Monacanthus chinensis

Monacanthidae
Fan-belly Leatherjacket, Centreboard Leatherjacket, Fanbellied Leatherjacket, Fantailed Leatherjacket
  • Monacanthus chinensis, WA, Australia, Photo: Graham Edgar
    Monacanthus chinensis, WA, Australia, Photo: Graham Edgar
  • Monacanthus chinensis, Dampier, WA, Photo: Andrew Green
    Monacanthus chinensis, Dampier, WA, Photo: Andrew Green
  • Monacanthus chinensis, NSW, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Monacanthus chinensis, NSW, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
  • Monacanthus chinensis, Narooma, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
    Monacanthus chinensis, Narooma, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
  • Monacanthus chinensis, Juvenile, Batemans Bay, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
    Monacanthus chinensis, Juvenile, Batemans Bay, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
Distribution
Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Deep-bodied with unique ventral flap that is raised and lowered as a flag for communication. Colour and markings variable, but often with combination of spots, honeycomb mosaic and dark blotches overlaid. Often associated with seagrass.
Information
  • Max Size: 38 cm
  • Sea Temperature Range: 15.3-30.6°C
  • Depth: 1-50m
  • Habitat: Coral Reef, Rocky Reef, Seagrass, Soft sediment
  • Habitat Generalisation Index: 4.1
    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
Rarity
  • Threats: Habitat degradation
  • IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
  • Occurrence: Infrequent (5% 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: extract from RD Stuart-Smith, GJ Edgar, AJ Green, IV Shaw. 2015. Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland
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