COMMENTS & OBSERVATIONS

The strong winds we have been experiencing in northern Queensland finally abated and we jumped at the chance for some more offshore exploration. We braved slightly choppy seas and made the trip out to Holbourne Island and anchored on the south-east side where conditions were more settled. The area in which we anchored has a rich coral cover, but also a strong presence of Crown-of-Thorns starfish. This was only our second visit to this site and we were pleased to find a variety of species.

Taxonomic Diversity:
12 of the 13 species sighted were nudibranchs, with 10 being dorids comprising 1 x phanerobranch (non-retractile gill), 3 x cryptobranchs (retractable gill), 6 x porostomes (suctorial feeders all bar one, a Dendrodoris, of the Phyllidiidae family) and 2 being cladobranchs comprising 1 x aeolid, 1 x arminid. A single sacoglossan rounds out the species numbers. If diet is considered then 10 of the 13 species sighted are spongivores.

Our Historical Data:
As this was only our second visit to this site, a detailed historical analysis is not warranted. However, we have now recorded 17 species at this site and of the species recorded on this outing only the Aegires gardineri and the Phyllidiids, Phyllidiella annulata, Phyllidiella lizae, Phyllidiella pustulosa and Phyllidiella zeylanica, have been recorded here previously by us.

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

TOTAL SPECIES SIGHTED: 13

DIVE IMAGES GALLERY

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