Paraplesiops meleagris
Western blue devil | Southern Blue Devil
Similar Species
Distribution
Temperate Australasia
Description
Often confused with the Western Blue Devil, Paraplesiops sinclairi, due to the common name. This species is common in South Australia and southern Western Australia and is immediately recognisable by the iridescent blue spots densely packed over the body. P. sinclairi is restricted to a smaller part of south-western Australia, tends to have yellowish pectoral fins and less blue spotting over the face and body. It occurs commonly on offshore reefs. When observed underwater the species shows little fear of divers but retreats slowly into a refuge, generally either a ledge or a cave.
Information
Max Size: 33 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 12.5-23.2°C
Depth: 5-40m
Habitat Generalization Index: 3.4
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 (27.1% 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.
Edit by: GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney