Sunday, May 29, 2016

Species List: King's Beach Boat Ramp, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 27-05-2016

17 species sighted sub-tidally off King's Beach Boat Ramp, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Julie, Terry, Gary and David on this single shore entry dive of 135 minutes. Maximum depth 5.6 m, 23 C water temp and 4 m viz.

Beautiful conditions greeted us when we arrived at the King's Beach boat ramp for a dive. The swell created some surge but the long period gave intermittent relief. Some of the Asparagopsis seaweed had been dislodged from the substrate but fortunately it had only congregated in certain areas and we did not have to continually deal with it. A reasonable list of sea slug species was compiled with the Stiliger aureomarginatus presenting in large numbers. Placida cremoniana a species we seldom sight was also found.

We now conduct our searching with trepidation as heptadecaphobia is forming in our minds.

Number of species sighted
* Species with highest specimen count.

Cratena simba -2
Cyerce sp. 1 -3
Dendrodoris fumata -1
Doriprismatica atromarginata -3
Flabellina bicolor -1
Goniobranchus decorus -1
Goniobranchus geometricus -1
Goniobranchus splendidus -2
Gymnodoris okinawae -6
Gymnodoris sp. 10 -1
Hypselodoris obscura -5
Hypselodoris zephyra -1
Placida cremoniana -2
Pteraeolidia semperi -1
* Stiliger aureomarginatus -17
Tayuva lilacina -1
Tritoniopsis alba  -1

Gymnodoris okinawae

Goniobranchus geometricus

Stiliger aureomarginatus

Placida cremoniana

Flabellina bicolor 

Goniobranchus decorus

Goniobranchus splendidus

Tritoniopsis alba

Surface conditions

Cratena simba

Gymnodoris sp. 10

Hypselodoris obscura

Hypselodoris zephyra

Searching the substrate

Cyerce sp. 1 - excellent camouflage 

Dendrodoris fumata

Tayuva lilacina

Doriprismatica atromarginata