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On dorsal lip and head of a smooth toadfish. This male Louse was seen moving positions quite actively and frequently during the few minutes I watched, but it was adept at staying on the head end of this one individual fish despite the fish appearing to be trying to get rid of it by frequently burying almost completely in the sand and moving around while doing so. We often see this species of parasitic Louse attached firmly to various species of inshore demersal fish but I don't often see them firmly attached to any toadfish. Occasionally they are attached to juvenile (smooth et al eg prickly) toadfish but rarely adults. Perhaps the tetrodotoxin on the skin of most toadfish makes the adults uncomfortable hosts for the Louse. Toadfish might be temporary or 'last resort ' hosts when there are no other fish species available at a particular location?

With a Striped Sea Louse male on mouth. This was one of many adult smooth toadies seen on this shallow intertidal and subtidal snorkel(in image 2 a second one is almost fully buried in lower frame),but was the only one with a visible parasite externally.

Several older juveniles under a very shallow subtidal swim through in the Lady Bay Reef Watch area directly out from Lady Bay Road. They were cohabiting with tiny juvenile Sea Sweep and a few very juvenile Rough and Bigscale Bullseyes (plus juvenile Zebrafish and probably the juveniles of a few other common species of bony reef fish. )

Natural occurrence near rear of North Dunes. Note that there has been much regeneration of this species in the Dunes since rabbits were eradicated from the North Normanville Dunes for a continuous period of well over a year, and the current rabbit population is effectively zero. This is the result of a very intensive, highly geospecific program overseen by the local DEW officer, to improve survival rates for the numerous tubestock plantings of local natives throughout the Dunes. Earlier plantings were often decimated by rabbits, when intermittent baiting was the norm. The rabbits would disappear for a few weeks or months at best, then repopulate rapidly, triggering urgent resumption of baiting. This cyclical approach was recognised as inefficient wrt cost benefit, and the new 'zero tolerance ' regime has been a resounding success. The local kangaroo population (excessive) remains a lesser hindrance ,but the most gratifying mammalian bounceback I've ever been aware of in this Dunes system is now very evident. There are many hundreds of scratchings and burrows of native Bush Rats (Rattus fuscipes) along the entire length of the secondary dunes. And apparently much of this cute native rodent's burrowing targets the introduced Soursob. They relish the bulbs and tubers! Will the funding continue?
Stay tuned...

Large aggregation in about 2m depth via snorkel. I estimate there were at least 70, and probably closer to 80-90.Most were mature adults but some older juveniles or immature younger ones were present peripheral to the main aggregation which formed a veritable mound of many individuals over many square metres of benthos.

Cropped version of the image posted earlier from this dive. (When the subject was the abalone shells found under a piece of jetty junk).The subject is now the ascidians that are brown with tinges of pink orange and mauve, and they have dark dull red 'mouths',some with a suggestion of paler red bands . They are epibiotic on this abalone (as are several other life forms but the subject Tunicates dominate).
They may be a known naturally occurring ascidian species,and are similar to several common species coating the lower parts of some jetty piles, however I wonder if they might be an introduced species?

Moderately big dense bushy shrub about 1 m high and almost 2 m wide growing in deep shade of moist understory near bank of a quiet billabong within Wirrina Resort access gully road.Some surrounding plants( of other species such as Melaleucas and possibly other genus members but no other bush pea native legumes such as Pultaenea or Dilwynia were present as natural occurrences or planted specimens) may have been planted but the wetland canopy was all naturally occurring Eucalyptus camaldulensis and the aquatic plants included many thriving Water Ribbons with various reeds sedges and rushes around edges)

Voucher specimen D.Nicolle 2565.

Several-trunked tree 5 metres tall. Bark rough to small branches, finely fissured, dark grey. Leaves glossy, green. Growing on hilltop with Eucalyptus leucoxylon subsp. pruinosa and E. porosa x E. leucoxylon subsp. pruinosa hybrids.

This arrangement is shown as I found it. I was the only diver present AFAIK during my time underwater that afternoon but as I entered from new jetty a dive boat was just departing from much further out, and I expect that there were probably plenty of shore based divers entering and leaving via the new jetty during the morning and earlier afternoon, being good weather at this popular dive site. So I don't know if this odd looking arrangement of dead (and live) molluscs is anthropogenic (set up by divers) or a natural scene, perhaps connected to an octopus, bobtail squid or other cephalopod ,eg to attract a mate? I suspect the latter.

The abalone on the rock (upper frame) and the scallop (lower R) are alive and probably incidentally present, both being common on this dive.
But the dead bivalves within other dead bivalves of same species (queen scallops and pipis, the latter being discarded by jetty fishers and present everywhere within casting distance and more, wrt the new jetty plus the occasional trailer boat used for fishing in the vicinity) are clearly the work of an animal, humans and cephalopods being the 2 main contenders.

I'll resubmit the image for each main content species but for now the SUBJECT is the live scallop at lower R.

Images 1-8

1. Algae in a rock pool at low tide.
2. Sample taken was approximately 2cm tall.
3. Filament tips.
4. Branching.
5. Branching from a base filament bearing rhizoids.
6. Cell structure.
7. Rhizoid end cut off from pericentral cells.
8. 5 pericentral cells evident.

Images 1-6

1. Turfing algae in situ. Located in a rock pool growing on bivalves.
2. Small piece taken from a tough gristly plant still attached to a bivalve at time of sampling.
3. Slightly closer view of sample. A 10 cents coin edge just visible for scale.
4. A cross section focussing on central portion of thallus.
5. Changed focus slightly to bring outer cells more into focus.
6. An accidental oblique slice through thallus also revealing cell structure.

Images 1-10

1. Algae found in a rock pool at low tide.
2. Specimen was about 6cm tall.
3. Quite profuse spiral branching.
4. Apices tapering to a point.
5. Filament tip at higher magnification.
6. Cell structure. Longer in middle parts than near branch tips.
7. Cells.
8. Tetraspores.
9. Trichoblasts not that frequent.
10. Cross section (after many attempts) in centre of image shows 4 pericentral cells.

Images 1-7

1. Specimens on a shell washed up on beach - resident amongst other algae (Polysiphonia and Ulva).
2. Close-up of a single specimen -approx 3cm long with main blades approx 1mm across.
3. Many entangled individuals. Irregular branching. Relatively tapered branch ends.
4. Surface view of cells.
5. Branch end under higher magnification. Slightly curved.
6. Branch tip showing outer sheath.
7. Cross section revealing medullary region.

Voucher specimen D.Nicolle 6370 & M.E.French (original + F1 seedlings).

True mallee to 2 metres tall. Bark smooth throughout. Adult leaves glossy, dark green. Common on upper slopes between granite domes with Eucalyptus ligulata subsp. ligulata and E. dorotoxylon.

Seedling leaves ±ovate, ±concolorous, dull, light green, non-pruinose, scabrid. Stems terete, densely glandular/hairy.

Voucher observation D.Nicolle 8592.

Trees to 8 metres tall, many individuals several-trunked. No mature fruits in canopy. Dominant here, forming open woodland with some Corymbia greeniana on pale orange gravelly loam.