Age, growth and maturation of the temperate 'mini-maximalist' Idiosepius notoides from Tasmania is described and compared with those of its tropical congener Idiosepius pygmaeus. Using statolith increment analysis, growth of I. notoides was best described by a power curve with a maximum age of 115 days recorded. Males have a shorter lifespan than females, however growth rates were similar between the sexes. Idiosepius notoides grows to a larger size than its tropical counterpart. Onset of maturity in I. notoides occurred at an age of approximately 68 days for males and 88 days for females compared to 45-60 days for I. pygmaeus. Size at onset of sexual maturity was analogous between the two species, with males mature at approximately 6.5 mm mantle length (ML) and females at 14.0 mm ML. Idiosepius notoides, like I. pygmaeus, is a small short-lived sepioid with significant gender dimorphism and the capacity to spawn multiple times throughout its short life. This research supports the concept of similar cephalopod species living longer and growing larger in cooler environments.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Ecology
Research Field:	Population Ecology
Objective Division:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Field:	Expanding Knowledge in the Environmental Sciences
UTAS Author:	Tracey, S (Associate Professor Sean Tracey)
UTAS Author:	Steer, MA (Dr Michael Steer)
UTAS Author:	Pecl, GT (Professor Gretta Pecl)
ID Code:	28586
Year Published:	2003
Web of Science® Times Cited:	17
Deposited By:	TAFI - Marine Research Laboratory
Deposited On:	2003-08-01
Last Modified:	2009-09-17
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