Thursday, March 14, 2019

Species List: 14-03-2019, Toilet Block, La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Qld.

16 species sighted at Toilet Block, La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Qld, 14-03-2019.

A single solo shore entry dive by Gary of 202 minutes. Maximum depth 6.6 m, 27 C water temperature and up to 10 m viz and no current.

Today looked like a nice summer day to dive. The water looked clear and warm. Upon reaching the bottom it was 'clear' to me this would be a nice dive. A Barracuda followed me for a half hour. Finding a rather large Dendrodoris nigra with egg mass and Sebadoris fragilis from under rocks was a real treat. What surprized me the most was find a very small Flabellina lotos on the sand at 1.5 m as well as Tenellia sp. 17 on a rock at the same depth. Another new species of Unidentia was also found from under a rock, it has purple rings on the rhinophores and oral tentacles, plus the white tips of the rhinophores have purple blotches. To top the dive off was the number of animals I saw, a total of 135 animals were recorded.

Species and number thereof sighted
* Species with highest specimen count

Dendrodoris nigra -1
Eubranchus sp. 3 -1
Eubranchus sp. 10 -2
Flabellina lotos -21
Goniobranchus splendidus -5
Goniobranchus daphne -14
Goniodoridella savignyi -8
Goniodoridella sp. 1 -31
Goniodoridella sp. 5 -2
Hypselodoris obscura -10
* Pteraeolidia semperi -35
Sebadoris fragilis -1
Tenellia sibogae -1
Tenellia sp. 17 -1
Tubulophilinopsis pilsbryi -1
Unidentia sp. 8 -1 NEW SPECIES/NEW RECORD FOR RIVER

Entry

Eubranchus sp. 10

Goniodoridella sp. 1

Hypselodoris obscura

Flabellina lotos

Substrate

Channel marker

Pteraeolidia semperi

The surface from the bottom

Unidentia sp. 8  NEW SPECIES

Sebadoris fragilis

Sebadoris fragilis ventral side

Substrate

A headless Pteraeolidia semperi crawling

Flabellina lotos

Goniodoridella savignyi

Goniodoridella savignyi

Tubulophilinopsis pilsbryi

Tubulophilinopsis pilsbryi

Flabellina lotos

Goniobranchus daphne

Goniobranchus splendidus

Tenellia sibogae

Goniodoridella sp. 5

Tenellia sp. 17

Goniodoridella sp. 5

Dendrodoris nigra

Flabellina lotos

Eubranchus sp. 3