Platycephalus bassensis

Sand flathead
Platycephalus bassensis
Platycephalus bassensis, Orford, TAS, Photo: Graham Edgar
Platycephalus bassensis
Platycephalus bassensis, Hobart, TAS, Photo: Graham Edgar
Platycephalus bassensis
Platycephalus bassensis, Narooma, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
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Platycephalus bassensis
Platycephalus bassensis
Platycephalus bassensis

Distribution

Temperate Australasia


Description

Most frequently caught species in Victorian and Tasmanian waters, where it occurs in great abundance in shallow bays. It is sandy coloured with dark spots and bands, and a tail with brown blotches in the upper half and a large black mark sometimes broken by a white line in the lower half.


Information

Max Size: 46 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 10.3-23.8°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: Not Evaluated

Occurrence: Infrequent (3.2% 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: Several (6 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