East Point Tide Pool Checklist      
© 2003 Ted Maney      
Northeastern University      
Marine Science Center Nahant      
       
COMMON NAME
SCIENTIFIC NAME
GOSNER PLATE #
NOTES
GREEN ALGAE
CHLOROPHYTA
 
Sea lettuce Ulva lactuca
1
 
Hollow green weeds (4 species) Enteromorpha
1
 
Filamentous green algae (3 sp.) Chaetomorpha
1
 
Bushy green algae Spongomorpha
1
 
Fuzzy Green Rockweed Ulothrix flacca
-
 
   
 
BROWN ALGAE
PHAEOPHYTA
 
Rockweed (4 species) Fucus
2
 
Knotted Wrack Ascophyllum nodosum
2
 
Edible kelp Alaria
3
 
Horsetail Kelp Laminaria digitata
3
 
Common Kelp Laminaria saccharina
3
 
Epiphytic Bushy Weed Pilayella littoralis
-
 
Smooth Cord Weed Chorda filum
4
 
Sour Weed (2 species) Desmarestia
4
 
Brown Crust (3 species) Ralfsia
-
 
Sausage Weed Scitosophon lomentaria
5
 
 
RED ALGAE
RHODOPHYTA
 
Irish Moss Chondrus crispus
7
 
Laver Porphyra
7
 
Dulse Rhodymenia palmata
7
 
Tufted Red Weed Gigartina stellata
7
 
Coral weed Corallina officinalis
7
 
Graceful red Weed Gracilaria foliifera
8
 
Red Fren Ptilota serrata
9
 
Banded Weed ( 2 species) Ceramium
9
 
Tubed Weed (4 species) Polysiphonia
9
 
Shiny Red Crust Hildenbrandia rubra
-
 
Nobby Red Crust Lithothamnion glaciale
-
 
Smooth Red Crust Phymatolithon
 
Dumont's Red weed Dumontia incrassata
6
 
   
 
PLANTS
ANGIOSPERMS
 
Eelgrass Zostera marina
-
 
   
 
POLYPS AND MEDUSAE
COLENTERATA (CNIDARIA)
 
Sea Anemone Metridium senile
12
 
Tubularian hydroids Tubularia
13
 
Bougainvillia hydroids Bougainvillia superciliaris
13
 
Obelia hydroids Obelia geniculata
 
Stick Hydroid Eudendrium
13
 
 
 
BRYOZOANS
BRYOZOA
 
Red Crust Schizomavella auriculata
16
 
Lacy Crust Membranipora tenuis
16
 
Bushy Bugula Bugula turrita
15
 
Brown Leafy Bryozoan Dendrobeania murrayana
15
 
Jointed Tube Bryozoan Crisia eburnea
15
 
   
 
FLATWORMS
PLATYHELMINTHES
 
Speckled Flatworm Notoplana atomata
36
 
 
NEMERTEAN WORMS
RHYNCHOCOELA
 
Lined nemertean (2 species) Lineus rubera
37
 
Micruran nemertean Micrura leidyi
37
 
Many eyed nemertean (2 spec.) Amphiporus angulatus
36
 
Four-eyed nemertean (3 species) Tetrastemma vermiculus
36
 
 
MOLLUSKS
MOLLUSCA
 
CHITONS
Class Polyplacophora
 
Red Chiton Ischnochiton ruber
19
 
White Chiton Ischnochiton albus
19
 
GASTROPODS Class Gastropoda
 
Tortoiseshell limpet Acmaea testudinalis
19
 
Chink Shell Lacuna vincta
20
 
Common Periwinkle Littorina littorea
20
 
Rough Periwinkle Littorina saxatilis
20
 
Smooth Periwinkle Littorina obtusata
20
 
Common Slipper Shell Crepidula fornicata
19
 
Dogwinkle Nucella lapillus
20
 
Rough mantled nudibranch Onchidoris
44
 
Red gilled nudibranch Coryphella
45
 
Maned nudibranch Aeolidia papillosa
45
 
BIVALVES Class Bivalva
 
Blue Mussel Mytilus edulis
24
 
Jingle shell Anomia simplex
24
 
   
 
SEGMENTED WORMS
ANNELIDA
 
BRISTLE WORMS Class Polychaeta
 
Clam Worms Nereis
38
 
Blood Worms Glycera
40
 
15 scaled worm Harmothoe imbricata
43
 
12 scaled worm Lepidonotus squamatus
43
 
Hard Tube Worm Spirorbis
42
 
   
 
JOINTED-LEG ANIMALS
ARTHROPODA
 
CRUSTACEANS Class Crustacea
 
Green Crab Carcinus maenas
61
Introduced
Rock Crab Cancer irroratus
61
 
Jonah Crab Cancer borealis
61
 
Decorator Crab Hyas coarctatus
60
 
Northern Lobster Homarus americanus
56
 
Japanese Shore Crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus
Introduced
Hermit crab Pagurus
57
 
Northern rock barnacle Semibalanus balanoides
18
 
Idotea Isopod Idotea baltica
50
 
Little Shore isopod Jaera marina
50
 
Amphipods  
52-52
 
Skeleton Shrimp Caprella
53
 
Shore Shrimp Palaemonetes
55
 
Sand Shrimp Crangon septemspinosa
54
 
   
 
INSECTS
INSECTA
 
Rockcreeper Anurida maritima
-
 
 
SPINY SKINNED ANIMALS
ECHINODERMATA
 
SEA URCHINS & SAND DOLLARS Class Echinoidea
 
Green Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis
62
 
Sand Dollar Echinarachnius parma
62
 
SEA STARS & BRITTLE STARS Class Stellroidea
 
Forbes' Asterias Asterias forbesii
63
 
Boreal Asterias Asterias vulgaris
63
 
Blood Star Henricia sanguinolenta
63
 
Daisy Brittle Star Ophiopholis aculeata
64
 
 
TUNICATES
CHORDATA
 
ASCIDIANS Class Ascidiacea
 
White Crust Didemnum albidum
10
 
Golden Star Tunicate Botryllus schlosseri
10
 
Blood drop sea squirt Dendrodoa carnea
17
 
Oragne or Red Sheath Tunicate Botrylloides violaceus
Introduced
   
 
FISH
PISCES
 
Rock Gunnel Pholis gunnellus
BS 492
 
Mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus
BS 162
 
Stickleback Gasterosteus sp
BS 308
 
Pipefish Syngnathus fuscus
BS 312
 
Shanny Ulvaria subbifurcata
BS 498
 
Lumpfish Cyclopterus lumpus
BS 459
 
Little Skate Raja erinacea
BS 58
 
Cunner Tautogolabrous adspersus
BS 390
 
   
 
       

Field Guide References

Gosner, K. 1979. A Field Guide to the Atlantic Seashore

Bigelow and Schroeder. 1953. Fishes of the Gulf of Maine