General Description
Body oblong, moderately deep (elongate in males, deeper in females); ventral flap moderate; head pointed; central pair of teeth in upper jaw truncate, those opposite in lower jaw more pointed; males with a large toothbrush like patch of long bristles on sides, bristles poorly developed in females and juveniles. Males brown to blackish blue, with blue lines and spots, a prominent pale band from eye to bristle patch, tail dusky with pale margin; females yellowish-brown to brown, with scattered pale blotches and dark brown spots on side of body; juvenile similar with a broad white stripe along body. To 32 cm.
Biology
These leatherjackets are abundant along Victorian and Tasmanian coasts.
Distribution
Southern Australia.
Habitat
Juveniles often under floating weed rafts, moving to seagrass beds as they grow, before migrating to deeper reefs.
More Information
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Animal Type
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Animal SubType
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Brief Id
Thin deep body, dorsal spine, brown or blackish blue, bristle patch on sides (males).
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Maximum Size
32 cm
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Habitats
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Diet
Carnivore
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Hazards
Large dorsal spine could punture skin.
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Endemicity
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Commercial
No
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Conservation Statuses
DSE Advisory List: Not listed, EPBC Act 1999: Not listed, IUCN Red List: Not listed
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Depths
Shallow (1-30 m)
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Water Column Locations
On or near seafloor
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Taxon Name
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Scientific Author
(Castelnau, 1873)
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Common Name
Toothbrush Leatherjacket
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Kingdom
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Phylum
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Subphylum
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Superclass
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Class
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Order
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Family
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Genus
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Species Name
vittiger