Bovichtus angustifrons

Dragonet
Bovichtus angustifrons
Bovichtus angustifrons, Hobart, TAS, Photo: Andrew Green
Bovichtus angustifrons
Bovichtus angustifrons, Melbourne, VIC, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Bovichtus angustifrons
Bovichtus angustifrons, Narooma, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
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Bovichtus angustifrons
Bovichtus angustifrons
Bovichtus angustifrons

Distribution

Temperate Australasia


Description

Small fish with a large spine projecting back from the rear of the head. Juvenile dragonet have a drab grey-brown appearance, making them difficult to see in rockpools and on the shallow reefs where they live. Adults generally live in caves in deeper water and often have a bright red background colouration, which blends in with nearby coralline algae-encrusted rock.


Information

Max Size: 28 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 10.3-21.3°C

Depth: 0-20 m

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 (20.8% 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: Solitary (1 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