Subspecies
Two subspecies of N. pompilius have been described:
- Nautilus pompilius pompilius
- Nautilus pompilius suluensis
N. p. pompilius is by far the most common and widespread of all nautiluses. It is sometimes called the emperor nautilus due to its large size. The distribution of N. p. pompilius covers the Andaman Sea east to Fiji and southern Japan south to the Great Barrier Reef. Exceptionally large specimens with a shell diameter of up to 268 millimetres (10.6 in) have been recorded from Indonesia and northern Australia. This giant form was described as Nautilus repertus, however most scientists do not consider it a separate species.
N. p. suluensis is a much smaller animal, restricted to the Sulu Sea in the southwestern Philippines, after which it is named. The largest known specimen measures 160 mm in shell diameter.
Read more about this topic: Chambered Nautilus