烏賊)
Other scientific names: Ponderisepia eclogaria, Sepia (Mesembrisepia) latimanus, Sepia (Sepia) latimanus, Sepia hercules, Sepia latimanus
Similar species
Flamboyant CuttlefishAscarosepion pfefferi
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 2,940 open-data records from 1832 to 2022.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
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