Phyllodesmium serratum, Bathurst Channel, Tasmania, Photo: Ian Shaw
Phyllodesmium serratum, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Photo: Antonia Cooper
Distribution
Temperate Australasia, Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Variable in colour depending upon food source but identified by the pink / orange colour in the digestive glands in the cerata and a white line down the back. Locally common species that feeds on a variety of octocorals, particularly Clavularia sp. It can generally be recognised by the very long cerata that extend up to one-third of the body length.
Information
Max Size: 4 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 9.1-24.6°C
Depth: 2-32m
Habitat: Rocky Reef
Rarity
IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Infrequent (3% 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 (4 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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