COMMENTS & OBSERVATIONS

Following on from our recent successes at this site we decided to try our luck again. There was a slight SE chop when we arrived just after high tide and due to the small tidal range, high tide had not been very high, so we headed straight out to the reef and bypassed the surgey turf algae covered rocks. This resulted in the abundance and diversity of Elysia being lower than previous dives. Our journey took us mostly east, zigzagging to avoid the largest patches of coral, seeking out rubble. We were accompanied by a school of juvenile golden trevally for the entire dive, which were amusing to watch as they darted off to feed on algae and soft corals before darting back to rejoin us. I guess we were the closest thing to large pelagic fishes in this area! This site continues to surprise and once again we recorded species that we have not seen at this site on our previous dives.

Taxonomic Diversity:
Seven of the eight species sighted were nudibranchs, with 6 being dorids comprising 2 x phanerobranchs (non-retractile gill), 2 x porostomes (suctorial feeder),  2 x cryptobranchs (retractable gill) and 1 was a cladobranch comprising 1 x aeolid, 0 x dendronotinid, 0 x arminid. One x sacoglossan completes the species count. If diet is considered 4 of the 8 species sighted were spongivores.

Our Historical data:
– We have now completed 5 surveys at Rose Bay since our first on 21/11/22.
– We have now recorded 21 species at this site.
– This is the first occasion on which we have recorded Gymnodoris amakusana, Hypselodoris bullockii, Phyllidia coelestis or Phyllidiella sp. 05 at this site.
– This is only the second time we have recorded Phyllidiella sp. 05 in Australia and Gymnodoris amakusana in the Whitsundays.
– Our last survey at this site was on 30/12/23,

Guide to Symbols:
+++ New Species
+ First time sighted in Whitsundays
# Most commonly sighted at this site with %

TOTAL SPECIES SIGHTED: 8

DIVE IMAGES GALLERY

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