Dolabrifera brazieri
Distribution
Temperate Australasia
Description
A large, flattened species, firm to the touch, colour variable but usually mottled and ranging from a pale yellow to a dark brown. The dorsal surface has extendable, compound, pointed papillae. The head has two pairs of enrolled tentacles, the anterior pair are both chemosensory and tactile, used to \'smell\' chemicals in the water, and to feel objects. The pair behind the eyes, the rhinophores, are the main chemosensory organs, used for \'smelling\' food. Emits a white fluid when disturbed. Grows to about 15 cm.
Information
Max Size: N/A cm
Sea Temperature Range: N/A
Depth: N/A
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: Vulnerable
Occurrence: Infrequent (1.6% 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: Few (5 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Ian Shaw