Kathetostoma laeve

Uranoscopidae
Common Stargazer
  • Kathetostoma laeve, Maria Island, TAS, Photo: Scott Ling
    Kathetostoma laeve, Maria Island, TAS, Photo: Scott Ling
  • Kathetostoma laeve, Hobart, TAS, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Kathetostoma laeve, Hobart, TAS, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
  • Kathetostoma laeve, Adult, St Leonards, VIC, Photo: Andrew Green
    Kathetostoma laeve, Adult, St Leonards, VIC, Photo: Andrew Green
Distribution
Temperate Australasia
Description
Distinctive greyish body with pale underside and two dark vertical bands across the body that fade with age. It is the only stargazer regularly seen by divers in southeastern Australia but is uncommon. As the bulldog appearance suggests, this species is quite pugnacious and has been known to attack divers.
Information
  • Max Size: 75 cm
  • Depth: 0-60m
  • Habitat: Soft sediment
Rarity
  • IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
  • Occurrence: Rare (1% 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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