BOULDER BAY OUTFALL

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Biological Environment

Shallow water areas:

Lithothamnion (encrusting Corallinaceae algae), turfing red algae, brown algae; sponges and other invertebrates; as the depth of water increased, the area occupied by algae decreased while the space covered by suspension feeders increased.

Deeper water areas:

turfing red algae; sponges (more erect species); uncolonised space.

Rock shelf (inside the bay):

large brown algae (Phyllospora comosa and Ecklonia radiata); Lithothamnion; coralline algae; grazing molluscs; sea urchins (Centrostephanus rodgersii); patches of encrusting sponges and a compound ascidian.

Intertidal:

limpets (Cellana tramoserica) and top shells (Austrocochlea obtusa – probably = A. constricta). At the extreme low tide level there was a short stretch of rock shelf covered by a brown algal film. Hormosira banksii, Corallina and cunjevoi (Pyura stolonifera).

Upper Intertidal:

periwinkles (Nodilittorina unifasciata and N. pyramidalis); grazing gastropods (Cellana tramoserica, Siphonaria sp, Nerita atramentosa and Austrocochlea obtusa); surf barnacle (Catomerus polymerus); coralline algae and brown algae (Phyllospora comosa); crevices and rock pools inhabited by an assemblage of algae and invertebrates typical for this region (see Dakin 1952, Laurie, Montgomery and Pettit 1977a)

Cunjevoi

Kelp

Sea urchin

Cunjevoi

Boulder Bay

(Boul_6) Last updated May 2000