Orectolobus ornatus
Ornate wobbegong
Orectolobus ornatus, Port Stephens, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Orectolobus ornatus, adult, Port Stephens, Australia, Photo: Tom Davis
Orectolobus ornatus, adult, Great Keppel Is, QLD, Photo: Andrew Green
Orectolobus ornatus, juvenile, Solitary Islands, NSW, Photo: Ian Shaw
Similar Species
Distribution
Temperate Australasia, Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Very similar to O. halei (gulf wobbegong), only recently distinguished as a separate species. Smaller maximum size than O. halei, and longer distance between anal and pelvic fins due to slightly more forward position of pelvic fins.
Information
Max Size: 290 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 15.6-25.2°C
Depth: 0-100m
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: Near Threatened
Occurrence: Infrequent (4.1% 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: extract from RD Stuart-Smith, GJ Edgar, AJ Green, IV Shaw. 2015. Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland