© 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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Wilson’s Weedfish

Family Name:	Clinidae
Scientific Name:	Heteroclinus wilsoni (Lucas, 1891)
Recommended Status in S.A:	Data Deficient
Rationale:  Wilson’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 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) there is little knowledge of the distribution within S.A., and no knowledge of population sizes within most of the range (including in S.A.), and (iv) very little is known of the biology and population dynamics.

Page Contents

Current Conservation Status

No listings known

Distribution

Southern Australia

H. wilsoni is found from southern N.S.W. to Tasmania (including Kent Group Islands – Edgar, 1984) and South Australia (Kuiter, 1993 and 1996b; Australian Museum records, CSIRO Marine Research records, Museum of Victoria records, cited in OZCAM database, 2007).
The species is considered to be common on nearshore reefs in Victoria (Edmunds and Hart, 2003).
The species  was collected in Tasmania in 1982 by B. Hutchins (W.A. Museum, pers. comm., 2007), from the following localities: Port Davy (rare); Port Esperance (frequent); Port Arthur (occasional); St Helens (occasional); Bridport (occasional); Low Head (occasional), and Boat Harbour (occasional). Subsequently, IMCRA Technical Group (1996) considered H. wilsoni to be an indicator species for the Tasmanian Province, which extends from the north-eastern tip of Tasmania, encircling the west, south and east coasts, up to north-western extremity of Cape Grim.

South Australia

In S.A., examples of locations where the species has been recorded include Investigator Group islands in the eastern Great Australian Bight (Kuiter, 1983); southern Yorke Peninsula; Kangaroo I. and Gulf St Vincent (e.g. Rapid Bay) (Hoese et al., in Gomon et al., 1994; Australian Museum records, cited in OZCAM database, 2007; data by C. Hall, cited in Baker et al., 2008a).

Habitat

Wilson’s Weedfish is usually found in beds of macroalgae (including kelp) in rocky reef areas (Hoese et al., in Gomon et al., 1994; Kuiter, 1993, 1996b), and has also been recorded in rock pools (e.g. Museum of Victoria record 21791, cited in OZCAM database, 2005).
The depth distribution ranges from the intertidal down to around 20m (Kuiter, 1993, 1996b).

Notes on the Biology

Growth

H. wilsoni is reported to grow to 14cm (Kuiter, 1993, 1996b; 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

H. wilsoni is 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 distribution within S.A., 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.
Reef fish surveys in kelp beds and other stands of macroalgae should be aware of the potential presence of site-associated Clinids such as H. wilsoni, and when found, the presence of such species should be recorded. Weedfish are difficult to identify in situ, and a photographic record should be taken where possible.

Management Requirements

Wilson’s Weedfish is site-associated in nearshore habitats. Habitat protection is required from processes that degrade the quality of nearshore reefs (and associated macroalgae) (e.g. physical damage; eutrophication; siltation etc).

Other Information

The colour of H. wilsoni is extremely variable; the species can assume almost any colour of macroalgae, with or without distinct body patterns of large blotching and banding (Kuiter, 1996b).
The genetic sequence of DNA in Heteroclinus wilsoni has been determined by C. Stepien, and published in NCBI GenBank Sequence Data Base.