Austrodromidia octodentata

Bristled sponge crab

Austrodromidia octodentata, Coffin Bay, SA, Photo: Graham Edgar

Distribution

Temperate Australasia

Description

Rounded carapace with four or five inconspicuous teeth on the side margins towards the front. The most distinctive feature is a dense covering of tufted bristles on the carapace and legs. This species and Dromidiopsis excavata, another large dromiid with a pink body covering and row of bristles along the front of the carapace, are the most commonly seen species on jetty pylons in South Australia and Victoria.

Information

Max Size: 8 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 13.9-20.8°C

Depth: 0-79m

Habitat Generalization Index: N/A

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 (6.6% 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: Solitary (1 per transect)

Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.

Edit by: GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney