Acanthaluteres spilomelanurus
Bridled leatherjacket
Similar Species
Distribution
Description
One of the smallest Australian leatherjackets. Males are identified by the black stripes in front of the eyes, blue spots on the sides of the body, and a black crescent-shaped marking near the edge of the tail. Females and juveniles have a mottled-brown pattern and are difficult to distinguish from juvenile toothbrush leatherjackets. These two species are best separated by the presence of numerous black spots on the sides of the body in bridled leatherjackets, whereas juvenile toothbrush leatherjackets have a pattern of small white blotches.
Information
Max Size: 14 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 10.2-22.6°C
Depth: 0-10
Habitat Generalization Index: 0.18
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Infrequent (7.9% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Several (6 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: extract from GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney