© Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia Full citation Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia: Volume 1 - Bony and Cartilaginous Fishes. Report for the South Australian Working Group for Marine Species of Conservation Concern. J. Baker (consultant); Science and Conservation Division, and Coast and Marine Conservation branches of S.A. Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH); Marine and Coastal Community Network of S.A. (MCCN), and Threatened Species Network (TSN). Web version published by Reef Watch, South Australia.

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Frosted Snake-blenny / Frosted Snake Blenny / Gabriel’s Snake-blenny

Family Name:	Clinidae / Ophiclinidae
Scientific Name:	Ophiclinus gabrieli (Waite, 1906)
Recommended Status in S.A:	Data Deficient
Rationale:  Frosted Snake-blenny is included in this list because (i) it is a benthic species, strongly site-associated in nearshore habitats, likely found over a narrow depth range, and may thus be vulnerable to habitat impacts in some areas (e.g. dredging / channel clearing, and possibly trawling); (ii) members of the Clinidae family are viviparous, and therefore have low dispersive ability, a characteristic that can increase vulnerability to processes causing population decline; and (iii) very little is known of the full distribution, relative abundance and biology of this species.

Page Contents

Current Conservation Status

No listings known
 

Distribution

Southern Australia

Reported to occur along the SE coast of Australia, from Kangaroo Island S.A., eastwards to northern Tasmania (Kuiter, 1993, 1996b; Edgar, 2000). In Victoria, the species has been reported from shallow waters of Wilsons Promontory (Hoese et al., in Gomon et al., 1994), Port Phillip Bay (Museum of Victoria records, cited in OZCAM database, 2007) and Western Port Bay, the latter of which is the type locality (Eschmeyer, 2001).
IMCRA Technical Group (1996) considered Ophiclinus gabrieli to be one of the indicator species for the Bass Strait Province, which extends from King Island in the west and the Furneaux and Kent Group of islands in the east. The north-western margin is just east of Cape Otway and extends east to Wilsons Promontory. The southern limits extend along the Tasmanian coast from Cape Grim to Cape Portland.

South Australia

There are few published records, and most of those come from the gulfs region. Examples of locations in S.A. where the species has been recorded include Outer Harbour area (Fairhead et al., 2002b; Tanner et al., 2003) and Section Bank in Gulf St Vincent (Cheshire et al., 2002); Stokes Bay on Kangaroo Island (Anonymous, 2001a); Victor Harbor area in Encounter Bay (B. Hutchins, pers. comm., 2007); Port Hughes and Port Victoria in mid-eastern Spencer Gulf (photograph by J. Lewis, August, 2003, 2005) and Point Turton in south-eastern Spencer Gulf (S.A. Museum record).

Habitat

The species occurs in a variety of habitat types. O gabrieli is found seagrass areas, commonly amongst blackened, dead, Amphibolis seagrass leaves, as occurs in Western Port Bay, Victoria (Kuiter, 1993). In northern Tasmania (e.g. Green’s Beach), O. gabrieli has been collected from tidal rock pools (Anonymous, 2001a, cited in Froese and Pauly, 2006). In South Australia, examples of shallow subtidal habitats in which the species has been recorded include (i) amongst Cystophora macroalgae (S.A. Museum record); (ii) in sandy substrate with sparse Halophila seagrass cover, near rock outcrops (with Pinna shells, turfing red algae and Sabellid worms) (Cheshire et al., 2002), and (iii) fine sandy substrate with sparse Caulerpa and turfing red algae (e.g. Fairhead et al., 2002b).

Notes on the Biology

O. gabrieli grows to around 16cm (Kuiter, 1993) or 17cm (Hoese et al., in Gomon et al., 1994).

Vulnerable Characteristics of the Species

Members of the Clinidae are site-associated in coastal areas of seagrass and macroalgae, and processes which damage such habitats may adversely affect populations of Clinid species.
Members of the family are viviparous (bear live young), and therefore reproduce at a local, site-associated level, and have low dispersive ability, characteristics that can increase vulnerability to processes causing population decline.

Threatening Processes

Channel clearing / dredging may pose a threat to populations of Frosted Snake-blenny, which has been recorded from a number of nearshore areas with heavy boating traffic and channel maintenance works such as periodic dredging. Given that the species is benthic, has been recorded in soft bottom habitats, and has limited mobility and localised reproduction, then processes such as nearshore trawling may also pose a threat to populations of Frosted Snake-blenny in some areas, but there are no data.

Research Requirements

There is little information about the full distribution, depth range, biology and population dynamics of this species. Information on the distribution, relative abundance, habitat requirements and biology may help in better determining the susceptibility of snake-blennies to threats such as habitat degradation. However, the difficulty of determining distribution and relative abundance of small, cryptic, benthic species such as snake-blennies is noted.

Management Requirements

Generally, protection from degradation is required for nearshore seagrass, reef and rubble habitats in which this species may reside.