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You are here:   Habitats > Beach rock

Habitats

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Species from the Beach rock at Heron Island:
Red-eyed Rock Crab
Eriphia sebana
Red-eyed Rock Crab
Andrew Taylor
Chiton
Acanthopleura gemmata
Chiton
Chrissa Athousis
Leptoplanid Flatworm
Leptoplanidae
Leptoplanid Flatworm
Guy Freeman
Furrowed Clusterwink
Planaxis sulcatus
Furrowed Clusterwink
Terence Tan
Warratah Anemone
Actinia tenebrosa
Warratah Anemone
Yiwen Yvonne Low
Starry Bornella nudibranch
Bornella stellifer
Starry Bornella nudibranch
Jason Sheehan
Lion
Euapta godeffroyi
Lion's Paw Sea Cucumber
Megan Permyakoff
Ridged Sponge Crab
Stimdromia lateralis
Ridged Sponge Crab
Cherie Chan
Topshell
Trochus stellatus
Topshell
Patricia Galvao Santos Reis
Colonial Sea Squirt
Ecteinascidia diaphanis
Colonial Sea Squirt
Victoria Dewar-Fowler
True limpet
Cellana tramoserica
True limpet
Ka Yee Wong
Constricted Top Shell
Austrocochlea Constricta
Constricted Top Shell
Aidan Rintala
Floral egg crab, Shawl crab
Atergatis floridus
Floral egg crab, Shawl crab
Takuhiro Yamada
Order Leptothecata
Kirchenpaueria spp
Order Leptothecata
Anjali Rangnekar
Spider crab, Decorator crab
Menaethius monoceros
Spider crab, Decorator crab
Chi Chiu Lo
Mulberry Whelk
Morula marginalba (Blainville, 1832)
Mulberry Whelk
Felicia Manning

Godiva

William O'Hearn
serpent
Cypraea caputserpentis
serpent's head cowrie
Shun Wong
Peanut Worm
Aspidosiphon muelleri
Peanut Worm
Harriet Goodrich
Hairy Red Hermit Crab
Dardanus Lagopodes
Hairy Red Hermit Crab
Shaw Kwok
Purple swift-footed shore crab
Leptograpsis variegatus
Purple swift-footed shore crab
Holly Urquhart
striped estuarine barnacle
Amphibalanus amphitrite
striped estuarine barnacle
Nicholas Wee
Gold-mouthed Periwinkle or Gold mouthed Conniwink
Bembicium auratum
Gold-mouthed Periwinkle or Gold mouthed Conniwink
Samantha Kingston
Thin periwinkle
Littoraria filosa
Thin periwinkle
Gustavo Zoppello Toffoli
Brown Bryozoan
Bugula neritina
Brown Bryozoan
Leslie Braberry
Yellow Striped Hermit Crab
Clibanarius taeniatus
Yellow Striped Hermit Crab
Candice Selmanovic
Whitebanded Hermit Crab
Calcinus Seurati
Whitebanded Hermit Crab
Taylor Homan
Gammarus Shrimp
Gammarus sp.
Gammarus Shrimp
Sailoto Liveti
Ribbon worm
Lineus spp.
Ribbon worm
Alexander Archibald-Binge

Pilodius pugil

Sebastian Lopez Marcano

Mycale (Arenochalina) mirabilis

Weili Chan

Cirolana erodiae

William Arnold

Aplidium sp.

Chloe Jayakody
Yellow-footed Hermit Crab
Clibanarius virescens
Yellow-footed Hermit Crab
Rebecca Everett
Styelidae Ascidian
Symplegma brakenhielmi
Styelidae Ascidian
Melissa Nancy Staines
Rose Barnacle
Tesseropora rosea
Rose Barnacle
William Francis Gemmell
Sand tube worm
Idanthyrsus australiensis
Sand tube worm
Lillian Grace Cottrell
Cunjevoi
Pyura stolonifera
Cunjevoi
Candida Wong
Yellow sponge
Amorphinopsis maculosa
Yellow sponge
James Eccles

Turbo tuberculosus

Javier Onate Casado
Blue Periwinkle
Austrolittorina unifasciata
Blue Periwinkle
Lauren Ashley Veary

Perophora multiclathrata

Eleanor Marjorie Anne Pease
Pyramid Periwinkle
Nodilittorina pyramidalis
Pyramid Periwinkle
Melita Jayne Gaston
Elegant Squat Lobster
Allogalathea elegans
Elegant Squat Lobster
Michael John Thompson
Scaled nerite
Nerita histrio
Scaled nerite
Richard Dylan Corner
Zebra Top Snail
Austrocochlea porcata
Zebra Top Snail
Ali Adriana Copland

Spurilla braziliana

Saoirse Hannam

Ascidia sydneiensis

Callum Mulvey
Snapping Shrimp
Unknown
Snapping Shrimp
Gianlucca Brozler
Quadrangular Sea Cucumber
Colochirus quadrangularis
Quadrangular Sea Cucumber
Ebony Sharples

Lamellaria perspicua

Natasha Tay
Blotched nerite
Nerita albicilla
Blotched nerite
Katrina Marchant
Tubeworms
Genus Spirorbis
Tubeworms
Emma Blake
Nembrotha spp.
Genus Nembrotha
Nembrotha spp.
Arturo Vilar Gomez
Green snakelock anemone
Aulactinia veratra
Green snakelock anemone
Corey Lord
Striped barnacle
Amphibalanus amphitrite
Striped barnacle
Vicky Ooi
(with a focus on social ascidians)
Colonial Ascidians
(with a focus on social ascidians)
Tallulah Southby Osborne
Oyster Leech
Imogine Mcgrathi
Oyster Leech
Teah Voss

Genus Syllis

Sophie Grieve

Zoothamnium

Rowan Carew
Tasselled Crab
Pilumnus fissifrons
Tasselled Crab
Declan Smith

Beach rock

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A belt of beach rock surrounds the southern and northwestern sides of Heron Island. The rock is composed primarily of compressed algal and coral skeletons. Although the amount of exposed beach rock can vary from year to year, according the weather patterns and conditions, on the southern side it can be over 20 m wide. On this side, the beach rock can be divided into three bands, each with a different dominant invertebrate fauna. The upper zone consists of rock rubble and slabs that are inhabited by a variety of clustering gastropods, swift crabs, hermit crabs, anemones and amphipods. The middle band consists of hard rock an home to a large chiton, a number of gastropods and crabs. The lower, smooth region tends to be devoid of conspicuous invertebrates, although molluscs and crabs from the sandy zone can be observed in this area.



Heron Island beach rock. Images provided by Sandie Degnan.