parks victoria technical series marine natural values study vol 2 ...
parks victoria technical series marine natural values study vol 2 ...
parks victoria technical series marine natural values study vol 2 ...
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Parks Victoria Technical Series No. 79<br />
Flinders and Twofold Shelf Bioregions Marine Natural Values Study<br />
Fish<br />
The fish assemblages associated with the Twofold Shelf bioregion Phyllospora communities<br />
are quite different to Phyllospora communities elsewhere in Victoria (Parks Victoria 2003).<br />
These fish assemblages have characteristics typical of both eastern and southern temperate<br />
waters (Williams et al. 2007). There are high abundances of banded morwong, Maori wrasse<br />
Ophthalmolepis lineolata, one-spot puller Chromis hypsilepis and white-ear damselfish<br />
Parma microlepis (Williams et al. 2007; Edmunds et al. 2010b). Species such as the mado<br />
Atypichthys strigatus, rock cale Crinodus lophodon, purple wrasse Notolabrus fucicola and<br />
the blue morwong Nemadactylus douglasii are regularly observed (Ball and Blake 2007;<br />
Williams et al. 2007). The fish assemblages in Point Hicks MNP are distinct from Beware<br />
Reef and Cape Howe (Edmunds et al. 2010b). They are dominated by large numbers of<br />
blue-throated wrasse Notolabrus tetricus and particularly the purple wrasse (Edmunds et al.<br />
2005; Williams et al. 2007; Edmunds et al. 2010b). The eastern blue grouper Achoerodus<br />
viridis is also a prominent species in the MNP, but present in low numbers (Parks Victoria<br />
2003). The density of herring cale Odax cyanomelas can show large temporal variations and<br />
the densities of sea sweep Scorpis aequipinnis is generally low (Edmunds et al. 2010b).<br />
Zebra fish Girella zebra can occur in large numbers (Williams et al. 2007). The banded<br />
morwong is common over both shallow and deep reef (Ball and Blake 2007). Schools of<br />
butterfly perch Caesioperca lepidoptera (Figures 24 and 25) can be observed in deeper<br />
areas where sessile invertebrates start to dominate (Ball and Blake 2007).<br />
Figure 25. A school of butterfly perch Caesioperca lepidoptera over a subtidal reef sponge garden in<br />
Point Hicks Marine National Park. Photo by Mark Norman, Museum of Victoria.<br />
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