Pseudonepanthia nigrobrunnea

Dusky seastar

Pseudonepanthia nigrobrunnea, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw

Same Genus

Pseudonepanthia troughtoni

Distribution

Temperate Australasia

Description

Dark brown-black colouration, pointed arms, and general body shape. It is occasionally sighted on deep reefs off northern New South Wales, with highest numbers in the Solitary Is to Byron Bay region.

Information

Max Size: 12 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 19.6-25.2°C

Depth: 10-30m

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: Common (32.3% 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 (3 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