Herdmania momus has been recorded off the coast of nearly all Australian states (excluding the Northern Territory) but is most commonly sampled on dive sites surrounding Heron Island; these include Wistari reef, Blue Pools and Tennements (for a map of these dive sites, click here). The north-eastern end of Heron Reef supports an exceptionally high density and diversity of many solitary and colonial ascidian species, with H. momus being no exception (Degnan, 1991). Specifically, H. momus inhabit a band of live and dead coral just behind the reef crest, on the reef slope and within shallow lagoons or pools at depths of up to 10m. Individuals may be found attached to the underside of coral plates, often in crowded groups despite the occurrence of adjacent, vacant plates (Degnan, 1991).
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Student diver Jarrad Oxley uncovering a group of Herdmania momus on a coral plate at Heron Reef |