On the relationship between beaks and body size in Sepia officinalis from the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Central Mediterranean)

This paper provides information on the relationships between beak growth and body size in Sepia officinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) from the southern Tyrrhenian sea (Central Mediterranean). Beaks of 146 specimens of Sepia officinalis (77 females, 69 males) were examined. To find possible differences between the mandibles of females and males, a t-test was performed on morphometric data and a multivariate analysis carried out afterwards. Results indicated that the relationships between dorsal mantle length (ML) and beak measurements were allometric. The crest of both the upper and lower beaks grows faster than other parts of the beak in males and females. Changes in the beak morphometry depend only on body size and are not correlated with sex and maturity stage.