A fairly small cuttlefish, up to 12 cm in length, with a slender, oval body, often found sympatric with Sepia elegans, although can be distinguished from it by its fins almost reaching the anterior-most edge of the mantle, and the possession of more than 100 suckers on each tentacular club. It has relatively long arms bearing four rows of suckers. The cuttlebone is narrowly oval, with a long posterior spine. Commonly rose or orange coloured on dorsal surface.