Intertidal / littoral zone

North Keppel Island

Safety on the intertidal area

• Enclosed shoes, sun safe, water,

• Dangerous marine creatures

• No running, jumping

• Minimal impact

• Turning over rocks – please turn back

• If you don’t know what it is, don’t touch!

Oysters

• Phylum Mollusca

• Class Bivalvia

• Subclass Lamellibranchia

• Order Anisomyaria

• Family Ostreidae

Oysters are filter feeders.

Posses shells in two hinged

sections.

White/grey colour with maroon

colour on edges.

Limpets

• Phylum Mollusca

• Class Gastropoda

• Subclass Prosobranchia

• Order Archaeogastropoda

• Family Patellidae

Limpets can be found on the lower edge of the beach rock but are usually in lager number further out in the littoral zone.

Small black ones found first.

Larger ones further out.

Gastropods

• Phylum Mollusca

• Class Gastropoda

The shell of a gastropod

is an asymmetrical

spiral that functions

as a retreat instead of

a shied.

There are many at NKI.

Gastropod examples

• Phylum Mollusca • Class Gastropoda

• Subclass Prosobranchia

• Order Mesgastropoda

• Family Littorinidae

Herbivores that graze on algae found on the ‘beach rock’.

Tiny ( less than 10mm).

The rock pools in this area have high salt concentrations.

They look black from a distance but are maroon/brown/black with paler nobs.

Others grey with white apex (15mm)

Gastropod examples

• Phylum Mollusca

• Class Gastropoda

• Subclass Prosobranchia

• Order Archaeogastropoda

• Family Planaxidae

Large textured spiral with all black or

other dark colour.

Gastropod examples

• Phylum Mollusca

• Class Gastropoda

• Subclass Prosobranchia

• Order Mesgastropoda

• Family Neritidae

Striped with large first spiral opening

commonly found with hermit crabs

inside.

Some have white band or other

patterns (20mm). Tight fitting

operculum is easy to see and has

a toothed shelf around this

opening.

Gastropod examples

• Phylum Mollusca

• Class Gastropoda

• Subclass Prosobranchia

• Order Neogastropoda

• Family Muricidae

• Genus Morula

Mulberry snail / oyster borer, a

predator that feeds on other

molluscs.

Has a radula with fewer teeth and it

is used to drill through the shells

of prey (some acid secretions also

to soften the shell also)

Gastropod examples

• PhylumMollusca • ClassGastropoda

• SubclassProsobranchia

• OrderMesgastropoda

• FamilyTurbinidae

Turban shell, grey colour.

Herbivorous

Gastropod examples

• PhylumMollusca • ClassGastropoda

• SubclassProsobranchia

• OrderMesgastropoda

• FamilyTrochidae

Trochus or ‘top shell’, feed on detritus

and algae.

Range of colour and patterns with

textured conical shape (slightly

flattened with sharp edge).

Gastropod examples

• Phylum Mollusca • Class Gastropoda

• Subclass Prosobranchia

• Order Mesgastropoda

• Family Cerithiidae

Ceriths or sand creepers.

Herbivores and detritus feeders.

Range of sizes.

Pale pointy spiral shell with lots of

dark coloured small nobs.

Chitons

• Phylum Mollusca • Class Amphineura

• Subclass Polyplacophera

Chitons are primitive herbivores that

scrape algae.

Abalones

• Phylum Mollusca • Class Gastropoda

• Subclass Prosobranchia

• Order Archaeogastropoda

• Family Haliotidae

Abalones or ear shells.

Well camouflaged and patterned.

Lower edge has a series of holes

for respiration.

Sea Cucumbers

• Phylum Echinodermata

• Class Holotuuroidea

Sea cucumbers.

Detritus or filter feeders.

Radial symmetry but elongated

and lay on their sides.

Black colour.

Tube Worms • PhylumAnnelida

• ClassPolychaeta

• Subclass

• Order

• FamilyTerebellidae

Tube worm with fragile/delicate

sandy tube.

Tube Worms

• Phylum Annelida • Class Polychaeta

• Subclass

• Order

• Family Serpulidae

Tube, fan or feather duster worms.

Segmented worms that form a

calcareous tube for protection.

Filter feeders.

Barnacles

• Phylum Arthropoda

• Class Crustacea

• Subclass Cirripedia

• Order Thoracica

• Suborder Balanomorpha

Barnacles are sessile filter

feeders.

Soft Coral

• PhylumCnidaria

• ClassAnthozoa

• SubclassOctocorallia

• OrderAlcyonacea

Soft coral, loose

arrangement of

separate calcareous

spicules.

Hard Corals

• Phylum Cnidaria

• Class Anthozoa

• Subclass

• Order Madreporaria

• Hard coral found in rock pools

looks like leopard skin with rich

brown colours.

• Brain coral feed at night with

tentacles to sting and catch

plankton.

• Branching corals , star corals.

Organ Pipe Coral

• Phylum Cnidaria

• Class Anthozoa

• Subclass

• Order Stolonifera

Organ pipe coral,

red/pink colour.

Anemones

• Phylum Cnidaria • Class Anthozoa

• Subclass

• Order Actiniaria

Sponges

• Phylum Porifera

• Class Demospongiae

Crabs

• Phylum Arthropoda

• Class Crustacea

• Subclass Malacostraca

• Order Decapoda

Hermit crab

• Phylum Arthropoda • Class Crustacea

• Subclass Malacostraca

• Order Decapoda

• Suborder Reptantia

Hermit crab, omnivore, scavenger.

Amphipods

• Phylum Arthropoda • Class Crustacea

• Subclass Malacostraca

• SuperOrder Peracarida

• Order Amphipoda

Amphipods move quickly and are

difficult to spot, especially their

legs, (about 15mm long).

Detritus feeder.