Species List: La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 10-02-2016

17 species sighted at La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Gary and David on this single, shore entry dive of 145 minutes. Maximum depth  6.4 m, 26 C water temperature and 3 m viz.

Despite the rain the conditions still seem to be holding up in the river allowing us to dive because the constant strong onshore winds have precluded any offshore diving. Flabellina angelvaldesi are in plague proportions reflecting no doubt the existence of plentiful hydroids of their choice. Most of the other sightings were of the usual suspects except the Phyllaplysia sp. 1 which has only been found here once before. This time it was found crawling on Halimeda.

Number of species sighted
* Species with highest specimen count

Atys sp. 1 -1
Bulbaeolidia alba -2
* Flabellina angelvaldesi -100+
Flabellina rubrolineata -2
Goniobranchus aureopurpureus -2
Goniobranchus collingwoodi -2
Goniobranchus daphne -10
Goniobranchus decorus -1
Goniobranchus splendidus -1
Goniobranchus verrieri -1
Goniodoridella sp. 1 -5
Gymnodoris sp. 9 -3
Gymnodoris sp. 10 -1
Hypselodoris obscura -8
Phyllaplysia sp. 1 -1
Pteraeolidia semperi -9
Trinchesia yamasui -1

Phyllaplysia sp. 1 - 4 mm

Goniobranchus aureopurpureus - 50 mm

Goniobranchus daphne - 25 mm

Flabellina rubrolineata - 25 mm

Goniodoridella sp. 1 - 3 mm

Hypselodoris obscura - 10 mm

Bulbaeolidia alba - 8 mm

Trinchesia yamasui - 40 mm

Gymnodoris sp. 9 - 8 mm

Goniobranchus collingwoodi - 25 mm

Flabellina angelvaldesi - 22 mm

Goniobranchus decorus - 12 mm

Species List: La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 07-02-2016

17 species sighted at La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Julie, Terry, David and Gary on this single, shore entry dive of 121 minutes. Maximum depth 7 m, 26 C water temperature and 3 m viz.

Mr Gary Cobb is back on the Sunshine Coast rejoining The Team and keen to find more slugs.

With the amount of rain that has fallen here and in the catchment we had reservations about the condition of the river. Our saviour has been the spring tides pushing the fresh back upstream making the viz quite reasonable. Plenty of gymnodorids were seen and their handiwork was also evident with a number of slugs displaying injuries and having bits and pieces of their anatomy removed.

Number of species sighted
* Species with highest specimen count

Analogium amakusanum -1
Bulbaeolidia alba -2
Cratena simba -1
Elysia pusilla -1
Flabellina angelvaldesi -9
Goniobranchus daphne -7
Goniodoridella sp. 1 -1
Gymnodoris alba -3
Gymnodoris sp. 9 -3
Gymnodoris sp. 10 -7
Hypselodoris obscura -9
Philinopsis falciphallus -1
* Pteraeolidia semperi -25
Trinchesia cf. yamasui -3
Trinchesia sp. 29 -2 (New species)
Trinchesia sp. 24

Trinchesia yamasui -1

Cratena simba 

Goniodoridella sp. 1

Hypselodoris obscura

Gymnodoris sp. 10

Gymnodoris alba

Pteraeolidia semperi

Analogium amakusanum

Philinopsis falciphallus

Trinchesia sp. 24

Bulbaeolidia alba

Trinchesia sp. 29 (New species) - In situ

Trinchesia sp. 29 (New species)

Species List: La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 03-02-2016

14 species sighted at La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Terry and David on this single, afternoon, shore entry dive of 157 minutes. Maximum depth 5.6 m, 26 C water temperature and 2 m viz.

Despite all the recent rain we still had 2 m of visibility with which to grope around for slugs. Halfway through the dive it became very dark due to the arrival of a storm. Torrential rain was still falling when we surfaced and waterfalls were running off the car park areas across the rock revetment into the river. An incredible number of Flabellina angelvaldesi and Pteraeolidia semperi were sighted.

Number of species sighted
* Species with highest specimen count

Doto sp. 3 -5
* Flabellina angelvaldesi -70+
Flabellina rubrolineata -1
Goniobranchus collingwoodi -1
Goniobranchus daphne -2
Goniodoridella sp. 1 -1
Gymnodoris sp. 9 -1
Gymnodoris sp. 10 -2
Hypselodoris obscura -3
Philinopsis gardineri -1
Pleurobranchus weberi -2
Pteraeolidia semperi -30+
Retusa sp. 3 -1 (To be confirmed)
Trinchesia sibogae -1

Doto sp. 3

Pteraeolidia semperi and Flabellina rubrolineata

Pteraeolidia semperi

Flabellina angelvaldesi - anterior end

Goniobranchus collingwoodi

Retusa sp. 3 (To be confirmed) In situ

Retusa sp. 3 (To be confirmed)

Flabellina rubrolineata 

Gymnodoris sp. 10

Gymnodoris sp. 9

Goniobranchus daphne

Species List: La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 27-01-2016

19 species sighted at La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Terry and David on this single shore entry dive of 153 minutes. Maximum depth 6.2 m, 26 C water temperature and 3 m viz.

Quite a number of gymnodorids were out on the hunt. Sighted 5 specimens of Philinopsis orientalis.

Number of species sighted

* Species with highest specimen count

Bulbaeolidia alba -3

Dermatobranchus cf. primus -1

Flabellina angelvaldesi -4

Flabellina rubrolineata  -1

Goniobranchus collingwoodi -1

Goniobranchus daphne -1

Goniobranchus splendidus -1

Goniobranchus verrieri -2

Goniodoridella sp. 1 -2

Gymnodoris alba -1 

Gymnodoris sp. 9 -2

Gymnodoris sp. 10 -3

Hypselodoris obscura -19

Philinopsis orientalis -5

Philinopsis speciosa -2

Phyllodesmium poindimei -1

* Pteraeolidia semperi -35

Trinchesia sibogae -2

Trinchesia sp. 23 -1

Bulbaeolidia alba

 Pteraeolidia semperi -feasting

Philinopsis orientalis

Goniodoridella sp. 1

Goniobranchus collingwoodi - juvenile

Hypselodoris obscura

Goniobranchus verrieri

Trinchesia sibogae

Phyllodesmium poindimei

Phyllodesmium poindimei - many 

cerata autotomized

Philinopsis speciosa

Dermatobranchus cf. primus

Species List: La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 23-01-2016

12 species sighted at La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Julie, Terry and Vanessa on this single evening shore entry dive of 103 minutes. Maximum depth 5.8 m, 26 C water temperature and 5 m viz.

Number of species sighted
* Species with highest specimen count

Chelidonura fulvipunctata -2
Flabellina angelvaldesi -3
Flabellina rubrolineata -1
Hydatina physis -2
Hypselodoris obscura -1
Liloa sp. ? -1(Possible new species - to be confirmed)
Philinopsis lineolata -1
Philinopsis pilsbryi -1
Pleurobranchus peronii -2
* Pteraeolidia semperi -21
Siphopteron sp. 1 -1
Trinchesia sibogae -2

Hydatina physis

Philinopsis lineolata

Siphopteron sp. 1

Liloa sp.

Chelidonura fulvipunctata - a colour form

Chelidonura fulvipunctata - a colour form

Philinopsis pilsbryi

Pteraeolidia semperi

Trinchesia sibogae

Pleurobranchus peronii 

Hypselodoris obscura