Eastern Warm Temperate Zone
Intertidal Zonation

If you visit a rocky ocean shore at low tide in south-eastern Australia between Fraser Island in south-eastern Queensland, south along the New South Wales coast and then west across Victoria to Cape Otway, including north-eastern Tasmania you should find many of the following animals and seaweeds. This region has been called the Eastern Warm Temperate Zone.

Some organisms occur in a very narrow band and only occur at a particular tidal level, while others are far more wide ranging and occur at nearly all tidal levels. Those that occur at a particular tide level are called Indicator Species.

Question:

Look at the above diagram. Can you work out which creatures would be the best indicator species at the different tidal levels?

This Life on Australian Rocky Shores Web Site features representative seashore species which have been compiled by Keith Davey, author of "A Photographic Guide to Seashore Life of Australia", published by New Holland Press in 1998.

The classification here for the Eastern Warm Temperate Zone is based upon assumed tidal levels for any coastal Australian shore. Other researchers have used the more technical names within the brackets. See the Reference List below.

As this Web Site is more fully developed other sets of animals from the other four Biogeographic Zones will be added.

Eastern Warm Temperate Zone
Southern Queensland, New South Wales, eastern Victoria and north-eastern Tasmania

SPLASH FRINGE
(Supra-littoral Fringe)

Mollusc

Gastropods

• Tubercled Noddiwink, Nodilittorina pyramidalis
• Blue Australwink, Nodilittorina unifasciata

Bivalve

• Commercial Oyster, Saccostrea glomerata

Crustacea

Isopod and Amphipod

• Marine Slater, Ligia australiensis

TIDAL ZONE
(Littoral Zone)

HIGH TIDE LEVEL
(Upper Mid-littoral or Eulittoral)

Crustaceans

Barnacles

• Honeycomb Barnacle, Chamaesipho tasmanica
• Six-plated Barnacle, Chthamalus antennatus

Crabs

• Smooth Shore Crab, Cyclograpsus audouinii
• Variegated Shore Crab, Leptograpsus variegatus

Molluscs

Gastropod - Limpet

• Petterd's Limpet, Notoacmea petterdi

MID TIDE LEVEL
(Middle Mid-littoral or Eulittoral)

Crustaceans

Barnacle

• Rosette Barnacle, Tetraclitella purpurascens
• Rose-coloured Barnacle, Tesseropora rosea

Molluscs

Gastropods - Limpet & False Limpet

• Variegated Limpet, Cellana tramoserica
• Denticulated Siphon, Siphonaria denticulata
• Corded Siphon Shell, Siphonaria funiculata

Gastropods - Top Shells

• Black Nerite, Nerita atramentosa
• Zebra Top Shell, Austrocochlea porcata
• Ribbed Top Shell, Austrocochlea constricta
• Striped-mouth Conniwink, Bembicium nanum

Chitons

• Snake-skinned Chiton, Chiton pelliserpentis

Cnidaria

Anemone

• Waratah Anemone, Actinia tenebrosa

Algae

Brown Algae

• Neptune's Necklace, Hormosira banksia
• Ectocarpus, Ectocarpus silicosus

LOW TIDE LEVEL
(Lower Mid-littoral or Eulittoral)

Crustaceans

Barnacles

• Surf Barnacle, Catophragmus polymerus
• Black Barnacle, Balanus nigrescens

Worm

Serpulid

• "Sydney Coral", Galeolaria caespitosus

Molluscs

Chiton

• Spiculed Chiton, Acanthopleura gaimardi

Gastropods

• Variegated Limpet, Cellana tramoserica
• Black Keyhole Limpet, Amblychilepas nigrita
• Edible Mussel, Mytilus edulus planulatus

  Sydney Sea Cow, Aplysia sydneyensis

Echinoderms

• Small Green Sea Star, Patriella exigua
• Eight-armed Sea Star, Patriella calcar
• Eleven-armed Sea Star, Coscinasterias calamaria

LOW SHORE FRINGE
(Infralittoral Fringe)

Protochordate

Ascidian

• Cunjevoi, Pyura stolonifera

Algae

Green Algae

• Sea Lettuce, Ulva lactuca
• Globe Algae, Colpomenia sinuosa
• Doubling Weed, Dictyota dichotoma
• Sausage Weed, Splachnidium rugosum
• Caulerpa, Caulerpa filiformis
• Green Sea Velvet, Codium fragile

  Brown Algae

• Leather Kelp, Eklonia radiata
• Strap weed, Phyllospora comosa
• Padina, Padina pavonea

Red Algae

• Coralline Seaweed, Corallina officinalis
• Encrusting Corrallines, Corallinacea

Crustaceans

• Reef Crab, Ozius truncatus
• Seaweed Crab, Naxia truncatus
• Tubercled Crab, Nectocarcinus tuberculosus
• Red Bait Crab, Plagusia chabrus
• Sowrie, Plagusia glabra

Molluscs

Chitons

• Yellow Chiton, Onithochiton quercinus
• Mysterious Chiton, Cryptoplax mystica

Gastropods

• Elephant Snail, Scutus antipodes
• Common Warrener, Turbo undulata
• Common Ear Shell or Abalone, Haliotis rubra
• Spengler's Rock Whelk, Cabestana spengleri
• Cart-Rut Shell, Dicathais orbit

Coelenterates

Urchins

• Sea Urchin, Heliocidaris erythrogramma
• Thickened Sea Urchin, Hopophneustes pycnotilus

Brittle Star

• Brittle Star, Ophioneris schayeri

Holothurian

• Chiridota, Chiridota gigas

Worms

• Eunice, Eunice aphroditois
• Bristleworm, Eurythoe complanata
• Scale Worm, Lepidonotus melanogrammus
• Peanut Worm, Phascolosoma noduliferum

Sponges

• Sponge

MARINE ZONE
(Sub-tidal or Sub-littoral Zone)

References

Bennett, I. (1987) W. J. Dakin's classic study: Australian Seashores. p. 3-12, Angus & Robertson, Sydney.

Davey, K. (1998) A Photographic Guide to Seashore Life of Australia. p.8, New Holland, Sydney.

Intertidal Zonation

Eastern Warm Temperate Zone
Western Warm Temperate Zone
Cool Temperate Zone
Eastern Tropical Zone
Western Tropical Zone

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