Georgia Strait Alliance Quadrat Study Intertidal Zone Species Description Contents Seaweeds and Algaes.........................................1-2 Bryozoans and Tunicates.......................................3 Annelids and Flatworms........................................4 Cnidarians..............................................................5 Sponges and Hydroids...........................................5 Molluscs...............................................................5-7 Echinoderms.......................................................7-8 Arthropods..........................................................8-9 Fishes....................................................................10 Seaweeds and Algaes Black Crust Pink Crust (Lithothamnion sp.) • coralline algae • pig pink • 1-4mm high, 4-10 cm across • may cover rocks as well as shells • may be smooth or rough Brown Crust Brown Beard Green Filament Sausage Links Red Sea Hair Sea Lettuce (Ulva sp.) • green algae • bright green, thin leaves • looks like leaf lettuce Shiny Blade Green Ribbon (Enteromorpha sp.) • green algae • bright green strands • 1-4mm wide • up to 14cm long 1 Yellow Sacs Tan Cauliflower Black Brush Blackknob Blade (Gigartina papillata) • black, short branching straps • a few cm high, with papillae Japanese Weed Rock Weed (Sargassum muticum) (Fucus distichus) • brown • olive-brown branching straps • approx. 1m high • usually with air bladders • finely branched • up to 30cm high Railroad Strap Acid Kelp (Desmarestia viridis) • 30-40cm long • light brown to red • smooth and rubbery • secretes sulphuric acid 2 Tunicates and Bryozoans Tan Bryozoan Crust Orange Bryozoan Crust • 2-3 cm • crusty patches with definite patterns • brown, black, gray or white • on rocks, tidepools Leafy Soft Bryozoan Branching Bryozoan Sea Pork Red Sea Squirt (Aplidium californicum) • <20cm in diameter and 1cm thick • brownish orange to pink • low intertidal Warty Sea Squirt (Pyura haustor) • up to 5cm • thick, wrinkled, brown, warty skin 3 Annelids and Flatworms Brown Flatworm Ribbon Worms (Notoplana sp.) Green=Emplectonema gracile • tan or grayish • dark gree-black above, white-yellow • 1-3cm long below • <1mm high Orange/Red=Tubulanus polymorphus • bright red Purple=Paranemertes peregrina • dark brown-purple above, pale tan below All Ribbon Worms: • are thin and can stretch, therefore their length varies Green Mussel Worm Scale Worm (Nereis vexillosa) (Halosydna brevisetosa) • 5-30 cm long • up to 5cm long, grayish brown • obviously segmented • 18prs. of mottled over-lapping scales Tiny Tube Worm Peanut Worm (Spirobis spp.) (Phascolosoma agassizii) • white, calcarious, coiled tubes • unsegmented, tough, wrinkled skin • tubes are 2-3mm in diameter, 2-3 • tan head, tail is pale with black cm long blotches • actual worm is rarely out of the • slender when extended • like a shelled peanut when contracted Leather Tube Worm 4 Cnidarians Red/Green Anemone Burrowing Anemone (Urticina crassicornis) (Urticina coriacea) • column is olive green, • large (to 15cm across) streaked with red • pale pink or green • up to 30cm across (but usually smaller) Sponges and Hydroids Sponges Beard Hydroid (Phylum porifera) • strands <1cm long • velvety or gelatinous mats • large groups can cover from a (algae are hard and rough) few cm to a metre • various colours-tan, red, • fine hairlike or fuzzy green, yellow, purple • approx. 1cm high, 10cm across Molluscs Masked Limpet Plate Limpet (Tectura persona) (Tectura scutum) • up to 4cm long • up to 6cm long, 5cm wide and • apex is more forward 16mm high • brown with white and dark spot- ting • occasionally, green algae covers shell • found mid to low intertidal Ribbed Limpet Shield Limpet • 2-3 cm (Lottia pelta) • brown, black, gray or white • up to 4cm long • on rocks, tidepools • highly variable appearance • can be ribbed • more raised than plate limpet 5 Finger Limpet Mossy Chiton (Lottia digitalis) (Mopalia sp.) • up to 2cm long • eight shell plates in a row • distinct ribs • up to 10cm long and 5cm high • dull brown, grey to green Hair Chiton Black Chiton (Mopalia lignosa) • 4-25cm • up to 7cm • black, grey, mottled, rust • low intertidal • low tide zone • light sensitive Lined Chiton Checked Winkle (Tonicella sp.) (Littorina scutulata) • eight shell plates in a row • up to 1cm high • up to 5cm long and • slender shell 2.5cm wide • brown to bluish-black with white • mottled reddish-brow checkerboard pattern Dire Whelk Wrinkled Whelk (Lirabuccinum dira) (Nucella lamellosa) • up to 4cm • pale brown or grey • gray • up to 5cm high and 2cm wide • fine raised ridges • heavily ridged Leafy Hornmouth Dove Shell 6 Banded Whelk Rock Jingle (Pododesmus cepio) • up to 8cm • white • lower shell is smaller and thinner with a hole through Blue Mussel Pacific Oyster (Mytilus edulus) (Crassostrea gigas) • up to 5cm • up to 20cm long; white • blue-black • fluted shell Echinoderms Green Urchin Mottled Star (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) (Evasterias troscheli) • up to 8cm wide; spines are 1 to 3 • up to 25-30cm across; cm long • mottled purple, brown, orange, • dull green or yellow-green green • has blunt spines; rays are thinner than the purple sea star Purple Sea Star Six Armed Star (Pisaster ochraceus) (Leptasterias hexactis) • up to 40cm across • up to 9cm in radius • purple or orange • grey/brown, olive green to pur- • has blunt spines ple/red Leather Star Blood Star (Dermasterias imbricata) (Henricia leviuscula) • up to 25cm across; brownish • 10-18cm in radius red • found in the low intertidal to • rays are webbed; feels slimy; subtidal zones lacks spines • thin arms and smooth texture • orange and orange red 7 Sunflower Star Brittle Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) (Amphipholis squamata) • 15-24 arns • about 3cm • brownish orange or purple gray • gray with white bands or spots • very fragile Medusa Worm Orange Chiton Cucumber (Psolus chitonoides) • up to 7cm long and5.8cm wide • pale yellow to bright orange Orange Cucumber White Cucumber (Cucumaria miniata) (Eupentacta quinquesemita) • 20-25cm long and 4-5cm • narrow with short, thick, slimy wide tentacles around the mouth • smooth tough skin with • creamy/white to pale yellow ten branched tentacles • found under rocks and in crevices • reddish/orange to brown Arthropods Common Barnacle Brown Barnacle (Balanus glandula) (Chthamalus dalli) • up to 1.5cm wide; • up to .5cm wide and .4cm high • dingy white • smallest barnacle on our coast • heavily ribbed • brownish-grey Thatch Barnacle Sphere Pill Bug • up to 4cm across (Gnorimospheroma sp.) • greyish white • up to 1cm long • Cemented to rocks in high tide zone 8 Seaweed Isopod Speckled Pill Bug (Idotea wosnesenskii) • 4cm long by 1.5cm wide • greenish yellow • high to low intertidal Kelp Flea Shrimp (Gammarid amphipods) • from microscopic to 15cm • up to 1.5cm long, brown • pale pink to bright green • sideswimmers • found in tidepools, borrowing in sand and mud and low tide zones Hermit Crab Purple Crab (Pagurus spp.) (Hemigrapsus nudus) • crabs that live in snail shells • carapace up to 5cm across; purple • purple spots on pincer • juveniles have white patches on carapace Drab Crab Porcelain Crab (Hemigrapsus oregonensis) (Petrolisthes eriomerus) • carapace up to 4cm wide; • up to 2cm wide by 2.5cm long army green • brownish green to redish brown • hairy fringed legs • high to low intertidal Decorator Crab Black Clawed Crab (Oregonia gracilis) (Lophopanopeus bellus) • up to 5cm across • 2.5 cm across • often ‘decorated’ with sea- • heavy bodied with black tipped weeds and hydroids claws Red Rock Crab (Cancer productus) • carapace up to 15cm across; red, • juveniles may be streaked or mottled pincers tipped in black 9 Fishes Tidepool Sculpin Clingfish (Oligocottus maculosus) (Gobiesox maeandricus) • approx. 5cm long • up to 15cm long • variable color, shades • grey/brown with marbled of grey, black, brown, spots white, green • mid to low intertidal zone Penpoint Gunnel High Cockscomb • (Apoidichthys flavidus) (Anoplarchus purpurescens) • up to 45cm long • up to 30cm • bright green • green/gray/brown/black • dark line running • found under the rocks across the eyes • dorsal fin runs into the tail 10.