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Mozambique Pygmy Idiosepiid

Idiosepius minimus

  • Cephalopods
  • IUCN: Data deficient
  • Water temperature26°C
  • Best monthsMarch, July, and October
  • How commonRare
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Photo credit: (c) Ewout Knoester, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Ewout Knoester · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist

About this species

Idiosepius minimus is a species of bobtail squid native to the "coast of Africa" where it occurs in shallow, inshore waters. Specimens collected under the junior synonyms I. biserialis and I. macrocheir were described from Mozambique. Since then, the further collecting effort off Mozambique has seen additional specimens gained. As a result it has been inferred that this species has a relatively restricted distribution since Idiosepius has not been recorded elsewhere in Africa.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Idiosepius minimus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

  • January: 0 records
  • February: 0 records
  • March: 2 records
  • April: 0 records
  • May: 0 records
  • June: 0 records
  • July: 3 records
  • August: 0 records
  • September: 0 records
  • October: 2 records
  • November: 1 records
  • December: 0 records

Depth and water temperature

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 26°C

  • 24–26 °C: 3 records

Names and classification

English
Mozambique Pygmy Idiosepiid
Names in 3 more languages
Japanese
アフリカヒメイカ, テビロヒメイカ
Thai
ปลาหมึกแคระสองแถว
Simplified Chinese
微小微鰭烏賊

Other scientific names: Cranchia minima, Idiosepius biserialis, Idiosepius macrocheir

Similar species

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).
  • 19 open-data records from 1954 to 1964.
  • Species data updated November 3, 2026.

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