Fish Facts from Shellharbour Scuba 1
Shellharbour Scuba Fish Facts 1
Blue Devil Fish
Paraplesiops Bleekeri
Blue Devil fish reside in exposed reef from 3-30m deep. They range from Montague Island NSW to the gold Coast in QLD. They range in length and can grow to a maximum of 40cms. Blue Devil fish are solitary creatures that usually live on their own in caves or crevices during the day; it can occasionally be seen out roaming the reef at night. Normally they appear shy to divers, as they do not swim away fleeing when found, but have a tendency to move to the very back of a cave or crevice to stay out of site.
The main explanation you normally only ever find one Blue Devil Fish in a cave or under a ledge is that the male sets up his own territory in a cave or overhang in order to attract a mate. If there is more than one male around, one will drive the other away. Blue Devil Fish mate in spring. The eggs are glued to the roof of the cave until they hatch.
The Blue Devil Fish is now fully protected in NSW.
Nudibranchs
Nudibranchs are sea snails that have no shell (or in which the shell is considerably reduced). The largest species of nudibranchs grow to 40 cm, the smallest are effortlessly able to move through grains of sand. Most are smaller than 10 cm. ‘Nudibranch’ means ‘naked gills’ because their gills are on the rear of the back of some species or along the side.
Most nudibranchs have a file-like organ (radula) which is only found in molluscs and is used to scrape off their food. This organ is covered on top with rows of teeth.
Nudibranchs have an incredible array of defences. Colour is believed to be an important defence in many species. Others ingest and utilise the stinging cells from soft corals.
Wobbegong Sharks
Wobbegong is the frequent name given to the eight species of carpet sharks in the family Orectolobidae. They are located in shallow temperate and tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean and eastern Indian Ocean, mainly around Australia and Indonesia.
Wobbegongs are bottom-dwelling sharks which devote a lot of their time resting on the sea floor, typically among rocks or under ledges. The largest species, the spotted wobbegong, Orectolobus maculatus, grows up to 3.2 m long. Wobbegongs are well camouflaged with a symmetrical pattern of bold markings which looks like carpet. Wobbegongs make use of their relative invisibility to hide among rocks and capture smaller fish which swim too near, typical of ambush predators.
Wobbegongs are usually not dangerous until they are provoked. They have bitten people who unintentionally step on them in shallow water; they may also bite scuba divers or snorkellers who poke or handle them, or who obstruct their escape route. Wobbegongs are quite flexible and can very easily bite a hand that is holding on to their tail. They have a lot of small but sharp teeth and their bite can be severe, even through a wetsuit; having once bitten, they have been known to hang on and can be quite hard to remove.
Eastern Frogfish
Batrachomoeus Dubius
The Eastern Frogfish has a big mouth, fleshy lips and a tasseled ‘beard’. It has alarge head with raised eyes. The pectoral fins are large. The three short first dorsal fin spines are reported to be venomous. It grows to 30 cm in length. When caught, the Eastern Frogfish is capable of making a croaking noise.
It hides any where from quite shallow waters down to at least 150 m in depth. It has been observed sheltering in holes on rocky reefs, kelp beds and silty areas.
Sea Spiders
Pantopoda (‘pycnogonid’ = Greek for ‘thick knee’)
The class Pycnogonida comprises more than approximately 1,300 species! These tiny animals live in many various parts of the world, from Australia, New Zealand, and the pacific coast of the US, to the Mediteranean and THE Carribbean to the north and south poles. They are most prevalent in shallow waters, but can be discovered as deep as 7,000 m and live in both marine and estuarine habitats. Pycnogonids are well hidden beneath the rocks and amongst the algae that are discovered along shorelines. They range in size from 1-10 mm, to over 90 cm in some deep water varieties.
We have a handful of various sorts of spiders around thearea. The yellow and red ones are Pseudopallene, the black and white are Stylopallene and the blue one is Anoplodactylus evansi.
Green Back Flounder
Rhombosolea tapirina
The Green Back Flounder is generally located on sandy flats to depths of 100m. They grow to approximately 38cm in length; they reach their maximum size at 3-4 years of age. Young flounders have eyes placed normally but as it grows it starts to lie on one side and the eye travels across to the other side of its head and its mouth becomes twisted.
Bat Ray
Myliobatis californica
Bat rays can grow a wing span of 1.8m and weigh up to 90kgs. They live in a wide array of environments. They primarily eat molluscs, crustaceans and small fish that lay on the seabed. They use their wings to move sand and expose their prey. They do have a toxic spine on their tails but only use it as defence when frightened. Bat rays can live up to 23 years and give birth yearly their litters can include 2- 10 pups.
