© 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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Kuiter’s Weedfish

Family Name:	Clinidae
Scientific Name:	Heteroclinus kuiteri Hoese and Rennis, 2006
Recommended Status in S.A:	Data Deficient
Rationale:  Kuiter’s Weedfish is included here because (i) the species is strongly site-associated in nearshore habitats, may occur over a narrow depth range, and may thus be vulnerable to habitat impacts in some areas (such as degradation of nearshore macroalgae-covered reefs), but there are no specific data; (ii) Clinids reproduce at a small, site-associated scale (and have live young), characteristics that may increase the species vulnerability to population decline; (iii) the full geographic range is not known due to lack of published records; and (iv) there is little knowledge of population sizes within the range (including in South Australia), and very little is known of the biology and population dynamics.

Page Contents

Current Conservation Status

No listings known

Distribution

Southern Australia

The species has been recorded from few localities, in Victoria (e.g. Port Phillip Bay and Westernport Bay), South Australia, and south-western W.A. (e.g. Cosy Corner, near Albany and Sandy Hook I. off Esperance, WA. (Hoese and Rennis, 2006).

South Australia

There are few records from South Australia, with one of the only published examples being a specimen collected in the Port Lincoln area, in south-western Spencer Gulf, in 1968 (Hoese and Rennis, 2006). A probable sighting was made under Stenhouse Bay jetty (south-western Yorke Peninsula) in March 2008 (A. Brown, pers. obs., cited in Baker et al., 2008a), but no photographic evidence is yet available.

Habitat

The species is associated with rocks and macroalgae in shallow water. Specimens have been recorded to date from depths of 5–13m (Hoese and Rennis, 2006).

Notes on the Biology

Growth

H. kuiteri grows to around 7cm (Hoese et al., in Gomon et al., 1994).
No estimates of longevity were found for this report; however, it is noted that post-settlement growth is rapid, and a study of 12 weedfish species in south-eastern Australia showed that most of the reproductive populations consist of fishes in the 1 + year-class (Gunn and Thresher, 1991).

Reproduction

Temperate weedfishes are viviparous, many are “super-foetate” (simultaneously developing multiple batches of eggs and/or embryo) and reproduce over several months in spring and summer (Gunn and Thresher, 1991). Maternal investment in the nutrition of the young is high. After parturition, the larvae spend from 3 to 7 weeks in the plankton, primarily in in-shore waters (Gunn and Thresher, 1991).

Vulnerable Characteristics of the Species and Threatening Processes

Members of the Clinidae are site-associated in coastal reef areas of with 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.

Research Requirements

Very little is known of the population sizes within the range (including S.A.), and the biology and population dynamics. Information on the distribution, relative abundance, habitat requirements and biology may help in better determining the susceptibility of weedfishes to threats such as habitat degradation. However, the difficulty of determining distribution and relative abundance of small, cryptic, benthic species such as weedfishes is noted.

Management Requirements

Kuiter’s Weedfish is site-associated in nearshore habitats. Habitat protection is required from processes that degrade the quality of nearshore seagrass beds and nearshore reefs (and associated macroalgae) (e.g. physical damage from dredging / channel clearing, shallow water boating etc; and also eutrophication; siltation etc).