The Pygmy Leatherjacket (Brachaluteres jacksonianus) belongs to the Leatherjackets family Monacanthidae and is one of the smallest Leatherjacket species. They can be found around the southern waters of Australia from northern New South Wales around the south to Geraldton in Western Australia. The colour of the Pygmy Leatherjacket varies greatly can they can be found to be green, white, yellow, orange and even dark brown.
They can be found in a wide range of habitats including coastal reefs, estuaries and coastal bays. They can be seen hiding in amongst sponge gardens and kelp forests and within shallow seagrass beds. At night time they can be found slipping in amongst sponges and weed and they anchor themselves by biting onto the weed or sponge structure. This is a common trait amongst many leatherjacket species. The Pygmy Leatherjacket grows to a maximum length of 9cm.
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