Saturday, October 23, 2021

Species List: 21-10-2021, Fish Cage to Rotunda, Mooloolah River, La Balsa Park, Buddina, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.

 42 species sighted at Fish Cage to Rotunda, Mooloolah River, La Balsa Park, Buddina, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. 21-10-2021.

A single shore entry dive with Gary and David of 300 minutes. Maximum depth 6.0 m, 24 C water temperature, up to 8 m viz.

A night dive was in order because of the numbers we have been sighting.  Another EPIC dive with good water...and Davids species number guess was almost spot on! Amazing the night critters came out to play. So many really large Pleurobranchus peronii were out crawling over the substrate. I am including all the P. peronii I saw tonight. The bubble shells were not there tonight, however a Bulla vernicosa was found after a drought. A very large Discodoris cebuensis was also found, nearly as large as my hand. Sakuraeolis nungunoides the night branchs were just as beautiful as I last remember. So many great Nudibranchs! Yes EPIC...get in while you can.

Species and number thereof sighted
* Species with highest specimen count

Aglaja fulvipunctata -4
Berthella stellata -1
Bulla vernicosa -3
Costasiella kuroshimae -1
Costasiella sp. 2 -1
Cratena lineata -19
Dendrodoris denisoni -1
Discodoris cebuensis -1
Elysia sp. 11 -1
Eubranchus sp. 3 -1
Eubranchus sp. 10 -2
Facelina bourailli -1
Facelina sp. 3 -17
Favorinus sp. 1 -3
Flabellina lotos -8
Goniobranchus daphne -17
Goniobranchus geometricus -7
Goniobranchus sp. 6 -1
Goniodoridella savignyi -11
Goniodoridella sp. 1 -13
Gymnodoris sp. 4 -1
Gymnodoris sp. 22 -1
Hypselodoris obscura -17
Liloa brevis shell -1
Limacia ornata -1
Myja sp. 1 -many eggs
Okenia sp. 4 -1
Phyllodesmium opalescens -3
* Pleurobranchus peronii -26
Plocamopherus ceylonicus -3
Rostanga ap. 1 -1
Sakuraeolis nungunoides -6
Spurilla braziliana -1
Tenellia sp. 23 -5
Tenellia sp. 44 -2
Thordisa albomacula -3
Thuridilla carlsoni -2
Trapania vitta -2
Unidentia sp. 1 -17
Unidentia sp. 3 -2
Unidentia sp. 4 -1
Unidentia sp. 14 -15

Entry

Clarity

Rotunda

Exit

Ready

Vis on entry

Okenia sp. 4

Cratena lineata

Red coral comeback

Getting dark

Unidentia sp. 14 

Plocamopherus ceylonicus 

Aglaja fulvipunctata

Goniobranchus daphne

Flabellina lotos

Flabellina lotos

Elysia sp. 11

Elysia sp. 11

Liloa brevis 

Pleurobranchus peronii

Pleurobranchus peronii

Thordisa albomacula

Pleurobranchus peronii

Unidentia sp. 14

Hypselodoris obscura mating

Flabellina lotos

Goniobranchus daphne

Facelina sp. 3

Facelina sp. 3

Pleurobranchus peronii

Cowrie

Unidentia sp. 3

Stoney

Cratena lineata

Hypselodoris obscura mating and waiting

Phyllodesmium opalescens



Goniobranchus geometricus

Aglaja fulvipunctata

Trapania vitta 

Pleurobranchus peronii

Berthella stellata

Berthella stellata

Pleurobranchus peronii

Pleurobranchus peronii

Favorinus sp. 1

Rostanga ap. 1 

Sakuraeolis nungunoides

Eubranchus sp. 10

Phyllodesmium opalescens

Favorinus sp. 1

Sakuraeolis nungunoides

Eubranchus sp. 10

Sakuraeolis nungunoides

Phyllodesmium opalescen

Unidentia sp. 4

Goniobranchus daphne 

Pleurobranchus peronii

Pleurobranchus peronii

Thuridilla carlsoni

Facelina sp. 3 

Costasiella kuroshimae

Tenellia sp. 23

Goniobranchus sp. 6 

Pleurobranchus peronii

Pleurobranchus peronii

Thordisa albomacula

Thordisa albomacula

Goniodoridella sp. 1

Goniodoridella sp. 1

Goniodoridella savignyi

 Snail

Discodoris cebuensis

Limacia ornata

Limacia ornata

Pleurobranchus peronii

Pleurobranchus peronii

A friend

Sakuraeolis nungunoides juvenile

Red coral coming back

Tenellia sp. 23

Dendrodoris denisoni

Rhinophores

Goniobranchus geometricus

Gymnodoris sp. 4

Unidentia sp. 4 

Bulla vernicosa

Spurilla braziliana