Thursday, November 9, 2017

Species List: 08-11-2017, La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Qld.

19 species sighted at La Balsa Park, Mooloolah River, Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Qld, 08-11-2017.

A single shore entry dive by Gary and David of 133 minutes. Maximum depth 6.3 m, 24 C water temperature and 1 to 2 m viz.

From the shore the viz looked reasonable however upon descent we were lucky to have 2 metres at most which dropped to 1 metre on the turn of the tide. Still, how much viz do you need to find 5 mm long sea slugs in the silt? There is an even spread of dorids and aeolids amongst the finds. A couple worth mentioning are Eubranchus sp. 3 and Cratena sp. 5 the latter being adult specimens to the recent juvenile first-find out at Coles Hole on the Gneering Shoals.

Number of species sighted
* Species with highest specimen count

Atys semistriatus shell -3
* Cratena lineata -14
Cratena sp. 5 -2
Elysia sp. 11 -1
Eubranchus sp. 3 -1
Eubranchus sp. 10 -8
Facelina bourailli -1
Flabellina angelvaldesi -1
Goniobranchus aureopurpureus -1
Goniobranchus daphne -6
Goniobranchus geometricus -2
Goniodoridella savignyi -3
Goniodoridella sp. 1 -9
Goniodoridella sp. 6 -1
Hypselodoris obscura -3
Hypselodoris whitei -1
Spinophallus falciphallus -2
Tenellia puellula -1
Tenellia sp. 23 -11

The dive site

Substrate

Eubranchus sp. 10

Goniodoridella sp. 6

Goniobranchus aureopurpureus

Cratena lineata

Hypselodoris obscura

Flabellina angelvaldesi

Goniodoridella sp. 1

Spinophallus falciphallus - 
formerly of Philinopsis

Hypselodoris whitei

Goniobranchus geometricus

Goniodoridella savignyi - mating pair

Atys semistriatus shell

Goniobranchus daphne

Elysia sp. 11

The viz at the beacon pile

Facelina bourailli

Eubranchus sp. 3

Tenellia puellula

Tenellia sp. 23

Cratena sp. 5