List of animals of Long Island Sound
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Long Island Sound is a large marine estuary in the Northeastern United States. It forms the maritime border between New York's Long Island and Connecticut. It is diverse and serves as a breeding ground to many different types of marine animal species; the following is a list of said species by scientific and/or common name. Marine mammals are excluded; see List of mammals of New York for the corresponding species.
- Clathria prolifera (red beard sponge)
- Cliona celata (boring sponge)[1]
- Halichondria panicea (breadcrumb sponge)
- Halichondria bowerbanki (yellow sun sponge)
- Haliclona loosanoffi (erect sponge)
- Haliclona oculata (mermaid's glove)
- Isodictya palmata (finger sponge)
- Polymastia robusta
Comb jellies (Ctenophora)
[edit]- Aurelia aurita (moon jelly)
- Chrysaora quinquecirrha (Atlantic sea nettle)
- Cyanea capillata (lion's mane jellyfish)
- Physalia physalis (Portuguese man o'war)
Corals (Cnidaria: Alcyonacea and Scleractinia)
[edit]- Alcyonium digitatum = Dead Man's Fingers Coral
- Astrangia poculata = Northern Star Coral
Sea Anemones (Cnidaria: Actiniaria)
[edit]- Ceriantheopsis americana (American striped burrowing anemone; invasive species)
- Cerianthus borealis = Northern Burrowing Anemone
- Diadumene leucolena = Ghost Anemone
- Diadumene lineata = Orange-Striped Green Anemone
- Fagesia lineata = Lined Anemone
- Metridium senile = Frilled Anemone
- Urticina felina = Northern Red Anemone
Crustaceans (Arthropoda: Crustacea)
[edit]- Callinectes sapidus = Atlantic Blue Crab
- Carcinus maenas (European green crab; invasive species)
- Ovalipes ocellatus = Lady Crab
- Cancer irroratus = Atlantic Rock Crab
- Cancer borealis = Jonah Crab
- Libinia emarginata = Common Spider Crab
- Libinia dubia = Longnose Spider Crab
- Pelia mutica = Cryptic Teardrop Crab
- Sesarma reticulatum = Marsh Crab
- Hemigrapsus sanguineus (Asian shore crab; invasive species)
- Uca pugnax = Atlantic Marsh Fiddler Crab
- Uca pugilator = Atlantic Sand Fiddler Crab
Other decapods
[edit]- Homarus americanus = American Lobster
- Pagurus longicarpus = Long-Wrist Hermit Crab
- Pagurus pollicaris = Flatclaw Hermit Crab
- Crangon septemspinosa = Seven-Spined Sand Shrimp
- Palaemonetes pugio = Daggerblade Grass Shrimp
- Gilvossius setimanus = Ghost Shrimp
- Upogebia affinis = Coastal Mud Shrimp
Mantis Shrimp (Stomatopoda)
[edit]- Squilla empusa = Atlantic Mantis Shrimp
Horseshoe crabs (Arthropoda: Xiphosura)
[edit]- Limulus polyphemus (Atlantic horseshoe crab)
Cephalopods (Mollusca: Cephalopoda)
[edit]- Illex illecebrosus (northern shortfin squid)
- Loligo pealei (longfin inshore squid)
Gastropods (Mollusca: Gastropoda)
[edit]This group includes filter feeders, omnivores, and predatory sea snails.
- Crepidula fornicata = Common Slipper Shell Snail
- Crepidula plana = Eastern White Slipper Shell
- Euspira heros = Northern Moonsnail
- Euspira triseriata = Spotted Moonsnail
- Neverita duplicata = Sharkeye Moonsnail[2]
- Littorina littorea (common periwinkle; invasive species)
- Littorina saxatilis = Rough Periwinkle
Most neogastropods are predatory sea snails.
- Buccinum undatum = Waved Whelk
- Busycon carica = Knobbed Whelk
- Busycotypus canaliculatus = Channeled Whelk
- Ilyanassa obsoleta = Eastern Mudsnail
- Ilyanassa trivittata = Threeline Mudsnail
- Mitrella lunata = Lunar Dovesnail
- Phrontis vibex = Bruised Nassa
- Nucella lapillus = Atlantic Dogwinkle
- Urosalpinx cinerea = Atlantic Oyster Drill
- Eupleura caudata = Thick-lip Drill
- Kurtziella cerina = Wax-Colored Mangelia
- Cerithiopsis greenii = Green's Cerith
- Seila adamsii = Adam's Cerith
- Retilaskeya emersonii = Awl Cerith
These filter feeders are either mobile or permanently attached to a substrate.
- Anadara transversa = Transverse Ark
- Anadara ovalis = Blood Ark
- Crassostrea virginica = Eastern Oyster
- Ostrea edulis = European Flat Oyster[3]
- Mytilus edulis = Blue Mussel
- Geukensia demissa = Ribbed Mussel
- Modiolus modiolus = Northern Horsemussel
- Anomia simplex = Jingle Shell
- Argopecten irradians = Bay Scallop
- Placopecten magellanicus = Sea Scallop
These filter feeders are mostly burrowers.
- Arctica islandica = Ocean Quahog
- Mercenaria mercenaria = Northern Quahog / Hardshell Clam
- Pitar morrhuanus = False Quahog
- Spisula solidissima = Atlantic Surf Clam
- Mulinia lateralis = Dwarf Surf Clam
- Petricola pholadiformis = False Angelwing
- Mya arenaria = Softshell Clam
- Ensis directus = Atlantic Jackknife / Razor Clam
- Astarte undata = Wavy Astarte
- Astarte castanea = Smooth Astarte
Echinoderms (Echinodermata)
[edit]Sea Urchins (Echinoidea)
[edit]- Sand dollar
- Arbacia punctulata = Atlantic Purple Sea Urchin
- Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis = Common Green Sea Urchin
Sea Cucumbers (Holothuroidea)
[edit]- Sclerodactyla briareus = Hairy Sea Cucumber
Starfish (Asteroidea)
[edit]- Crossaster papposus = Spiny Sunstar
- Solaster endeca = Purple Sunstar
- Pteraster militaris = Winged Sea Star
- Hippasteria phrygiana = Horse Star
- Leptasterias tenera = Slender Seastar
- Asterias vulgaris = Northern Seastar
- Asterias forbesi = Common Seastar
- Henricia sanguinolenta = Blood Star
Brittle stars (Ophiuroidea)
[edit]- Ophioderma Brevispinum = Shortspined Brittlestar
- Ophiopholis Aculeata = Daisy Brittlestar
- Amphioplus abditus = Burrowing Brittlestar
- Axiognathus squamata = Little Brittlestar
- Gorgonocephalus arcticus = Northern Basketstar
- Didemnum spp.
- Molgula manhattensis = Sea Grape
- Styela clava = Asian stalked Tunicate
- Botryllus schlosseri = Golden Star Tunicate
- Botrylloides violaceus = Compound Tunicate
Cartilaginous fish (Chordata: Chondrichthyes)
[edit]Sharks (Selachimorpha)
[edit]Resident sharks
[edit]- Carcharhinus leucas = Bull Shark
- Carcharhinus plumbeus = Sandbar Shark
- Mustelus canis = Dusky Smoothhound Shark / Smooth Dogfish
- Odontaspis taurus = Sand Tiger Shark
- Squalus acanthias = Spiny Dogfish
Vagrant sharks
[edit]- Carcharhinus obscurus = Dusky Shark
- Prionace glauca = Blue Shark
- Sphyrna zygaena = Smooth Hammerhead Shark
- Alopias vulpinus = Common Thresher Shark
- Carcharodon carcharias = Great White Shark
- Dasyatis centroura = Roughtail Stingray
- Raja eglanteria = Clearnose Skate
- Raja erinacea = Little Skate
- Dipturus laevis = Barndoor Skate
- Leucoraja ocellata = Winter Skate
- Torpedo nobiliana = Atlantic torpedo
- Rhinoptera bonasus = Cownose Ray
Bony Fish (Chordata: Osteichthyes)
[edit]Eels (Anguilliformes)
[edit]- Anguilla rostrata (American eel)
- Enchelyopus cimbrius = Four-Bearded Rockling
- Microgadus tomcod = Atlantic Tomcod
- Urophycis chuss = Red Hake
Seahorses and pipefishes (Syngnathiformes)
[edit]- Hippocampus erectus = Northern Lined Seahorse
- Syngnathus fuscus = Northern Pipefish
Jacks (Carangiformes: Carangidae)
[edit]- Caranx hippos = Crevalle Jack, Jack Crevalle, Common Jack
- Caranx crysos = Blue Runner, Hardnose
- Carangoides bartholomaei = Yellow Jack, Coolihoo
- Chloroscombrus chrysurus = Atlantic Bumper
Flatfish (Pleuronectiformes)
[edit]- Etropus microstomus = Smallmouth Flounder
- Paralichthys dentatus = Fluke
- Pleuronectes ferruginea = Yellowtail Flounder
- Pseudopleuronectes americanus = Winter Flounder
- Scophthalmus aquosus = Windowpane Flounder
- Trinectes maculatus = Hogchoker
- Hemitripterus americanus = Atlantic Sea Raven
- Myoxocephalus aenaeus = Grubby Sculpin
- Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus = Longhorn Sculpin
- Prionotus carolinus = Northern Sea Robin
- Prionotus evolans = Striped Sea Robin
- Pterois volitans (red lionfish; invasive species)
- Anarhichas lupus = Atlantic wolffish
Wrasses (Labriformes: Labridae)
[edit]- Tautoga onitis = Blackfish, Tautog
- Tautogolabrus adspersus = Cunner Wrasse, Bergall
Drums (Sciaenidae)
[edit]- Cynoscion regalis = Weakfish, Seatrout
- Menticirrhus saxatilis = Northern Kingfish, Northern Kingcroaker, Whiting
- Sciaenops ocellatus = Red Drum, Redfish, Puppy Drum, Channel Bass, Red, Spottail Bass
- Pogonias cromis = Black Drum, "Big Ugly", Drum, Drummer
- Leiostomus xanthurus = Spot, Spot Croaker
- Micropogonias undulatus = Atlantic Croaker
Other Perciformes
[edit]- Centropristis striata = Black Sea Bass
- Morone saxatilis = Striped Bass
- Pholis gunnellus = Rock Gunnel
- Pomatomus saltatrix = Bluefish
- Stenotomus chrysops = Scup
- Ulvaria subbifurcata = Radiated Shanny
- Archosargus probatocephalus = Sheephead
Anglerfish (Lophiiformes)
[edit]- Dibranchus atlanticus = Atlantic Batfish
- Lophius americanus = American Anglerfish
- Chaetodipterus faber = Atlantic spadefish
All of the animals in this category are summer visitors, who migrate northwards from warmer waters in the south.
- Balistes capriscus = Grey Triggerfish
- Chilomycterus schoepfii = Striped Burrfish
- Mola mola = Ocean Sunfish
- Sphoeroides maculatus = Northern Pufferfish
- Stephanolepis hispidus = Planehead Filefish
Miscellaneous Percomorpha
[edit]- Ammodytes americanus = American Sand Lance
- Apeltes quadracus = Four-Spined Stickleback (found in fresh and brackish water)
- Fundulus majalis = Striped Killifish
- Menidia menidia = Atlantic Silverside
- Opsanus tau = Oyster Toadfish
- Peprilus triacanthus = Atlantic Butterfish, American Butterfish
- Selene vomer = Lookdown
Gulf Stream Strays
[edit]Mainly all the animals in this category are juveniles carried via the Gulf Stream To the sound and end up dying when the water temperature cools.
- Balistes vetula = Queen triggerfish
- Aluterus scriptus = Scrawled filefish
- Acanthostracion quadricornis = Scrawled Cowfish
- Histrio histrio = Sargassum fish
- Megalops atlanticus = Atlantic tarpon
- Scorpaena plumieri = Spotted Scorpionfish
- Pomacanthus paru = French Angelfish
- Holacanthus bermudensis = Bermuda Blue Angelfish
- Hyporthodus niveatus = Snowy Grouper
- Fistularia tabacaria = Bluespotted cornetfish
- Chaetodon ocellatus = Spotfin Butterflyfish
References
[edit]- ^ Nicol, William L.; Reisman, Howard M. (1976). "Ecology of the Boring Sponge (Cliona celata) at Gardiner's Island, New York". Chesapeake Science. 17 (1): 1. Bibcode:1976CpkSc..17....1N. doi:10.2307/1350571. ISSN 0009-3262. JSTOR 1350571.
- ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Neverita duplicata (Say, 1822)".
- ^ "Connecticut Sea Grant | UConn". seagrant.uconn.edu. Archived from the original on 2016-11-03. Retrieved 2016-12-13.
Further reading
[edit]- Lynch, Patrick (2017). A Field Guide to Long Island Sound: Coastal Habitats, Plant Life, Fish, Seabirds, Marine Mammals, and Other Wildlife. Connecticut: Yale University Press. pp. All. ISBN 978-0300220353.
- Weiss, Howard (1995). Marine Animals of Southern New England and New York. Connecticut: Bulletin. pp. All. ISBN 0-942081-06-4.
- "NOAA Fish Watch". NOAA Fish Watch.
- "Fish". ARKIVE. Archived from the original on 2016-02-05.
