Marine Natural Values Study Summary - Parks Victoria

(as deep as 50m) including ascidians,soft corals, sponges and gorgonians.These sessile species are large andcreate habitat for fishes and otheranimals. Benthic fauna includescrustaceans (e.g. amphipods),polychaetes, molluscs, cnidarians,pycnogonids and echinoderms.The intertidal reefs are made upof limestone and sandstone and arehome to forty-five invertebratespecies, predominantly molluscs.Common species include the limpetsSiphonaria spp, Patelloida alticostata,Notoacmea mayi and Clypidinarugosa, the periwinkles Nodolittorinaacutispira and N. unifasciata and theconniwink Bembicium nanum.Sessile species common to theintertidal reefs include algae suchas Neptune’s necklace Hormosirabanksii, Ulva spp., turfing algae,and aggregating invertebrates suchas the tube worm Galeolaria caespitosaand the mussels Limnoperna pulexand Austromytilus rostratus.The subtidal reefs in the park extendto a depth of 58 metres, and have ahigh diversity of algal species.The shallow reef 7 metres to 13 metreswest of Point Addis is generallydominated by mixed algae and thekelp Ecklonia radiata.Rhodoliths in Point Addis Marine National Park.The reef close to shore off Point Addisis dominated by the bull kelpDurvillaea potatorum while towardsthe centre of the bay the crayweedPhyllospora comosa dominates thesolid reef areas at depths of 5 metresto 7 metres.East of Addiscot Beach the giant kelpMacrocystis pyrifera can be found.Other canopy forming algal speciesinclude Seirococcus axillaris andAcrocarpia paniculata. Understoreyspecies include up to seven speciesof the green Caulerpa spp., the redcoralline alga Haliptilon roseumand smaller fleshy red algae Balliacallitricha, Areschougia congestaand Plocamium spp.Beds of the seagrass Amphibolisantarctica are found in areas of rubblereef in the west of the park and onbroken reef in the bay off AddiscotBeach and support a variety of sessileinvertebrates (e.g. bryozoans), mobileinvertebrates and epiphytic algae.The invertebrate community of thesubtidal reef habitats within the parkincludes blacklip abalone Haliotisrubra, green lipped Haliotis laevigata,warrener Turbo undulatus, rock lobsterJasus edwardsii and a variety of seastars including Nectria spp., Nepanthiatroughtoni and Holopneustesporosissimus.Fish commonly found include theblue-throated wrasse Notolabrustetricus, purple wrasse N. fucicola,sea sweep Scorpis aequipinnis, yellowtailed leatherjacket Meuscheniaflavolineata and horseshoe leatherjacketM. hippocrepis. Other fish includeHerring cale Odax cyanomelas,short-finned pike Sphyraenanovaehollandiae yellowtail kingfishSeriola lalandi and several speciesof salmon.The water column is home to a varietyof planktonic and pelagic organisms.Those that make their permanent homein the water column include sea jellies,salps, many fish, and phytoplanktonand zooplankton. A number of marinemammals, reptiles and seabirds arealso found in or use the water column.Species and Communitiesof Conservation SignificanceA large number of seabirds andshorebirds of conservation significanceincluding terns (e.g. the fairy ternSternula nereis, common tern Sternahirundo, and the caspian ternHydroprogne caspia), the hoodedplover Thinornis rubricollis, albatrosses(e.g. wandering albatross Diomedeaexulans, shy albatross Thalassarchecauta, yellow-nosed albatrossThalassarche chlororhynchos,black-browed albatross Thalassarchemelanophris) and the fairy prion23