© 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.

---

Sculptured Seamoth

Family Name:	Pegasidae
Scientific Name:	Pegasus lancifer Kaup, 1861 = Acanthopegasus lancifer McCulloch, 1915
Recommended Status in S.A:	Data Deficient, but probably Least Concern
Rationale:  Although it has a broad geographic range across southern Australia, Sculptured Seamoth is included here because (i) it is a benthic, site-associated, seasonally aggregating species of limited mobility; it generally occurs in low densities; has high social structuring, including  pair bonding and monogamous mating, and these characteristics can increase the vulnerability of such species to over-exploitation and population decline; (ii) it is a minor part of the bycatch in Commonwealth- and State-managed fish and prawn trawl fisheries, and in commercial scallop dredges; (iii) in Tasmania, it is collected for use in the aquarium fish trade, and expansion of such practice to other States in future might increase the overall risk of exploitation faced by populations; (iv) it has been suggested that degradation of inshore sand and seagrass habitats by various agents may adversely affect populations of Sculptured Seamoth; (v) there is inadequate information about relative abundance within the range, and about aggregation over most parts of the range (other than Port Phillip Bay in Victoria), and aspects of the biology (such as fecundity and reproductive success, and longevity). Ideally, surveys of population sizes are required, particularly in areas where the species is part of trawl bycatch, or taken for the aquarium trade. Trawling may be a threatening process for Sculptured Seamoth populations in some areas. The capture of this species in prawn trawl fisheries in South Australia is poorly quantified, yet much of the known depth range and habitat type of this species are within trawlable area.  It is noted that this species is not collected for the traditional medicine trade (in contrast to tropical Pegasids), and therefore, populations of Sculptured Seamoth are likely to be much more secure than those of related tropical species, which are collected in large quantities.

Page Contents

Current Conservation Status

IUCN Red List 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006: Data Deficient
Pogonoski et al. (2002) suggested: Lower Risk – Least Concern, on an Australia-wide basis
Australian Society of Fish Biology 2001 list: Lower Risk - Least Concern
Protected in New South Wales, under the NSW Fisheries Management Act 1994 (as of July, 2004).

Distribution

Southern Australia

Pegasus lancifer is endemic to southern Australian States (Palsson and Pietsch, 1989; IUCN, 2002). It is found from Rottnest Island in W.A., through to southern Victoria, Bass Strait islands (e.g. the Kent Group), and around Tasmania, (Palsson and Pietsch, 1989; Edgar, 1984; Edgar, 1997, cited by Pogonoski et al., 2002; Resource Planning and Development Commission, 2002; IUCN, 2002).

South Australia

In South Australia, the species is known from a number of areas across the State, such as the Great Australian Bight; Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf; Investigator Strait; Kangaroo Island, and the South-East.
Examples of locations where the Sculptured Seamoth has been recorded include the eastern Great Australian Bight (e.g. near St Peter Island, and further south in the Venus Bay / Anxious Bay area, and Mount Dutton Bay); central Spencer Gulf (e.g. “The Gutter”, and Wallaroo Jetty, and also deeper waters off the Franklin Harbour area); south-western Spencer Gulf (e.g. Port Lincoln / Boston Bay area – including old museum records, from 1890 and 1920, and Tumby Bay area); south-eastern Spencer gulf (including records from Hardwicke Bay area); south-eastern and south-western Gulf St Vincent (e.g. Troubridge I. area; Edithburgh); Investigator Strait (e.g. north of Point Marsden, northern Kangaroo Island, and other locations); and the lower South-East (Gerloff Bay and Carpenters Rocks) (Glover, in Gomon et al., 1994; Anonymous, 2001b; photographs by C. Harmer, December, 2002; photograph by K. Gowlett-Holmes; Australian Museum, 2004z; S.A. Museum records, Museum of Victoria records, cited in OZCAM database, 2007; Currie and Sorokin, 2010).
During a trawl survey in Spencer Gulf in 2007, this species was recorded at 9 of 120 trawl stations, in central and southern (particularly south-eastern) Spencer Gulf (Currie and Sorokin, 2010).

Habitat

P. lancifer is mainly a bottom-dwelling species, most often found on sand or mud, in or near seagrass (Glover, in Gomon et al., 1994) or near low rubble reef (Kuiter, 1996a, cited by Pogonoski et al., 2002). Hutchins and Swainston (1986) reported the habitat of Sculptured Seamoth in most parts of southern Australia to be silt bottoms in estuaries and bays. Kuiter (1993, 2000) reported that, in the upper part of the depth range, the species is often found over shallow sand flats, near seagrass beds.
The reported depth range is from the intertidal / shallow subtidal, down to around 55m (Paxton et al. 1989; Glover, in Gomon et al. 1994; Australian Museum, 2004z).
In spring, Sculptured Seamoths enter sandy bays to breed, sometimes congregating in estuarine shallows (Palsson and Pietsch, 1989, cited by Pogonoski et al., 2002).

Notes on Biology and Behaviour

Growth

Sculptured Seamoth is a small species that grows to about 11cm (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986, 2001; Australian Museum, 2004z) or 12cm (Kuiter, 1996a, 2000).

Diet

Sculptured Seamoths often crawl over the seabed on their paired fins in search of food such as small crustaceans, worms and molluscs (Glover, in Gomon et al. 1994). During a study in Spencer Gulf, the gut contents of 7 specimens were examined, and crustaceans were found in 100% of those guts which contained food (currie and Sorokin, 2010).

Reproduction

In spring, seamoths enter sandy bays to breed, sometimes congregating in small numbers (Glover, in Gomon et al., 1994) or large numbers (Kuiter, 1993), prior to males and females pairing up (Kuiter, 1985, 1993). Males have ornamental patches on the edges of their pectoral fins for displaying to females. Spawning involves the pair swimming upwards together, to several metres from the substrate. They quickly dart back after the release of eggs and sperm, which float to the surface. These activities have been observed to occur towards dusk on high tides (Kuiter, 1985, 1993).
 Eggs, larvae and young juveniles are pelagic. Juveniles may float into tidal pools (Kuiter, 1993). Juveniles later become benthic adults (Kuiter 1985, 1993; Glover, in Gomon et al. 1994).

Migration / Aggregation

Seasonal migrations are suggested by the fact that Sculptured Seamoths are trawled with prawns only during certain times of the year (Kuiter, 1985; Vincent, 1997, cited by Pogonoski et al., 2002).

Behaviour

Seamoths are mostly buried in the substrate during the day and active at dusk. Pegasus lancifer camouflages itself by rapidly changing colours to match its surroundings and occasionally burrow into the substrate to escape predators (Kuiter, 1985, 1993; Glover, in Gomon et al., 1994).

Other Information

In Victoria and Tasmania, Sculptured Seamoth has been recorded as a minor part of the diet of the Little Penguin Eudyptula minor (Montague and Cullen, 1988; Gales and Pemberton, 1990).

Fisheries Information

Commonwealth-managed Fisheries

The species is a minor part of the bycatch in some of the Commonwealth fisheries operating in southern Australian waters (e.g. the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fisheries - SESSF) (AFMA, 2002a), which includes the South East Trawl Fishery (SETF).  In the otter trawl sub-fishery of the SETF, an Integrated Scientific Monitoring Program (ISMP) reported that in 2 trawl shots, 2 kg of P. lancifer were discarded, and none was retained (Wayte et al., 2004). In the Danish seine sub-fishery of the SETF, the ISMP recorded only 10g of this species in one shot, and that was discarded (Wayte et al., 2004).
Sculptured Seamoth also forms a small component of the bycatch from commercial scallop dredging in Bass Strait (see Haddon and Semmens, 2001 and 2002). During a research survey in the fishing grounds in 2002, Haddon and Semmens (2002) recorded 3 Sculptured Seamoths in 59 scallop tows. The previous year (2001), the same number (3) of P. lancifer specimens was caught during a bycatch survey of 40 tows (35 random, 5 non-random) (Haddon and Semmens, 2001).

States - Commercial

The species is also caught seasonally as bycatch in prawn trawlers operating in southern Australia (Kuiter, 1985, cited by IUCN, 2002, 2006), including prawn trawls in Gulf St Vincent / Investigator Strait, and the eastern Great Australian Bight (South Australian Museum data, Museum of Victoria data, cited in OZCAM database, 2007).  It is noted that Sculptured Seamoth was not included in the list of species recorded in the bycatch of prawn trawlers in Spencer Gulf, during surveys in the 1990s (e.g. Carrick, 1997), yet the species is found in the trawl grounds of Spencer Gulf (e.g. Currie and Sorokin, 2010), and this therefore likely to be part of the bycatch.
There are museum specimens of P. lancifer taken by scallop dredging in Port Phillip Bay (Museum of Victoria records, cited in OZCAM database, 2007).
P. lancifer is sold in the international aquarium market. In Tasmania, under the Tasmanian Fisheries (Scalefish) Rules 2004, Regulation 100, there is a commercial fishing possession limitation of a maximum of 3 Sculptured Seamoths per licence holder per day, due to the development of a separate aquarium trade. However, it is noted that Pegasus lancifer was not listed by DPIWE Tasmania (2005b) in the list of designated species taken in the marine aquarium fish fishery in Tasmania. The number of specimens taken per annum from Tasmanian waters is not known for this report.

States – Recreational

Sculptured Seamoth is not edible, and therefore not targeted by recreational fishers. No data could be found for this report, on the recreational capture of this species.

Vulnerable Characteristics of the Species

Seamoths may be unsuited for heavy exploitation as they occur at low densities (Kuiter, 1985; Pajaro et al., 2004).
Behavioural studies have shown that seamoths exhibit high social structuring, with close pair bonding and a monogamous mating system over time. The behaviour and ecology would probably make them vulnerable to over-exploitation (in some areas) (Kuiter, 1985; Vincent, 1997; Project Seahorse Website, 1999, cited by Pogonoski et al., 2002).
Seamoths are site-associated benthic species of limited mobility, characteristics that could make populations vulnerable to habitat impacts in some areas.

Threatening Processes

This benthic species is vulnerable to seasonal capture in prawn trawls and fish trawls (e.g. Kuiter, 1985; South Australian Museum data, Museum of Victoria data, cited in OZCAM database, 2006; Wayte et al., 2004). Trawling may be a threatening process to some populations, but more data are required. In a recent draft ecological risk assessment of the South East Trawl and Danish Seine Fishery (Wayte et al., 2004), 2 “productivity attributes” and 6 “attributes of susceptibility” for P. lancifer were used to categorise it as a “medium risk” species; i.e. susceptible to population impacts from trawling. In addition to direct impacts from mortality due to capture in trawls, this gear type may also have indirect effects on habitat used by P. lancifer (IUCN, 2002, 2006).
Given the limited depth range, strong site association and benthic nature of seamoths, reduction in habitat quality in nearshore areas may be threaten populations of this species. Examples may include dredging, coastal developments, effluent discharge, and invasion of exotic benthic species, amongst other agents of habitat degradation. Unpolluted, soft-bottom sandy and muddy habitats (including those associated with seagrass) are considered important to the survival of Sculptured Seamoth (Pogonoski et al., 2002). It is noted that Neira and Sporcic (2002) reported that ecosystem changes in Port Phillip Bay during the past few decades, including the introduction of exotic species, may have been responsible for the absence of Pegasus lancifer larvae in that bay during 1995/96 sampling, compared with 1983/84 (e.g. Jenkins, 1986).
There is no known trade for this species at the present time, but it is thought that the traditional medicine trade would be a threat to this species, if it entered the trade in future (Vincent, 1997, cited by Pogonoski et al., 2002, and IUCN, 2002, 2006).

Research Requirements

In most parts of the range (including South Australia), there is little knowledge of abundance, because there have been no quantitative surveys (Pogonoski et al., 2002). Therefore, no information is available on population trends (IUCN, 2002).
In addition to population abundance, more information is required on various aspects of the life history, such as longevity, seasonal aggregation (particularly in areas other than Port Phillip Bay), and reproductive success.

Management Requirements

In S.A., a system should be developed for the ongoing collection and monitoring of bycatch data from the Gulf St Vincent Prawn Fishery and the West Coast Prawn Fishery (as currently occurs in the Spencer Gulf Prawn Trawl Fishery), sufficient to enable identification of long-term trends in bycatch (Australian Government DEH, 2004b).
Where possible, methods are recommended to reduce the trawl bycatch of benthic, site-associated fish species such as Sculptured Seamoth.
A sustainability assessment of the capture of Sculptured Seamoths for the aquarium trade should be undertaken, and the annual take (e.g. from Tasmania) should be monitored.
In future, if this species ever becomes present in the Chinese medicine trade, its take from southern Australian waters should be monitored (Vincent, 1997; Pogonoski et al., 2002).

Other Information

P. lancifer is likely to occur in a number of marine protected areas, such as the Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Pogonoski et al., 2002).
Pogonoski et al. (2002) reported that there is no evidence of any declines for this species, and that the conservation status of Sculptured Seamoth remains relatively secure, considering its wide distribution across the southern part of Australia, and the fact that it is not used in the medicine trade.

Support for S.A. Listing:

Graham Edgar (University of Tasmania), and Barry Hutchins (ex-WA Museum), both recommending Data Deficient category.