Meuschenia freycineti

Six-spine leatherjacket
Meuschenia freycineti
Meuschenia freycineti, Port Stephens, NSW, Photo: Ian Shaw
Meuschenia freycineti
Meuschenia freycineti, female, Bicheno, TAS, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Meuschenia freycineti
Meuschenia freycineti, juvenile, Portarlington, Vic, Photo: Andrew Green
Meuschenia freycineti
Meuschenia freycineti, male, Batemans Bay, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
Meuschenia freycineti
Meuschenia freycineti, female, Montague Is, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
Meuschenia freycineti
Meuschenia freycineti, male, Flinders Island, TAS, Photo: Graham Edgar
Meuschenia freycineti
Meuschenia freycineti, female, Batemans Bay, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
Meuschenia freycineti
Meuschenia freycineti, juvenile, Portarlington, Vic, Photo: Andrew Green
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Meuschenia freycineti
Meuschenia freycineti
Meuschenia freycineti
Meuschenia freycineti
Meuschenia freycineti
Meuschenia freycineti
Meuschenia freycineti
Meuschenia freycineti

Distribution

Temperate Australasia


Description

Network of fine blue lines on the head, and yellow dorsal and anal fins. The species exhibits a considerable amount of colour variation, with the most colourful males occurring along the New South Wales coast and possessing a large orange patch on the side. Six strong spines are situated in front of the tail of males, but these are much reduced or absent on females and juveniles.


Information

Max Size: 60 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 11.6-24°C

Depth: 1 - 50 m

Habitat Generalization Index: 19.3

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: Common (33.9% 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 (2 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