Julie, Terry, Gary and David on this excursion consisting of 1 x 80 minute and 1 x 70 minute dives in water depths from 13 m to 16 m. 5 m viz, 25 C water temp and a little surge.
Both the diary and weather conditions finally agreed on a date to take More Mischief out to dive the local reefs. I don't want to tell any tales "out of school" but a couple of divers forgot their fins - no names. The whole day wasn't a complete disaster as they borrowed fins from the others and got in a dive during the "good samaritans'" surface interval. Nevertheless the overall total species count for the trip was still an excellent number. The side-gilled slug Tylodina corticalis was present in large numbers only being pipped in population by the ever present Doriprismatica atromarginata. There were many stripped-out sponges of their preferred variety. The seaweed Caulerpa racemosa is appearing in larger clumps and we were fortunate to find small species of Oxynoe amongst it. The Codium algae was hosting many small Elysia maoria.
Number of each species sighted: 1st dive/2nd dive
* Species with highest specimen count
Aegires citrinus 1/-
Aegires flores 7/4
Aegires villosus 1/0
Ardeadoris averni 1/-
Ardeadoris egretta 1/-
Ardeadoris sp. 2 -/1
Berthella martensi 1/-
Bornella anguilla 2/2
Bulbaeolidia alba 1/-
Chromodoris elisabethina 1/0
Chromodoris sp. 1 1/0
Dermatobranchus oculus 0/1
Dermatobranchus sp. 8 1/-
* Doriprismatica atromarginata 27/17
Elysia maoria 0/10
Flabellina rubrolineata 3/0
Goniobranchus collingwoodi 1/-
Goniobranchus geometricus 1/-
Goniobranchus splendidus 1/-
Goniodoridella savignyi -/1
Hexabranchus saguineus 1/-
Hypselodoris jacksoni 15/6
Hypselodoris maritima 1/-
Hypselodoris obscura 3/2
Hypselodoris tryoni 1/-
Jorunna sp. 3 -/1
Lobiger viridis 0/1
Oxynoe viridis 1/3
Phyllidia elegans 1/-
Phyllidia ocellata 1/-
Phyllidia varicosa 2/0
Phyllidiella lizae 1/0
Phyllidiella pustulosa 2/1
Phyllidiopsis cardinalis 0/1
Roboastra luteolineata 0/1
Sagaminopteron ornatum 3/2
Sagaminopteron psychedelicum 0/2
Tambja tenuilineata 1/0
Tenellia sibogae 0/4
Tenellia sp. 35 1/-
Thuridilla splendens 3/1
Tritoniopsis elegans 12/3
Tylodina corticalis 24/7
Verconia simplex -/1
Sagaminopteron psychedelicum
Hexabranchus saguineus
Tylodina corticalis - close-up of anterior
Hypselodoris maritima
Bulbaeolidia alba
Goniobranchus collingwoodi
Aegires flores - a pair,
one in profile one from above
Phyllidia elegans
Ardeadoris sp. 2
Jorunna sp. 3
Oxynoe viridis
Hypselodoris obscura
Goniodoridella savignyi
Early surface conditions - the wind did
get up to 15 knots by midday
Hypselodoris jacksoni
Doriprismatica atromarginata
Tambja tenuilineata
Thuridilla splendens
Substrate
Tritoniopsis elegans (we have changed
this species name from T. alba following
discussions with Terry Gosliner)
Bornella anguilla
Chromodoris elisabethina
Phyllidia varicosa - one of a pair of large
specimens feeding on a lower ledge
Chromodoris sp. 1 - at 140 mm long (measured)
it is the largest of this species we have sighted
Tylodina corticalis - displaying
its gill down the right side
Aegires villosus - this specimen lacking most of
the pink patches that usually overlay the orange
Flabellina rubrolineata
Roboastra luteolineata
Phyllidiopsis cardinalis
Dermatobranchus oculus
Tenellia sibogae
Elysia maoria
Spawn of Elysia maoria laid on Codium
Sagaminopteron ornatum
Aegires citrinus
Ardeadoris averni with Bornella anguilla to the left
Ardeadoris egretta
Goniobranchus splendidus
Hypselodoris tryoni
Dermatobranchus sp. 8
