[Abridged summary of dates, locales and specimens observed/collected follows]
2-VI-81
Processed material during morning while Paddy & Richard went to Mangrove Bay with George. Had early lunch & set off for beachat Five Mile Well - N of Park boundary - to snorkel from beach.
NWC#14: subtidal area 0-8' at low tide off sandy beach & rocky reef shore.
A. 0-1m: Cover 95%. Coral 0-20% (& some sponges - cup & whip-). Crustose corallines 10-20. Angiosperms 100->0, (average 50) Posidonia. Browns 50; Dictyota 100. Greens 40%; Halimeda 40% (2 spp) = large & thick & 3 lobed smaller finer & brittle, Codium - 60% - branched 70 - massive 30. Reds 10%; Jointed corallines 50%, turf & fil. forms 50%. Caulerpes - tabular, flat & spongy, long tight bunches v tiny grapes, vv fine rats tails ~ tightly packed.
Molluscs - epifaunal: Angaria; Conus lividus; Drupa morum; Cronia; Pyrene sculpta; Cypraea sf worn; Cypraea caputserpentis; Tridacna maxima; Cypraea helvola.
Infaunal: Scutarcopagia scabinata; Periglypta - worn; Ctena bella
B 1-2m: sea grass beds. Cover 100. Plants 100. Angiosperms 50%; 60 Posidonia, 40 Halophila. Crustose Corallines ). Greens 70%; Halimeda 50 Penecillus <5, Codium massive <5, Caulerpa 50 2 spp. Browns 10; Dictyota 100 ? Pockockiella. Reds 20%. *Posidonia with fruits. Tridacna maxima; Strombus mutabilis
C. 2-3m: Cover 90%-80%. Coral <5%. Angiosperms 50%; Posidonia 50, Halophila - 2 or 3 spp Elysia long leaf narrow & broadleaf. Crustose corallines 0. Browns 15%; 90 Sargassum, 10 Dictyota - rats tails (leaves) - scalpelliformis. Greens 60; Caulerpa 7- = large balls - rats tails - (long branches of v small grapes), Penecillus (small), Codium - branched, Boodlea, Halimeda - coarse -fine, spongry fern. Red 25. Strombus mutabilis. Cypraea vitellus. Richard got gelatinous brown weed, branched central white core -white & jelly like outer layers.
NWC#14D:
Intertidal reef flat - high-off sandy beach. Exposed at MWL. Very diverse algal assembalge no Angiosperms. browns more obvious near shore. reds abundant all over. greens more abundant near seaward, wave-washed ege & in gutters. Browns - Zonaria (rooled), small plants on lips of gutters inshore. Turbinaria v small stunted plants near seaward edge. Pockockiella gutters. dichotomous brown c central rib. Reds: Dichotomous types - most landward (1) rounded-broad - no bands - edge entire. (2) elongate - finely[?] sparsely serrate esge - bands across thalli (brownish) perhaps a third species & ? a fourth? Hard axis - bushy growth around it - little branches bifurcate at tips. Laurencia - bunches some bright pink red, others bright green - same? more abundant nearer to seaward edge. v fine red - [sketch] alternative "leaves" flat. Jointed coralline like stacked soft discs [sketch] - really lamellae or fringes in gutters. Eucheuma - bright green stunted - branchlets red or pink - in gutters & depressions, some colonies near seaward edge red. Greens: Anadyomene? like Ulva but rough & veined. Codium - massive, - thin branches. Halimeda - coarse. Hard bubbles ? Dictyosphaeria. Penecillus small. Spongy fan like thallus [sketch]. green filamentous. Caulerpa [sketch] semi-tabulate. Green mat. Above platform: Zone of brown filamentous algae - stiff filaments [sketch]. above this is zone of green filamentous algae -soft. Above this is zone of black algae - really very dark green. Jointed coralline [sketch].
Molluscs: many small Tridacna maxima; Morula marginella in W&G; Morula B&W purple mouth but thinner than M. uva; Morula sp (different?); Peristernia incarnata; mytilids ribbed - no hairy perio; Cypraea caputserpentis; Strombus mutabilis; Turbo sp cg cinareus; Siphonarians - yellow foot (higher) - grey foot (lower on reef); Littorinids 1 sp only; no oysters; no planaxids; Cuttlefish photographed & caught.
NWC#15:
NW Cape - Cape Vlaming, W of wreck of Mildura, exposed rock platform ar LWL.
Angiosperms - Posidonia except for 1 dmall colony of Halophila in deeper pool. (Posidonia fruit found floating). Overall green algae ? red algae, with browns not very obvious. Caulerpa spp, Anadyomene, Halimeda in pools. ? Red dichotomous - looks brown; Red turgid - pointed branches; jointed coralline [sketches]; semi calcarean red; fine creeping red c alternate leaves.
Conus miles; Colubrellina granularis; Conus sp volute c purple tip; Strombus mutabilis; Conus striatus; Mancinella mancinella; Drupa ricinis; Hyotissa - black spots on white; Cypraea caputserpentis; Cypraea helvola; Aphysia -; Saccostrea cucculata (finely ribbed barnacle); (coarse plated barnacle below with mytilids) - Septifer; Conus lividus; Cronia avellana; Chama - flattened spines; Isognomon -white; Isognomon - dark red; Periglypta reticulata; Haliotis squamata; Turbo sp cf cunireus; Cypraea annulus; Drupella cornus? small; Trapezium bicarinatum; Ventricolaria; Cardita ? variegata; Cypraea lynx; Spondylus - red rim; Cypraea erosa; Irus cf ceylonicus; Mamilla opaca; Cymatiid; <orula uva; Coraliophila violacea; Drupe elongate purple mouth; Oliva sp - see W&G:106; Trochus sp -worn; Drupe - elongate cream & orange mouth; Trivia cryza; Drupe - small purple mouth; Pyrene ?scripta; Tectus juv.; ?Drupe - conc brown ribs; ?tellin - lamellose - juv.; mytilid smooth; Brachidontus - ribbed -non hairy; Acmeid - minute -orange lines; Mitre - brown - pale band below suture; Mitre - brown, squat - convex; Cerithiid - small palle; Cerithiid - shouldered turreted.
more...