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Western Longspined Sea Urchin

Centrostephanus tenuispinus

This sea urchin can be found at any depth, to over 100 metres, but is not commonly found in water shallower than five or so metres. Its slender and long primary spines are usually a blue-grey to lavender, while its secondary spines and tube feet are dark, with a reddish hue. While it is similar at first glance, the blueish colouration and the much longer spines can help distinguish it from the more common Heliocidaris erythrogramma. Its range is not known to overlap with Centrostephanus rodgersii, which has yet to be found in SA. However, it is also similar in appearance to that species.

Smilasterias irregularis

This 5-armed sea star is usually found under rocks subtidally. It is a brownish or brick red in colour, with pale bands on its arms, often irregular or broken. It is similar in appearance to Allostichaster polyplax, but can be distinguished by its spines, which are longer and more prominent than in A. polyplax, giving it a rougher appearance.

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.