Saturday, August 13, 2016

Species List: The Wall, Old Woman Island, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 11-08-2016

34 species sighted at The Wall, Old Woman Island, (Mudjimba Island), Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 11-08-2016

Julie, Terry, Gary and David on this excursion consisting of 1 x 95 minute and 1 x 88 minute dives in water depths from 5 m to 15 m. 15 m viz, 20 C water temp and no surge.

It has been some time since we have dived The Wall at Old Woman Island - it was almost like a home-coming because we have previously spent so many dives there. The sea slugs did not disappoint with a number of not-so-common species like Murphydoris sp. and a new one, Chromodoris sp. 4, that has made us realise that previously we have had it under Chromodoris magnifica. Our specimen has blue and C. magnifica is white without blue. We are following the separation shown by Gosliner et al in Nudibranchs & Sea Slug Identification.

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

Aegires hapsis -/1
Ardeadoris sp. 2  3/2
Bornella anguilla -/2
Chromodoris kuiteri 3/2
Chromodoris sp. 4  -/1 (New species)
Cratena lineata -/1
Dermatobranchus oculus 1/-
Dermatobranchus ornatus 1/3
Dermatobranchus semilunus -/1
Dermatobranchus tuberculatus -/1
Diversidoris flava -/1
*Doriprismatica atromarginata 9/5
Flabellina bicolor 1/-
Glossodoris vespa 1/-
Goniobranchus albopunctatus 1/1
Goniobranchus geometricus 2/-
Goniobranchus kuniei 3/1
Goniobranchus splendidus 4/4
Hexabranchus sanguineus 2/-
Hypselodoris jacksoni 5/3
Hypselodoris sagamiensis 1/1
Murphydoris sp. 1 -/1
Phyllidia ocellata 5/5
Phyllidia varicosa 2/-
Phyllidiella lizae 2/1
Phyllidiella pustulosa 4/1
Phyllidiopsis burni -/1
Phyllidiopsis loricata -/1
Pleurobranchus peronii ?? 1/-
Pteraeolidia semperi 5/2
Sagaminopteron ornatum 2/3
*Thuridilla splendens 9/5
Tritoniopsis alba 2/2
Verconia simplex 1/-

Bornella anguilla

Dermatobranchus semilunus

Dermatobranchus ornatus

Goniobranchus albopunctatus

Phyllidiopsis burni

Substrate

Verconia simplex

Sagaminopteron ornatum

Hypselodoris sagamiensis

Chromodoris sp. 4 - New species

Surface conditions with
Old Woman Island in background

Phyllidia ocellata

Pteraeolidia semperi

Dermatobranchus oculus

Hypselodoris jacksoni

Goniobranchus splendidus

Hexabranchus sanguineus

Phyllidiella lizae

Flabellina bicolor

Phyllidiella pustulosa

Phyllidia varicosa


Doriprismatica atromarginata

Tritoniopsis alba

Ardeadoris sp. 2

The Bommie

Substrate

Heading down the face of the wall

Phyllidiopsis loricata

Thuridilla splendens 

Goniobranchus kuniei

Pleurobranchus peronii - juvenile ???

Goniobranchus geometricus

Chromodoris kuiteri

Diversidoris flava 

Aegires hapsis

Aegires hapsis

Dermatobranchus tuberculatus

Murphydoris sp. 1

Murphydoris sp. 1

Cratena lineata