Resolving the taxonomic ambiguity of Sepia ramani using integrative taxonomy

Abstract

ABSTRACT Sepia pharaonis Ehrenberg, 1831 is a commercially important cuttlefish species in India and other countries. Researchers have found that Sepia pharaonis populations in different regions show morphological and genetic differences, and some have suggested that Sepia pharaonis should be considered a species complex. Sepia ramani Neethiselvan, 2001 was described from the southeast coast of India, but subsequent phylogenetic analyses of molecular data suggest that S. ramani is part of the S. pharaonis species complex. In this study, we conducted detailed morphological and molecular examination of specimens of S. pharaonis and S. ramani from the Tuticorin coast, and suggest that Sepia ramani is a valid species within the Sepia pharaonis species complex.