COMMENTS & OBSERVATIONS

David dived with Ruth and Jenni on a three dive charter with Mike McKinnon’s Scuba World out of Mooloolaba on the Big Red Boat. First dive on the Eastern side at Aladdins Cave followed by two more dives on the Western side, the first at Wrasse City and then the Turtle Cleaning Station mooring but moving out into the deeper water. The conditions were probably as good as it can get out at Flinders Reef apart from some surge in the shallower sections on the eastern side. There was no current at all, water temp was 26 C and depths across the three dives ranged from 7 m to 16 m.

Taxonomic Diversity:
Eighteen of the twenty-one sighted species were nudibranchs, with 15 being dorids comprising 1 x phanerobranch (non-retractile gill), 3 x porostomes (suctorial feeders  of the Phyllidiidae family), 11 x cryptobranchs (retractable gill – all 11 belonging to the Chromodorididae family) and 3 were cladobranchs comprising 3 x aeolids, 0 x arminid and 0 x dendronotinid. A single head-shield slug and two sacoglossans complete the species count. If diet is considered then 15 of the 21 species sighted are spongivores. 44 specimens in total were recorded.

Our Historical Data:
-This excursion brings the number of survey dives to 107 at Flinders Reef (69 on the eastern side and 38 on the western side) since we commenced fully recording data here on 27/11/2009.
– 277 species have been recorded at this site.
– At Aladdins Cave, we have recorded 195 species on 47 dives with the most recorded species being Chromodoris elisabethina (91%), Phyllidiella pustulosa (57%) Chromodoris lochi (53%), and Thuridilla neona (53%).
– Our most commonly recorded species on the western side of Flinders Reef are Chromodoris elisabethina (68%), Thuridilla sp. 4 (45%), Phyllidiella lizae (41%), and Phyllidia picta (36%)
– The species prevalence at Aladdins Cave is fairly consistent throughout the year but the numbers of Thuridilla carlsoni recorded tends to peak in the summer months and falls off in the winter months (see graph)
– All of the species recorded on these dives have been recorded by us at Flinders Reef previously.
– Our last survey at Flinders Reef was on 19/12/2023.
(Historical data courtesy of Terry Farr, who extracts it from his comprehensive database.)

Key to symbols
+++ New Species
+ First time sighted at this site
# Most commonly sighted at this site with %

TOTAL SPECIES SIGHTED: 21

DIVE IMAGES GALLERY

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