Monday, August 31, 2015

Species List: La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, 30-08-2015

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

Julie, Terry and David on this single shore entry dive of 123 minutes. Maximum depth 6 m, 20 C water temperature and 4 m viz.

The river is starting to produce good numbers of sea slugs once again although this is in stark contrast to the previous dive in the river - not recorded in the Blogs - a night dive on 27/08/2015 at the far eastern end of the park when the total count only consisted of two specimens of Unidentia angelvaldesi. The interesting point is that there are two species in the list below that we have not encountered previously in the river. The Gymnodoris nigricolor was a much larger specimen than the one found here for the first time a week and a half ago.

Number of species sighted
* Species with highest specimen count

Analogium amakusanum  -2
Analogium sp. 1  -1
Bulbaeolidia alba  -1
Cratena lineata  -1
Elysia cf. furvacauda  -1
Elysia coodgeensis  -1
Goniodoridella savignyi  -4
* Goniodoridella sp. 1  -13
Gymnodoris nigricolor  -1
Gymnodoris sp. 9  -9
Hypselodoris obscura  -1
Sakuraeolis nungunoides  -3
Trinchesia cf. yamasui  -3
Trinchesia sp. 23  -1
Trinchesia sp. 24  -1
Unidentia angelvaldesi  -11

Surface conditions

Cratena lineata

Bulbaeolidia alba 

Trinchesia cf. yamasui - three with eggs

Substrate

Elysia coodgeensis

Sakuraeolis nungunoides

Unidentia angelvaldesi

Gymnodoris nigricolor - large, dark & fast

Unidentia angelvaldesi - the lighter colour form

Gymnodoris sp. 9

Goniodoridella savignyi

Elysia cf. furvacauda

Elysia cf. furvacauda 

Analogium amakusanum

Trinchesia sp. 24

Trinchesia sp. 23

Goniodoridella sp. 1

Analogium sp. 1 - rarely sighted