Diadema palmeri, Poor Knights Is, New Zealand, Photo: Andrew Green
Distribution
Temperate Australasia
Description
When observed underwater it has a dark appearance, but torchlight or sunlight reveals intense orange-red hues and, in the centre of the upper surface, a light-brown structure (the anal cone) with a black central spot. This species is found only on the deeper temperate reefs off New South Wales and New Zealand.
Information
Max Size: 7 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 15.4-24.5°C
Depth: 10-60m
Habitat: Rocky Reef
Rarity
IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Infrequent (3% 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
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