Coleman's Sea Star
Echinaster colemani Rowe and Albertson, 1987 (137mm)
Recognised (by Neville) as being new in 1968, it was not until many years later that the species was confirmed as a unique undescribed sea star and its description published (20 metres Broughton Island, New South Wales). It is found from southern Queensland to Bateman's Bay in southern New South Wales, its type locality being off Cronulla, NSW. The epicentre of its distribution is at Norfolk Island where it is quite common.
Coleman's Flatworm
Pseudoceros colemani Prudhoe, 1978 (20mm)
As yet, this flatworm appears restricted in range to eastern Australia's southern coasts. First found at Port Hacking, New South Wales in 1968 it feeds on the brain ascidian Sycozoa cerebriformis and seems to be a nocturnal species. At certain times it is very common in five to 15 metres in caves on rock faces.
Coleman's Sea Squirt
Polyandrocarpa colemani Kott, 1994
Certainly as a colony this species is one of the largest growing compound ascidians in the Indo-Pacific. Colonies may be two metres in length, 600mm in height and 300mm thick (at the base). It was discovered during fauna surveys at Julian Rocks off Byron Bay, New South Wales in 1976 but not collected till years later off Tweed Heads, New South Wales (1987). The larger more open, angled openings are the mouths of the colony and the more upright openings are the exhalant pores.
Because of its unique form, colour and huge size it took quite a while to understand what the animal was.
Coleman's Chromodoris
Chromodoris colemani Rudman, 1982 (25mm)
Originally found at Bushy Island, Great Barrier Reef 5/75, it was one of many new species of Chromodorids first found and photographed by Neville in the early years. The species is not common and is known from Lizard Island (GBR), Japan, Okinawa and Indonesia where it is generally seen in shallow water during the day.
Coleman's Tripterotyphis
Tripterotyphis colemani (Ponder, 1972) (15mm)
A dead specimen of this species was found on the floor of a cave at 20 metres off the New South Wales coast in 1966. It was not until Neville reached Broome in Western Australia in 1972 that a number were discovered intertidally beneath rocks and rubble.
Coleman's Soft Coral
Dendronephthya colemani Grasshoff, 1978
The fact that this genus of soft coral requires a complete taxonomic revision to deal with the multitude of species is of little comfort. The original specimen was found at Dampier, Western Australia at 20 metres in 1972. It appeared to be common in the area but many species of this genus are difficult to tell apart; others are easy.
Coleman's Grubfish
Parapercis colemani Randall & Francis, 1990
First photographed at Norfolk Island in 1988 it was not until Dr John Randall and Malcolm Francis did a fish survey there in 1998/72 that a specimen was secured in the lagoon and consequently described. As there were only two specimens originally observed and they have not been recorded anywhere else it is assumed that their 'home' territory is yet to be discovered.
Coleman's Weedfish
Heteroclinus colemani Hoese, 1976
Living in red algae on rocks and rock faces this species is so far only recorded from Tasmania where it was found at Bruny Island (1972) in 18 metres. There are similar forms in Victoria and southern New South Wales.
Coleman's Stony Coral
Monastrea colemani Veron, 2000
Although Neville has found a number of corals unable to be identified to species, managed to record many new distribution records and photographed hundreds of species he did not discover this species. It was named for him in recognition of the contributions he had made over 30 years towards advancing the knowledge, visualisation and new records of stony corals.
Photo By: C. Veron.
Coleman's Nemertean Worm Genus
Colemaniella Gibson, 1985
Named as a tribute to collections and photographs supplied to the leading nemertean worm taxonomist of his time, a representative of the genus has yet to be found or photographed by Neville.
Coleman's Mantis Shrimp
Lissosquilla colemani Ahong, 2001 (100mm)
Trawled from 280 metres off Long Reef, New South Wales meant that Neville waited for it to come up rather than going down and picking it up. In order to photographically record the many deep water species he worked on trawl boats around Australia so he could keep some of the trash species usually shovelled overboard. Being sea sick over the sorting tray on a rocking trawler at night was par for the course, but his sea sickness only lasted for 10 years.
Coleman's Pygmy Seahorse
Hippocampus colemani Kuiter, 2003 (22mm)
Visiting Lord Howe Island on photographic fauna surveys for 35 years it was not until December 2001 that this beautiful little seahorse was discovered in the lagoon in only three metres of water, eight metres from the dive site mooring. It demonstrates just how much we miss. This site has been dived by thousands of divers over 25 years yet the pygmy seahorse remained undiscovered.
Coleman's Bubble Coral Shrimp
Vir colemani Bruce, 2004 ( 15mm)
First discovered and photographed by Neville at Milne Bay Papua New Guinea in the early 1980's, it was not until 2002 that this reasonably common species was further investigated at Loloata Island Papua New Guinea and currently described. We now know it to be fairly widespread with specimens being photographed from Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Vanuatu. It lives on the bubble coral Plerogyra sinuosa in depths of 8 to 20metres.
Coleman's Shrimp
Periclimenes colemani Bruce, 1975 (20mm)
First recognised at Wistari Reef, near Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef in 1974. The shrimps were found at 12 to25 metres inhabiting the dorsal surface of their host the elusive sea urchin Athenosoma intermedium. Since then they have been found across the Indo-Pacific region inhabiting the same genus of sea urchin Asthenosoma ijimai or Asthenosoma varius.
Coleman's Phyllodesmium
Phyllodesmium colemani Rudman, 1991 (76mm)
Although Neville had searched a thousand Tubipora spp. organ pipe soft coral colonies looking for a nudibranch it was not until 1987 at Lord Howe Island that specimens were located in only one metre of water. Since then they have been found on the Great Barrier Reef and Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea.
Neville Coleman’s Soft Coral
Moolabalia nevillecolemani Alderslade, 2001
Living at 25 metres in the waters off Mooloolaba, Queensland (where there are lots of new species) this species is widespread along the southern Queensland coast and into northern New South Wales.
Although its presence is hardly noticeable due to its small polyp size, a torch reveals the beautiful bright blue colour and shows up just how common an encrusting species it is. Specimens were not collected until 1997.
Neville on location - All welcome!
Each year Neville visits various dive resorts across the Indo-Pacific where he is carrying out ongoing fauna surveys on behalf of the resort managements. These services are on a voluntary basis and are donated in an effort to establish baseline studies for locations and dive sites across the Asia/Indo-Pacific Australasian area.
Guests and dive staff are always welcome to participate and with a little encouragement many have contributed to the discovery of new records and new species which they receive individual credit for in our resulting magazine articles and eventual publication of listings and/or books.
