Phyllodesmium serratum
Serrated phyllodesmium | nudibranch
Phyllodesmium serratum, Bathurst Channel, Tasmania, Photo: Ian Shaw
Phyllodesmium serratum, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Photo: Antonia Cooper
Similar Species
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 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: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Infrequent (2.2% 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