Butterfly Bobtail

Lusepiola birostrata

Cephalopods
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth83–486 m
Water temperature8–28 °C
Best monthsJuly
How commonRare

All species

Photo credit: (c) 大澤風季 ohsawa_Fuki, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 0 records
February: 0 records
March: 1 records
April: 0 records
May: 0 records
June: 0 records
July: 13 records
August: 0 records
September: 3 records
October: 5 records
November: 1 records
December: 1 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 83–486 m · Deepest record: 762 m

10–20 m: 1 records
20–30 m: 0 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 1 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110–120 m: 0 records
120+ m: 13 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 8–28 °C

6–8 °C: 2 records
8–10 °C: 0 records
10–12 °C: 0 records
12–14 °C: 5 records
14–16 °C: 8 records
16–18 °C: 4 records
18–20 °C: 12 records
20–22 °C: 1 records
22–24 °C: 2 records
24–26 °C: 0 records
26–28 °C: 0 records
28–30 °C: 1 records

Names and classification

English: Butterfly Bobtail

Names in 2 more languages

Japanese: ダンゴイカ
Korean: 좀귀오징어

Other scientific names: Sepiola birostrata

Similar species

Southern bobtail squid
Euprymna tasmanica
Double-ear bobtail
Euprymna berryi
Hawaiian Bobtail
Euprymna scolopes
Amphorateuthis alveatus
Big bottom bobtail squid
Austrorossia australis
Whip-bearing Bobtail
Austrorossia mastigophora

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.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
154 open-data records from 1906 to 2011.
Species data updated November 4, 2026.

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