Heteroclinus roseus
Rosy Weedfish
Distribution
Temperate Australasia
Description
Found from Minnie Waters, NSW to Shark Bay, WA; also Lord Howe and Norfolk Is. Intertidal to 35m. Distinctive large black spot with white surround on pectoral fin base. Orbital tentacle 2-6% standard length (i.e. large!), elongated, simple; crenulate or with rounded dorsal margin and several lateral lobes. Nasal tentacle with 3-4 elongated lobes. Fins with dark margins / rays and transparent interfaces; especially noticeable with pectoral and caudal fins. 7 reddish vertical bands in sections with marbled appearance.
Most similar to Whiteleggs Weedfish H whiteleggii which is restricted to NSW and southern Qld. H whiteleggii is smaller and normally found from intertidal to about 5m only. It can be very common in the shallows once the diver starts searching the turfing algae, whereas H roseus seems more solitary.
Information
Max Size: 15 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 13.3-24.6°C
Depth: 0-35m
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: Least Concern
Occurrence: Infrequent (5.6% 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: Andrew Green