COMMENTS & OBSERVATIONS

It has been almost 3 months since Li’l Mischief was last launched. Overseas diving in the Philippines and other engagements have restricted local diving. Weather and sea conditions were perfect for this outing – bright sunny almost cloudless sky and just light zephyrs rippling the water surface.  The trip was a try out for new and reconfigured equipment – a new mask, a refurbished drysuit, a reconfigured BCD and back to using the Sony A6600 camera. All the changes and my questionable adaptation (we all know I don’t like change) ended up restricting the excursion to a single dive and a subsequent reduced species count, however, many valuable lessons were learnt during a beautiful day on and in the water. Goniobranchus splendidus are still all over the substrate.

Taxonomic Diversity:
Six of the nine sighted species were nudibranchs, with 5 being dorids comprising 0 x phanerobranchs (non-retractile gill), 2 x porostome (suctorial feeders  of the Phyllidiidae family), 3 x cryptobranchs (retractable gill – all belonging to the Chromodorididae family) and 1 x cladobranch comprising 0 x aeolids, 0 x arminids and 1 x dendronotinid. Two head-shield slugs and a single sacoglossan complete the species count. If diet is considered then 6 of the 9 species sighted are spongivores.

Our Historical Data:
– This excursion brings the number of survey dives to 18 at this site since we commenced fully recording data here on 05/06/2010.
– 114 species have been recorded at this site.
– This is the first time Doto rosacea has been recorded here.
– The most regularly recorded species at this site are: Doriprismatica atromarginata (94%), Goniobranchus splendidus (94%), Hypselodoris jacksoni (89%) and Phyllidiella pustulosa (83%).
– The number of Goniobranchus splendidus specimens continues to remain high.
– A line graph plotting number of species sighted against total number of specimens is included in the image gallery below.
– This site last surveyed on 25/03/2023.
(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: 9

DIVE IMAGES GALLERY

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