Seahare bloom in Coffs Harbour marina, NSW

November 29, 2001
From: Hamish Malcolm


Hi Bill
Thanks for your help. I had a look at your Sea Slug Forum and the animal I described on the phone certainly looks like Bursatella leachii. This 'hairy' sea hare was first noticed by the manager of the Coffs Harbour Marina [New South Wales, Australia] a couple of days ago [November 2001]. There are presently hundreds in a fairly small area feeding over sand (on bacteria?) in the marina. The manager hadn't seen them before in all the years he has been here (nor has another bloke who has lived in the marina for the last 6 years). There has been some big swell over the last week and the outer harbour is currently being dredged which I thought might have had something to do with them 'moving' into the marina. But as you said on the phone they have probably settled as larvae and bred in the marina given the variable size of some individuals (small up to about 10cm), and have only just been noticed given rapid growth rates and short life cycles.

Anyway could you please confirm if this is Bursatella leachii. Thanks again for your help.

Cheers
Hamish Malcolm
Project Officer - Research and Monitoring
Solitary Islands Marine Park
NSW Marine Parks Authority
Coffs Harbour, NSW
Australia

hamish.malcolm@npws.nsw.gov.au

Malcolm, H., 2001 (Nov 29) Seahare bloom in Coffs Harbour marina, NSW. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5743

Dear Hamish,
Yes this is Bursatella leachii. There are a number of different subspecies recognised around the world but they all have a very similar natural history which apparently includes this tendency to have irregular population explosions. It is certainly not unusual to have no sign of them for a number of years. This may be because they are very well camouflaged and so remain invisible in low densities, or it may be because they are actually absent. Because they have a planktonic larval stage, larvae can arrive from some distance away. In rare cases when larval settlement is high, and environmental conditions optimal, these 'population explosions occur.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Nov 29). Comment on Seahare bloom in Coffs Harbour marina, NSW by Hamish Malcolm. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5743

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