Julie, Terry, Gary and David on this excursion consisting of 1 x 96 minute and 1 x 77 minute dives in water depths from 13 m to 17 m. 5 m viz, 24 C water temp and a little surge.
Colder dirty water greeted us as we descended on the dive. The River and Old Woman Island have been delivering 26-27 C water temperatures lately but the deeper sites are hanging on to their cooler water (relatively speaking that is). The ridges and ravines of this site provide a number of different habitats and this is reflected in the species count. The first thing to get our attention was the large numbers of Tylodina corticalis making a meal of their preferred grey/yellow sponge. Some of these sponges were totally decimated whilst others were covered in several of the feeding slugs or their spawn. It'll be a boom followed by a bust if the sponges don't keep up. Goniobranchus coi was a rare find especially at 70 mm in length - a new size record.
Number of each species sighted: 1st dive/2nd dive
* Species with highest specimen count
Aegires citrinus 1/4
Aegires flores 3/5
Aegires gardineri 2/5
Aegires incusus 1/-
Bornella anguilla 4/1
Cadlinella ornatissima 1/-
Chelidonura inornata 1/-
Chromodoris elisabethina 1/3
Chromodoris kuiteri -/4
Chromodoris sp. 1 2/-
Chromodoris willani -/1
Dermatobranchus fasciatus -/1
Dermatobranchus ornatus 2/4
Dermatobranchus sp. 8 1/-
Doriprismatica atromarginata 27/7
Elysia maoria 27/5
Flabellina rubrolineata -/1
Glossodoris vespa 1/-
Goniobranchus coi -/1
Goniobranchus collingwoodi -/1
Goniobranchus decorus -/1
Goniobranchus geometricus -/3
Goniobranchus splendidus 3/4
Goniodoridella savigny 1/-
Gymnodoris alba 1/-
Gymnodoris sp. 10 2/-
Hypselodoris bullockii -/1
Hypselodoris jacksoni 7/10
Hypselodoris maritima -/1
Hypselodoris whitei 1/3
Mexichromis macropus 1/-
Mexichromis trilineata 2/-
Miamira magnifica -/1
Nembrotha purpureolineata -/1
Phyllidia ocellata 3/1
Phyllidia varicosa 2/1
Phyllidiella lizae 1/2
Phyllidiella pustulosa 1/3
Phyllidiopsis burni -/1
Phyllodesmium magnum -/1
Phyllodesmium sp. 2 1/-
Pteraeolidia semperi -/1
Roboastra luteolineata 2/-
Sagaminopteron ornatum 9/7
Sagaminopteron psychedelicum -/1
Tambja victoriae 1/-
Tenellia sp. 33 1/-
Thorunna sp. 1 2/-
Thuridilla splendens 2/6
Tritoniopsis elegans 5/8
*Tylodina corticalis 60/11
Cadlinella ornatissima
Phyllidia varicosa
Roboastra luteolineata
Dermatobranchus ornatus
Gymnodoris sp. 10
Miamira magnifica
Spawn of Miamira magnifica
Chromodoris kuiteri
Aegires flores
Goniobranchus coi
Goniobranchus collingwoodi
Aegires citrinus
Dermatobranchus fasciatus
Flabellina rubrolineata
Phyllodesmium magnum
Tritoniopsis elegans
Tylodina corticalis
Phyllidia ocellata
Tenellia sp. 33
Phyllodesmium sp. 2 - being
attacked by a Gymnodoris sp.
Goniodoridella savigny
Gymnodoris alba
Chromodoris sp. 1
Thuridilla splendens
Aegires gardineri
Hypselodoris whitei
Nembrotha purpureolineata
Doriprismatica atromarginata
Hypselodoris jacksoni
Tambja victoriae
Substrate
Thorunna sp. 1
Bornella anguilla
Goniobranchus splendidus
Tylodina corticalis - feeding on sponge
Elysia maoria
Chromodoris elisabethina
Mexichromis trilineata
Surface conditions -
Looking south west towards Mt. Coolum
Goniobranchus geometricus
Hypselodoris bullockii
Phyllidiella lizae
Chromodoris willani
Substrate
