Latest Additions and Updates
Batillaria australis
Previously thought to have died out in SA over 10,000 years ago, several specimens have shown up in the state in the last few years. The long conical shell of this species is a tan to grey in colour, with strong spiral ribbing and convex undulating whorls. This species resembles a number of other snails, including Cominella eburnea, but can be distinguished by its lack of colouration, large size and its estuarine habitat. It is thought that the reappearance of this species in SA waters is due to reintroduction from the Eastern states, as has previously been the case in WA.
Antisabia foliacea
Unlike many other hoof limpets, this species is not found on larger shells, but instead on the underside of rocks, where it is very difficult to spot. Pale in colour, this flattish limpet like gastropod has a scaly surface, which often collects sandy debris, camouflaging it. When seen, it is quite distinctive, but can resemble the bivalve Chama ruderalis at first glance.
Cardita aviculina
This small bivalve is commonly found amongst rocks and seaweed. It is a pale to pinkish colour, long and narrow, resembling a mussel in shape. It has heavy oblique ribs, more numerous than the larger Cardita crassicosta, which it otherwise resembles quite closely.
Little Egret
Egretta garzetta
Found mostly in wetlands or on the coast, this small egret is plain white in colour, with a dark bill. Its face, between the eyes and bill is naked, and bright yellow. It is similar in appearance to the Great Egret (Ardea alba), although its smaller size and dark bill are distinguishing features.
Roe's Abalone
Haliotis roei
A smallish abalone, this species does not reach the legal size for fishing in South Australia, growing to just over 10cm in length. Although often heavily eroded, this species has distinctive overlapping cords, most apparent near the edge of the shell, but does not have any obvious radial ribs or undulations, unlike Haliotis rubra. The shell is relatively flat overall, without the high spire of H. cyclobates, and it has a light mantle, often with green or dark brown banding, similar to H. scalaris, although its shell lacks the high ridge of that species.
Catriona cf. lucerna
This species of nudibranch is probably undescribed, although it resembles C. lucerna, which is found in the tropical Indo-west Pacific. The body of the animal is translucent white, and it is covered in relatively bulbous cerata which are pale orange at the base and white at the tip, with a bright orange ring. Its smooth rhinophores are also orange with white tips, while its oral tentacles are the same translucent white as the body, but with opaque white tips. Careful examination based on the above information is needed to distinguish this species from similar species of Anteaeolidiella, Baeolidia, and others.
Dentimitrella austrina
One of the more bulbous columbellid snails, this species is usually recognisable by its colouration, which is usually cream, interspersed with uniform bands of peach or tan, often including thin subsutural tan bands and a thick band on the body whorl.
Polycera hedgpethi
directions_boat
Introduced species
This nudibranch is of unknown origin, but is unlikely to be native to SA, particularly as it is associated with introduced Bugula sp. bryozoans. It has a salt-and-pepper patterned body, with a white stripe bordering the dorsal area of the mantle and one down the centre of the tail. Its rhinophores and gills are yellow-tipped, and this species also has 4-6 yellow-tipped antenna like appendages on the frontal veil of the mantle, and another 4 appendages behind the gills. This distinctive nudibranch is unlikely to be mistaken for other species found in SA.
Schizoporella errata
directions_boat
Introduced species
This introduced bryozoan is one of the few that can handle areas of low salinity, making it an ideal candidate for introduction via shipping. It initially settles into a grey encrusting mat, before developing orange to brick-red branches that form tubes of varying widths. In SA, it is most similar to Steginoporella chartacea, but that species has a more regular shape, and various Watersipora, which is usually more red in colour and if it has lobes, they have a lower profile.
Australian Pied Oystercatcher
Haematopus longirostris
This long-billed shorebird is found on sandy shores along the entire coast of SA, with the exception of the far west of the state, but is rarely found too far from the coast. Unlike its close relative, the Sooty Oystercatcher (H. fuliginosus), its black plumage is complemented by a white underbelly. Its long straight beak, eyes, and legs are all brick red in colour. Juveniles are a salt-and-pepper brown in the black parts, and are missing the intense red in the bill, eyes and legs.