COMMENTS & OBSERVATIONS

Conditions on the Caloundra bar were excellent so we decided on Currimundi Reef dives. Dakota was our destination for the first dive. Unfortunately subsurface conditions deteriorated the deeper we went such that cold, dark and dirty water greeted us at the bottom. These conditions combined with a moderate surge resulted in a low species count of just 6 for the dive. Up came the anchor and out we went to try and find better conditions. At Rocky, a site behind TJ’s Boulders, the water was one degree warmer and visibility almost doubled enabling us to locate and record many more species. Mostly the usual subjects sighted with perhaps the small Diversidoris sp. 1 being the noteworthy exception.

Taxonomic Diversity:
Due to the conditions limiting sightings to just 6 species any comment on taxonomic diversity of the Dakota survey would be pointless.

The Rocky data however indicates the following:
11 out of the 16 species sighted (more than two thirds) were dorids comprising 3 x phanerobranchs, 2 x porostomes (all belonging to Phyllidiidae) and 6 x cryptobranchs (all belonging to the Chromodorididae Family). The other 5 species comprised mostly cladobranchs: 3 x aeolids, 1 x dendronotids and 1 x cephalaspidean completing the count. It is interesting to report once again that the ratio of dorids to total is the same as our latest two surveys and that the cryptobranchs all belong to the Chromodorididae family once again.

Our Historical Data:
Dakota:
– This survey is number 5 at this site since we first recorded information from here on 19/09/2014
– Last surveyed on 03/10/2014
– 44 species have been recorded here
– Ardeadoris rubroannulata is another species commonly sighted here (60%) but not on this survey.

Rocky:
– This survey is number 5 at this site since we first recorded information from here on 17/12/2017
– Last surveyed on 16/01/2020
– 42 species have been recorded here
– This is the first time we have recorded Dermatobranchus oculus and Goniobranchus coi at this site.
– Chromodoris kuiteri is another species commonly sighted here (80%) but not on this survey.

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

Total Species Sighted: 17

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