Species List: La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Sunshine Coast, 24-04-2016

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

Julie, Gary and David on this single, shore entry dive of  151 minutes. Maximum depth 6.2 m,  23 C water temperature and 5 m viz. (Terry's regulators developed a last minute problem so he sat out the dive.)

Not as many species sighted however two new to our list were found. The Thordisa villosa was concealed just below the surface of the sand, its presence betrayed by a circle of slightly different colouration. The undescribed Elysia is one we have seen here before but failed until now to recognise it as a distinct species.

Number of species sighted
* Species with highest specimen count.

Dermatobranchus oculus -1
Doto sp. 3 -5
Elysia sp. 17 -1  Our 665th species
* Flabellina angelvaldesi -37
Goniobranchus daphne -13
Goniodoridella sp. 1 -8
Hypselodoris obscura -4
Phidiana bourailli -9
Plakobranchus sp. 1 -3
Pleurobranchus weberi -3
Pteraeolidia semperi -22
Thordisa villosa -1 Our 664th species
Trinchesia sp. 23 -1
Verconia simplex -1

Pteraeolidia semperi

Plakobranchus sp. 1

The "Fish Cage"

Trinchesia sp. 23

Flabellina angelvaldesi

Phidiana bourailli

Hypselodoris obscura

Thordisa villosa - Our 664th species

Pleurobranchus weberi - A mating pair

Doto sp. 3

Surface view showing entrance steps

Goniobranchus daphne

Goniodoridella sp. 1

Dermatobranchus oculus

Elysia sp. 17 -  Our 665th species

Species List: Shelly Beach, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 24-04-2016

4 species sighted at Shelly Beach intertidal, Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Julie and Terry revisited Shelly Beach to search the tidal pools for an hour.  The winds have picked up to over 20 knots and the beach is quite exposed to southerly's making searching in pools anything over 50 mm deep very difficult.  However, given the effort we were quite pleased with the finds.

Number of species sighted 1st dive/2nd dive
* Species with highest specimen count.

Aplysia argus – 3

Elysia coodgeensis – 8

*Haminoea sp. 1 - 31

Tornatina sp. 1 - 1

 Tornatina sp. 1

 Haminoea sp. 1

Species List: Point Cartwright, Buddina, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 23-04-2016

9 species sighted at Point Cartwright, Buddina, Sunshine Coast during a two hour search of the rocks and tide pools.

Julie, Gary and Terry on this two hour search of the tide pools and under the rocks at Point Cartwright.  A relatively clear sky and building winds made the searching comfortable and a reasonable number of species were sighted for this area.

Number of species sighted
*Species with highest specimen count

Aplysia argus - 17
Cratena simba - 2 (both missing tails)
Dermatobranchus sp. 7 - 1
Dendrodoris fumata - 1
Dendrodoris nigra - 2
Elysia coodeensis -30
Hamineoa sp. 1 -38
Phidiana bourailli - 3
*Vayssierea caledonica - 40+

Cratena simba

 Hamineoa sp. 1

 Phidiana bourailli

 Dermatobranchus sp. 7

The team searching a rock pool

Photo - Debi Thornely 

Species List: Shelly Beach intertidal, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 21-04-2016

4 species sighted at Shelly Beach, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, Australia intertidal area. Julie and Terry spent two hours searching the same areas as we did on the last couple of visits to this site. Conditions were good with a cloudless sky and only a moderate wind to ruffle the surface of the rock pools. We found fewer species on this visit than previously.

Aplysia argus – 12

Dendrodoris nigra - 1

Elysia coodgensis – 2

Vayssierea caledonica – 54

 Vayssierea caledonica

Elysia coodgensis

Species List: NW Reef, Old Woman Island, Sunshine Coast, 17-04-2016

34 species sighted at NW Reef, Old Woman Island, Sunshine Coast.

Julie, Terry, Gary & David on this excursion consisting of 1 x 102 minute and 1 x  93 minute dives in water depths of 10 m to 12 m. 8 m viz, 25 C water temp and surge.

We had arranged to dive the La Balsa Park site in the Mooloolah River but in one of those inspired moments Terry read between the lines of the weather forecast and suggested diving Old Woman Island would be possible. We took him up on the offer and four keen branchers headed to the Island. As it transpired the weather could not have been much better, the viz too was ok. The only blight on the day was contending with the surge in 11 m of water. This may have something to do with the lack of surge experienced in all our river dives of late. It seemed at the time that our finds at the island were few and far between however on combining our sighting we came up with an excellent count of 34 species. Reviewing our images on return turned up three species new to our list. Altogether an excellent result. This site continues to deliver - with effort.

Number of each species sighted: 1st dive/2nd dive
* Species with highest specimen count

Ardeadoris sp. 2 1/1
Berthellina citrina 2/5
Bornella anguilla 1/-
Chromodoris striatella 1/1
Cratena simba 1/-
Dendrodoris fumata -/1
Dermatobranchus oculus 1/1
Dermatobranchus sp. 8 2/1  Our 660th species
Diversidoris sp. 1 1/-  Our 662nd species
Doriprismatica atromarginata 3/2
Elysia sp. 11 1/-
Flabellina bicolor 2/-
Goniobranchus reticulatus -/1
Goniobranchus splendidus 1/3
Goniodoridella savignyi 1/-
Hypselodoris jacksoni -/2
Hypselodoris obscura 1/-
Hypselodoris sagamiensis -/1
Hypselodoris whitei -/1
Miamira magnifica 1/-
Phyllida coelestis -/1
Phyllida elegans -/1
Phyllidia exquisita 2/2
Phyllidia ocellata -/1
Phyllidia varicosa -/1
Phyllidiella cooraburrama -/1 Our 661st species
Phyllidiella lizae -/1
Phyllidiella pustulosa 1/3
Thorunna daniellae -/1
Thuridilla carlsoni 3/1
Thuridilla sp. 1 1/-
* Thuridilla splendens 5/7
Tornatina sp. 1 -/1
Tritoniopsis alba 1/-

Miamira magnifica

Flabellina bicolor

Phyllidia ocellata

Hypselodoris whitei 

Off the NW side of Old Woman Island

Hypselodoris obscura

Berthellina citrina

Doriprismatica atromarginata

Tornatina sp. 1

Dermatobranchus sp. 8 - our 660th species

Phyllidia varicosa

Chromodoris striatella

Phyllidiella lizae

Substrate

Diversidoris sp. 1 - our 662nd species

Goniobranchus splendidus

Ardeadoris sp. 2

A gaggle of Thuridilla splendens

Thuridilla splendens

Thuridilla carlsoni 

Dendrodoris fumata

Phyllidia exquisita

Thorunna daniellae

Phyllidiella cooraburrama - our 661st species

Species List: Moffat Beach intertidal, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, Quieensland, 25-04-2016

7 species found on this intertidal search at Moffat Beach, Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast.

Julie and Terry spent two hours battling the conditions to look in tide pools and under rocks at low tide.  Strong winds (>25 knots) had produced a sizeable swell that made it difficult to access rocks in the lower tidal area and also made looking into the tide pools difficult.  We persevered until searching under the rocks any longer would have meant risking loosing our balance because of the swell.

 Number of species sighted
 * Species with highest specimen count.

Aplysia argus - 1
Berthella stellata - 1
Dendrodoris nigra - 3
Elysia coodgeensis - 6
Haminoea sp. 1 - 13
Haminoea sp. 2 - 1
Tayuva lilacina - 1
"Vayssierea caledonica - 53

 Berthella stellata

 Vayssierea caledonica

Haminoea sp. 2

Dendrodoris nigra

Tayuva lilacina