North Keppel Island
Intertidal / littoral zone
Safety on the intertidal area
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Subclass Prosobranchia
Order Archaeogastropoda
Family Planaxidae
Large textured spiral with all black or
other dark colour.
Gastropod examples
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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
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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
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PhylumMollusca
ClassGastropoda
SubclassProsobranchia
OrderMesgastropoda
FamilyTurbinidae
Turban shell, grey colour.
Herbivorous
Gastropod examples
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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
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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
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Phylum Mollusca
Class Amphineura
Subclass Polyplacophera
Chitons are primitive herbivores that
scrape algae.
Abalones
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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
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PhylumAnnelida
ClassPolychaeta
Subclass
Order
FamilyTerebellidae
Tube worm with fragile/delicate
sandy tube.
Tube Worms
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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
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Phylum Arthropoda
Class Crustacea
Subclass Cirripedia
Order Thoracica
Suborder Balanomorpha
Barnacles are sessile filter
feeders.
Soft Coral
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PhylumCnidaria
ClassAnthozoa
SubclassOctocorallia
OrderAlcyonacea
Soft coral, loose
arrangement of
separate calcareous
spicules.
Hard Corals
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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
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Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa
Subclass
Order Stolonifera
Organ pipe coral,
red/pink colour.
Anemones
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Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa
Subclass
Order Actiniaria
Sponges
• Phylum Porifera
• Class Demospongiae
Crabs
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Phylum Arthropoda
Class Crustacea
Subclass Malacostraca
Order Decapoda
Hermit crab
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Phylum Arthropoda
Class Crustacea
Subclass Malacostraca
Order Decapoda
Suborder Reptantia
Hermit crab, omnivore, scavenger.
Amphipods
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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.