© 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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Snakeskin Wrasse

Family Name:	Labridae
Scientific Name:	Eupetrichthys angustipes Ramsay and Ogilby, 1888
Recommended Status in S.A:	Data Deficient, possibly Least Concern
Rationale:  Although Snakeskin Wrasse has a broad geographic range across southern Australia, it is included here because it (i) is a site-associated Labrid, and members of the family are intrinsically vulnerable due to their habitat association, and demography / life history characteristics; (ii) occurs over a relatively narrow depth range; (iii) may be less common in S.A. than in south-eastern and south-western Australia. The status of the species in S.A. cannot easily be determined due to lack of data on populations sizes around the State; lack of data on the biology and life history characteristics of the species; and lack of data of the extent of threatening processes over the range.  It is noted that in S.A., the species is not targeted in fisheries, and there is currently no evidence of population decline.  The specific impacts of nearshore habitat degradation on site-associated species such as wrasses should be investigated.

Page Contents

Current Conservation Status

No listings known

Distribution

Southern Australia

Snakeskin Wrasse is recorded from northern New South Wales through to south-western Western Australia, although it is less common along the southern coastline (Australian Museum, 2004s).
The species also occurs around Tasmania, and the Kent Group (Edgar, 1984).

South Australia

Examples of locations within S.A. where Snakeskin Wrasse has been recorded, usually in low numbers, include islands in the Nuyts Archipelago (e.g. St Francis I.); Investigator group of islands; eastern Great Australian Bight (e.g. Point Sinclair, Speeds Point and Waterloo Bay); south-western Spencer Gulf (e.g. Memory Cove); southern Eyre Peninsula (e.g. Price I.); north-east Kangaroo Island (e.g. various sites in the Kangaroo Head to Penneshaw area, and also the Snapper Point area); sites along the Fleurieu Peninsula (e.g. Rapid Head, Second Valley, Cape Jervis and other locations); deeper waters of central Gulf St Vincent (e.g. off Aldinga), and at the Western Isles, in the Althorpe group of islands (Kuiter, 1983; Russell, 1988; K. Branden and S. Shepherd, unpublished data, 1987; Shepherd and Brook, 2003; S. Shepherd and K. Brown, unpublished data, 2003; Australian Museum and S.A. Museum records, cited in OZCAM database, 2005; S. Shepherd and J. Brook, unpublished data, 2004; Shepherd et al., 2005; Edgar et al., 2006).
During the early 1980s, a survey of the reef fish fauna of the Investigator group of islands in the eastern Great Australian Bight, recorded Snakeskin Wrasse as being common in waters deeper than 10m (Kuiter, 1983).
During a survey in 2002 of the reef fish fauna of the St Francis Isles in the Nuyts Archipelago, Snakeskin Wrasse were recorded in about 6% of 53 surveyed transects, with a density of less than 2 per 250m² (Shepherd and Brook, 2003b).

Habitat

Snakeskin Wrasse is reported to occur in exposed reef areas, between 4m and 40m deep (Edgar, 2000). The species has also been reported from estuaries (e.g. in Hawkesbury River, in New South Wales – Anonymous, 2000d).
The Snakeskin Wrasse lives on sandy patches near vegetated and rocky areas, between about 4m and 40m depth (Edgar, 2000; Australian Museum, 2004s), and has been recorded over both seagrass (e.g. Posidonia and Amphibolis) and macroalgae. Divers have also reported the species over sponge “gardens”.
During a survey in 2002 of the reef fish fauna of the St Francis Isles in the Nuyts Archipelago, Snakeskin Wrasse were recorded on relatively sheltered reefs, but not on heavily wave-exposed reefs (Shepherd and Brook, 2003b).
During a survey of nearshore habitats in south-western Australia, E. angustipes was recorded on shallow subtidal reefs with macroalgae cover of medium density, and also on granite reefs deeper than 30m, characterised by a sparse cover of macroalgae or sponges (Harvey et al., 2004).
In a study of Labrid species composition on boulder reefs of varying wave exposure in N.S.W., Fulton and Bellwood (2004) reported that E. angustipes was found mainly on the sheltered, shallow (to 6m), lee side of the boulder reef.

Notes on the Biology

Growth

The Snakeskin Wrasse grows to around 20cm (Edgar, 2000). During a survey in 2002 at the Nuyts Archipelago in western South Australia, the average size of observed specimens was approximately 15.8cm (SE 1.3) (Shepherd and Brook, 2003).

Diet

The species eats benthic invertebrates (Russell, 1988, cited in Froese and Pauly, 2006).

Behaviour

The Snakeskin Wrasse is sometimes seen lying on its side on the bottom, with its head pointing towards the surface. It is commonly observed swimming at an angle to the bottom, with its head pointing upwards and its tail just above the substrate (Australian Museum, 2004s).
The species is reported to have a significantly slower swimming speed compared with Labrids that occur in areas of faster water movement, on exposed reefs (Fulton and Bellwood, 2004).

Fisheries Information

The species is not targeted; however it may be part of the bycatch in some fisheries. For example, there is a record of Snakeskin Wrasse having been taken by prawn trawling at approximately 40m deep, in central Gulf St Vincent (South Australian Museum record F06241, cited in OZCAM database, 2005).
Snakeskin Wrasse E. angustipes is collected in Tasmania under permit, and sold on the international aquarium market. For this species, permitted catches per annum were not listed in recent documentation about the industry (e.g. DPIWE Tasmania 2005b; Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2005b).
There is no information on the recreational catch of this species, other than anecdotal reports of the species being taken uncommonly by spear fishing (see section above on Labridae, for information about recreational catches in S.A. of all wrasses collectively).

Vulnerable Characteristics of the Species and Threatening Processes

As is the case with other temperate Labrids, Snakeskin Wrasse has a number of characteristics that make the species vulnerable to over-exploitation, and population decline.
The species is strongly site-associated within nearshore habitats, in the vicinity of seagrass and macroalgae. In some parts of its range, such nearshore habitats are subject to damaging processes, such as eutrophication from sewage and wastewater discharges, sedimentation, physical damage from dredging and near-shore developments, amongst other impacts (e.g. for Gulf St Vincent in S.A., see Cheshire et al., 1998; Cheshire and Westphalen, 2000; Turner and Cheshire, 2002; Baker, 2004; Westphalen et al., 2005).
The species has been recorded in prawn trawling bycatch; however the extent to which this process may threaten populations in S.A. is not known. It is noted that, in an Australian study of the susceptibility of trawl-caught fishes to population impacts (Stobutski et al., 2000, 2001), fishes in the Labridae were amongst those whose populations were considered to have a low recovery time when trawled, and overall, were considered least likely to be sustainable if trawled (Stobutski et al., 2001).

Research Requirements

There is a lack of data on the (i) relative abundance / populations sizes within the range (including South Australia); (ii) the biology, life history characteristics and population dynamics of the species; and (iii) the extent (and potential effects) of commercial bycatch and recreational fishing on this species.

Management Requirements

Ongoing control of impacts that reduce the quality and cover of nearshore reef and seagrass habitats.
Plans for marine protected areas in S.A. should give due consideration to the declaration of nearshore sanctuary zones that include such site-associated species as Snakeskin Wrasse.

Other Information

The species is known to occur in a number of protected areas in Victoria, such as Wilsons Promontory, and Gabo I. (Edmunds et al., 2003; Plummer et al., 2003).
Snakeskin Wrasse is promoted as one of the reef fish species that can be seen at some of the popular dive locations around New South Wales.