Friday, September 13, 2019

Species List: 12-09-2019, Toilet Block, La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Qld.

28 species sighted at Toilet Block, La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, La Balsa Park, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, 12-09-2019.

A single shore entry dive by Gary, David and Brenton of 150 minutes. Maximum depth 6.7 m, 19 C water temperature and up to 8 m viz.

The water clarity still looks great from the shore and off we went. 10 species were recorded before we turned into the channel, and I thought this is going to be good!Right after descending a small Elysia coodgeensis was spotted. Two Polycera sp. 1 were found under a rock on a bryozoan. Ceratosoma tenue is still in the area ('One-horn' as it is affectionately called with it's single rhinophore). Three species were also found that don't match anything we have and so 3 new species are recorded. It was nice to turn over another rock only to find a large orange Pleurobranchus peronii. It was great but upsetting to find two Gymnodoris species eating Aeolid nudibranchs, one of which is a new species...bum!

Species and number thereof sighted
* Species with highest specimen count

Bulbaeolidia alba -1
Ceratosoma tenue -1
Costasiella sp. 1 -1
Cratena lineata -7
Doto sp. 6 -3
Elysia coodgeensis -1
Eubranchus sp. 16 -2 NEW SPECIES
Facelina bourailli -2
Favorinus sp. 1 -2
Flabellina lotos -6
Goniobranchus daphne -5
Goniobranchus decorus -1
Goniodoridella savignyi -2
* Goniodoridella sp. 1 -25
Gymnodoris sp. 10 -2
Gymnodoris sp. 17 -6
Gymnodoris sp. 22 -1
Hypselodoris obscura -3
Hypselodoris zephyra -1
Niparaya sp. 7 -1
Pleurobranchus peronii -1
Polycera sp. 1 -2
Pteraeolidia semperi -18
Tenellia sibogae -3
Tenellia sp. 23 -1
Tenellia sp. 56 -1 NEW SPECIES
Tenellia sp. 57 -1 NEW SPECIES
Unidentia sp. 1 -1


Early morning entry

Ready to search

Substrate

Warming up

Elysia coodgeensis

 Favorinus sp. 1

Eubranchus sp. 16  NEW SPECIES

Gymnodoris sp. 17

Facelina bourailli

Cratena lineata 

Hypselodoris obscura

Polycera sp. 1 

Substrate

Doto sp. 6

Doto sp. 6

Pteraeolidia semperi

Niparaya sp. 7

Costasiella sp. 1 with "puffed out" cerata

Tenellia sibogae

Channel marker

Tenellia sp. 56  NEW SPECIES

Goniodoridella sp. 1

 Gymnodoris sp. 10

Goniobranchus daphne

Flabellina lotos and Cratena lineata

Goniodoridella savignyi

Unidentia sp. 1

Gymnodoris sp. 10 eating Tenellia sp. 57  NEW SPECIES

Gymnodoris sp. 22 eating Tenellia sp. 23

Flabellina lotos and Cratena lineata

Unknown animal

Bulbaeolidia alba

Pleurobranchus peronii

Goniobranchus decorus

Substrate

Ceratosoma tenue

Polycera sp. 1 pair

Goniobranchus decorus

Gymnodoris sp. 10 eating Tenellia sp. 56  NEW SPECIES

Polycera sp. 1 

Hypselodoris zephyra