The discreet spawning of Kuwa-Ika (Sepioteuthis lessoniana)

The male squid scouts out a suitable hole under a coral, then guards his mate as she goes in to deposit some eggs. The Kuwa-ika is a species of reef squid belonging to the Sepioteuthis lessoniana species complex, which is a group of closely related squid species originally thought to be a single species but is now known to be at least three, which have not yet been given separate scientific names. However they have separate local names in Okinawa: Shiro-ika, Kuwa-ika, and Aka-ika. One of the things that differentiates Kuwa from the others is their preference for laying eggs under rocks or coral in the shallows.