Temnopleurus alexandri
Temnopleurus alexandri, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Temnopleurus alexandri
Temnopleurus alexandri, underside, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Temnopleurus alexandri
Temnopleurus alexandri, Sydney, NSW, Photo: John Turnbull
Temnopleurus alexandri
Temnopleurus alexandri, left, alongside a Salmaciella oligopora (right), Photo: Tom Davis
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Temnopleurus alexandri
Temnopleurus alexandri
Temnopleurus alexandri
Temnopleurus alexandri

Distribution


Description

Sharp reddish spines of intermediate and uniform length, with a pale test. Lives on the substrate (rather than in the kelp canopy) and covers itself with small pieces of algae or debris. Easily confused with Salmaciella oligopora, which has slightly longer, banded spines, but is found on sand and silt bottoms rather than reef, and Pseudoboletia indiana which has a more dense covering of slightly shorter (white) spines.


Information

Max Size: N/A cm

Sea Temperature Range: N/A

Depth: N/A

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: Vulnerable

Occurrence: Frequent (10.8% 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 (2 per transect)

Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.