parks victoria technical series marine natural values study vol 2 ...
parks victoria technical series marine natural values study vol 2 ...
parks victoria technical series marine natural values study vol 2 ...
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Parks Victoria Technical Series No. 79<br />
Flinders and Twofold Shelf Bioregions Marine Natural Values Study<br />
kelp Durvillaea potatorum occurs on the intertidal fringe and most of the upper intertidal<br />
rocks are unvegetated (Plummer et al. 2003).<br />
Mobile Invertebrates<br />
The upper intertidal is dominated by barnacles Tesseropora rosea, Chthamalus antennatus<br />
and mussels Xenostrobus pulex with Sydney rock oyster Saccostrea glomerata, red bait<br />
crabs Plagusia chabrus, keyhole limpets Fissurellidae and Paguridae hermit crabs are also<br />
present in rock pools (Plummer et al. 2003). In deeper pools, the elephant snail Scutus<br />
antipodes, abalone Haliotis rubra and Haliotis coccoradiata, seastars Patiriella spp. and<br />
swift-footed crab Leptograpsus variegatus are common (Plummer et al. 2003).<br />
Fish<br />
Intertidal fish communities have not been surveyed at Cape Howe MNP. Little is known<br />
about intertidal fish, although sea mullet Mugil cephalus are sometimes caught in rockpools<br />
in Cape Howe MNP (Plummer et al. 2003).<br />
Subtidal<br />
Soft sediment<br />
Extensive macroalgal beds occur on sediment and sediment covered reef 10 to 40 m deep<br />
in Cape Howe MNP (Holmes et al. 2007b). These beds differentiate into Caulerpa<br />
dominated beds in 30 to 40 m (Holmes et al. 2007b). Sponges dominate sediment deeper<br />
than 40 m. Orange ball sponges of the genus Tethya dominate sediments in 40 to 60 m<br />
depth in the MNP (Holmes et al. 2007b).<br />
Depth and sediment type affect the distribution of benthic invertebrates along the Victorian<br />
coast. A statewide coastal survey of benthic fauna by Coleman et al. (2007) and Heislers<br />
and Parry (2007) included the benthos of Cape Howe MNP. One transect off Cape Howe<br />
MNP sampled the soft sediment with two 0.1 m 2 grab samples in 10 and 20 m of water<br />
depth. The fine sand contained between 142 to 162 individuals from 16 to 26 families with 68<br />
to 207 species (Heislers and Parry 2007). Representation of major taxa was relatively<br />
consistent between depths. Crustaceans were the dominant taxa including amphipods,<br />
cumaceans, isopods and ostracods (Heislers and Parry 2007). Polychaetes were also<br />
common while molluscs were poorly represented. Seven families were common in both<br />
depth classes, including four crustacean families, three amphipods (Phoxocephalidae,<br />
Urohaustoriidae and Ampeliscidae), one cumacean (Gynodiastylidae) and three polychaete<br />
families (Spionidae, Syllidae and Paraonidae).<br />
In waters > 10 m the most common fish over sediments is yellow scad Trachyurus<br />
novaezelandiae, juveniles dominate the shallower sediments whereas schools of adults<br />
were found in the deeper sediments (Moore et al. 2008). The ocean leatherjacket Nelusetta<br />
ayraudi is common over the deeper sediments whilst schools of whiting Sillago species are<br />
commonly sighted over more shallow sediment (Moore et al. 2008). Grubfish Parapercis sp.<br />
and flathead Platycephalus like ocean leather jackets are associated with deep sediments.<br />
The eastern blue-spotted flathead Platycephalus caeruleopunctatus is found throughout the<br />
relatively shallower depths of the MNP (