Fusinus australis

Spindle whelk
Fusinus australis
Fusinus australis, Adelaide, SA, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Fusinus australis
Fusinus australis, Adelaide, SA, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
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Fusinus australis
Fusinus australis

Distribution

Temperate Australasia


Description

resembles Pleuroploca australasia except that it is smaller, with a longer siphonal canal, and lacks the angular, nodulose shoulders on the whorls. It occurs most commonly in small aggregations on sand near seagrass along the western section of the southern coast.


Information

Max Size: 13 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 13.2-22.1°C

Depth: 1-40m

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