Photos / Sounds
What
Bivalves (Class Bivalvia)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
The relatively large oyster like valve in upper frame in each photo. Beach washed.
Photos / Sounds
What
Intertidal Tubeworm (Galeolaria caespitosa)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
Snorkel , shallowest subtidal as tide was receding.
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What
Demosponges (Class Demospongiae)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
Orange, at centre. Not uncommon here in the shallow subtidal. (And probably deeper, but this was a very shallow solo snorkel).
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What
Little Blue Periwinkle (Austrolittorina unifasciata)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
Upper littoral zone at low tide.
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What
Sea Nymph (Amphibolis antarctica)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
During entry for our first snorkel at this spot we first swam over a very small but healthy Sea Nymph meadow (after pushing through masses of detrital seaweeds in the shallows).
Photos / Sounds
What
New Zealand Snapping Shrimp (Alpheus novaezealandiae)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
Nocturnal intertidal platform reef walk at low tide. Limited image quality. Probably the New Zealand taxon.
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What
Seagrasses (Family Zosteraceae)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
Same species probably as in my preceding observation from same site, although this image was taken a bit closer to the beach ie shallower and more protected (??relevance??).
Photos / Sounds
What
Eelgrasses (Genus Zostera)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
Shallow subtidal, moderate exposure site, snkl images.
Photos / Sounds
What
Moon Snails (Family Naticidae)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
Shallow subtidal. (I've forgotten the name for the slug that produces these distinctive egg ribbons,which were uncommon here but are at times prolific in, for example, Coffin Bay).
Photos / Sounds
What
Sea Cucumbers (Class Holothuroidea)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
These were prolific in the silty, sandy littoral zone and shallow subtidal at this location. Receding tide.
Photos / Sounds
What
Family ElectridaeObserver
davemmdaveDescription
The pale mesh pattern coverings on this bit of drift detrital common Kelp (which also has a heavy coating of coralline algae making its base colour pink).
Photos / Sounds
What
Mulberry Anemone (Phlyctenanthus australis)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
Shallow and mildly surgy snorkel inside the southern side of Waterloo Bay. Depth varied from intertidal (at entry from end of beach) to shallow subtidal towards the bay entrance (still relatively sheltered in this region's context but surgy nonetheless. Such that I only got roughly half way there before turning back, being late arvo and with outgoing tide somehow further reducing the limited visibility).
Photos / Sounds
What
Cone-shaped Hoof Shell (Sabia australis)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
Subject is the more central, whitish shells(one is more worn than the other).Beach washed on Home Beach Groper Bay.
Photos / Sounds
What
Singing Honeyeater (Gavicalis virescens)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
There were at least 5 individuals catching flying insects in this backyard simultaneously, rather to my surprise (I'm used to seeing 2-3 doing so but these were quite a crowd. And they had only modest competition from whiteplumed, New Holland and Red Wattlebird honeyeaters, perhaps because the food supply was seemingly limitless on this beautiful autumn afternoon).
Photos / Sounds
Observer
davemmdaveDescription
Tentative. Dead shell as part of upper littoral zone shellgrit in a few cm depth, cropped from another image, at night at low tide, Home Beach Groper Bay.
Photos / Sounds
What
Silversides (Order Atheriniformes)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
The several very small scale fish, in several images taken through the surface of some small, very shallow tide pools at low tide off Home Beach
Perhaps a type of Atherinid but I don't really know. There were small schools, rarely more than about 6-6 per school and they normally swam on the surface but would hide under small algal plants such as Neptune's necklace when not totally disoriented by torch or headlamp beams.
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus CystophoraObserver
davemmdaveDescription
The blue bit of drift brown algae, at night, low tide, lower beach just inshore of the reef platform at Home Beach Groper Bay. The colour is as seen with the naked eye, as described for a few earlier posts from the same location.
Photos / Sounds
What
Moonlighter (Tilodon sexfasciatus)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
These were common on most snorkels during this few days spent on Flinders Island.
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What
Moonlighter (Tilodon sexfasciatus)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
3 adults (with a Magpie Perch and several female Bluethroat Wrasse;same image as preceding observation).
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What
Magpie Perch (Pseudogoniistius nigripes)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
With Moonlighters. Snorkel as described in preceding observation.
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What
Western Blue Groper (Achoerodus gouldii)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
Two medium sized juveniles at about centre and above and slightly R of that. Snorkel late afternoon on the day we arrived at Flinders Island. Nice high relief reef on southern side of Groper Bay, but very surgy snorkelling and water clarity was mediocre for the location.
Photos / Sounds
What
Common Kelp (Ecklonia radiata)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
Image 1 cropped from Image 2.Drift algae in shallows between platform reef and beach at low tide. Home Beach.
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What
Crayweed (Phyllospora comosa)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
Low tide lower beach just in from the platform reef at night looking through surface. Home Beach. Drift algae.
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What
Sargassum and Allies (Family Sargassaceae)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
Same image as preceding observation but SUBJECT is now the fluffier, yellowish brown algae on LHS.
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What
Genus CystophoraObserver
davemmdaveDescription
Shallowest subtidal at low tide at night, channel in platform reef,Home Beach Groper Bay (main guest accommodation location for the island).
SUBJECT is the most obvious zigzag seaweed at centre.
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus CystophoraObserver
davemmdaveDescription
The light brown macroalgae in foreground in image 1 and the light brown macroalgae just L of centre in image 2 are probably the same species but if anyone disagees I'll happily separate them into 2 observations. Receding tide at dusk along the southern ledges of the main platform intertidal reef at Home Beach Groper Bay.
Photos / Sounds
What
Neptune's Necklace (Hormosira banksii)Observer
davemmdaveDescription
Very common here, unsurprisingly. Dusk snorkel close to shore on the platform reef at Home Beach, tide receding.
