Star Island Intertidal Invertebrates
Breadcrumb Sponge
Halichondria panicea, commonly known as the breadcrumb sponge, is a species of marine demosponge belonging to the family Halichondriidae. This is an abundant sponge of coastal areas of the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea ranging from the intertidal zone to a recorded depth of over 550 m. It is very tolerant of a wide range of coastal habitats, including strong ...more ↓
Mermaid's Glove
The mermaid's glove has decorative branches which often fuse together, resembling antlers. In Dutch, it is called 'antler sponge'. If the waters are calm where it grows, the branches are thin, resembling fine fingers. Probably the reason it's called mermaid's glove in English. In wilder waters, the branches are wider and flatter. This sponge gets its food by sucking up water through tiny ...more ↓
Ectopleura
Depth range based on 258 specimens in 14 taxa.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 37 samples.
Environmental ranges
Depth range (m): 0 - 855
Temperature range (°C): 6.405 - 23.720
Nitrate (umol/L): 0.501 - 27.065
Salinity (PPS): 31.893 - 36.439
Oxygen (ml/l): 1.200 - 6.816
Phosphate (umol/l): 0.100 - 2.132
Silicate (umol/l): 0.805 - ...more ↓
Agardhiella subulata
Depth range based on 110 specimens in 1 taxon.
Environmental ranges
Depth range (m): 0 - 27.43
Graphical representation
Depth range (m): 0 - 27.43 ...more ↓
Plumose anemone
Metridium senile, common name the plumose anemone or frilled anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Metridiidae. It is found in the seas off northwest Europe and the east and west coasts of North America.
Golden Star Tunicate
Botryllus schlosseri, commonly known as the star ascidian or golden star tunicate, is a colonial ascidian tunicate that grows on slow-moving, submerged objects, plants, and animals in nearshore saltwater environments.
Sea Vase
Ciona intestinalis (vase tunicate) is a urochordata (sea squirt), a tunicate with very soft tunic, globally distributed cosmopolitan species. Since Linnaeus described the species, Ciona intestinalis has been used as a model invertebrate chordate in developmental biology and genomics. However, recent studies have shown that there are at least two, possibly four, ...more ↓
Molgula
Sea Grapes or Molgula sp. are very common, globular, individual marine tunicates roughly the size of grapes....
Glycera dibranchiata
Gulf of St. Lawrence to Florida; Gulf of Mexico; central California to Lower California and Mexico
Blue Mussel
The blue mussel (Mytilus edulis), also known as the common mussel, is a medium-sized edible marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae, the mussels. Blue mussels are subject to commercial use and intensive aquaculture.
horse mussel
The shell is solid, swollen, approximately oblong or irregularly triangular in shape, with blunt umbones. The shell is dark blue or purple in colour, however the perisostracum gives adults a glossy yellow or dark brown appearance. In young animals the shell appears bluish and the periostracum is extended into long, smooth spines. The shell bears clear growth lines, and a sculpture of fine ...more ↓
Soft-shelled Clam
Soft-shell clams (American English) or sand gaper (British English/Europe), scientific name Mya arenaria, popularly called "steamers", "softshells", "longnecks", "piss clams", "Ipswich clams", or "Essex clams" are a species of edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Myidae.
Eastern Oyster
The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) — also called Atlantic oyster or Virginia oyster — is a species of true oyster native to the eastern seaboard and Gulf of Mexico coast of North America. It is also farmed in Puget Sound, Washington, where it is known as the Totten Inlet Virginica. Eastern oysters are and have been very popular commercially. Today, ...more ↓
European Flat Oyster
Ostrea edulis is a species of oyster native to Europe and commonly known as the European flat oyster, Colchester native oyster, mud oyster, or edible oyster (despite this latter name it is not the only oyster that is edible by humans). When mature O. edulis adults range from 3.8 to 11 centimetres (1.5 to 4.3 in) across. The species naturally ...more ↓
Dog Whelk
The dog whelk, dogwhelk, or Atlantic dogwinkle, scientific name Nucella lapillus, is a species of predatory sea snail, a carnivorous marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the rock snails.
Tortoiseshell Limpet
A small conical limpet (up to 25 mm in length) with the apex anterior and smooth shell with fine radiating ridges. The external shell is dull white, grey, brown or green with a reddish-brown mottling. The mantle edge is copper-green with two rows of fine tentacles.Eggs are laid in spring and early summer, on firm substrata, as a single layer in a mucus sheet.
Common Slipper Shell
The common slipper shell, Crepidula fornicata, has many other common names including common Atlantic slippersnail, boat shell, quarterdeck shell, fornicating slipper snail, and it is known in Britain as the "common slipper limpet". This is a species of medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Calyptraeidae, the slipper snails ...more ↓
Acorn Barnacle
Semibalanus balanoides is a common and widespread boreo-arctic species of acorn barnacle. It is common on rocks and other substrates in the intertidal zone of north-western Europe and both coasts of North America.
