Barnegat Bay Aquatic Invertebrates

Click on an image to expand it and view the species description. This page is sorted by phylum and class.

Please pardon our appearance as we update our website and add to our various species lists. If you have the perfect photo of an aquatic invertebrate listed on this page, send it to us at info@nrefnj.org! We’d love to feature your photo in our species compendium.

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Phylum Arthropoda

• Class Malacostraca (includes crabs, shrimps, lobsters, isopods, and amphipods)

  - Ampithoe longimana
  - Ampithoe valida
  - Acanthohaustorius millsi
  - Aeginina longicornis
  - Ameroculodes edwardsi
  - Ampelisca abdita
  - Ampelisca verrilli
  - Apocorophium acutum
  - Batea catharinensis
  - Caprella carina
  - Caprella penantis
  - Cerapus tubularis
  - Corophium volutator
  - Crassicorophium bonelli
  - Cymadeusa compta
  - Elasmpous levis
  - Eobrolgus spinosus
  - Ericthonius sp.
  - Gammarus mucronatus
  - Idunella barnardi
  - Idunella clymenellae
  - Lembos websteri
  - Leptocheirus plumulosus
  - Lysianopsis alba
  - Melita nitida
  - Microdeutopus anomalus
  - Microdeutopus gryllotalpa
  - Microprotopus raneyi
  - Monocorophium acherusicum
  - Monocorophium tuberculatum
  - Orchomenella pinguis
  - Paracaprella tenuis
  - Pleusymtes glaber
  - Uhlorchestia uhleri
  - Unciola irrorata
  - Diastylis sculpta
  - Oxyurostylis smithi
  - Achelous gibbesii - Iridescent swimming crab
  - Callinectes sapidus - Blue crab
  - Cancer borealis - Jonah crab
  - Cancer irroratus - Rock crab
  - Carcinus maenas - Green crab
  - Crangon septemspinosa - Sand crab
  - Dyspanopeus sayi - Small mud crab
  - Emerita talpoida - Mole crab
  - Eriocheir sinensis - Chinese mitten crab
  - Eurypanopus depressus - Flatback mud crab
  - Hemigrapsus sanguineus - Asian shore crab
  - Hippolyte zostericola - Grass shrimp
  - Libinia dubia - Longnose spider crab
  - Libinia emarginata - Common spider crab
  - Minuca pugnax - Mud fiddler crab
  - Ovalipes ocellatus - Lady crab
  - Pagurus longicarpus - Long-clawed hermit crab
  - Pagurus pollicaris - Flat-clawed hermit crab
  - Palaemon sp. - Grass shrimps
  - Panoeius herbstii - Black-fingered mud crab
  - Rathbunixa sayana
  - Rhithropanopeus harrisii
  - Tubicolixa chaetopterana - Tube pea crab
  - Cyathyra polita
  - Edotia triloba
  - Erichsonella filiformis
  - Idotea balthica - Baltic isopod
  - Politolana concharum
  - Americamysis bigelowi
  - Squilla empusa - Mantis shrimp
  - Chondrochelia savignyi

• Class Merostomata (horseshoe crabs)

  - Limulus polyphemus - Horseshoe crab

• Class Ostracoda (seed shrimps)

  - Halocyprididae sp.

• Class Pycnogonida (sea spiders)

  - Callipallene brevirostris

• Class Thecostraca (includes barnacles)

  - Amphibalanus eburneus - Acorn barnacle
  - Semibalanus balanoides - Rock barnacle

Phylum Annelida

• Class Polychaeta

  - Alitta succinea
  - Alitta virens
  - Amastigos caperatus
  - Arenicola brasiliensis
  - Aonidella cirrobranchiata
  - Apoprionospio pygmaea
  - Capitella capitata
  - Circeis spirillum
  - Cirriformia grandis
  - Clymenella torquata
  - Clymenella zonalis
  - Diopatra cuprea
  - Eumida sanguinea
  - Eusyllis lamelligera
  - Exogone naidina
  - Glycera dibranchiata
  - Glycinde multidens
  - Goniada maculata
  - Harmothoe sp.
  - Heteromastus filiformis
  - Hobsonia florida
  - Hydroides dianthus
  - Hypereteone lactea
  - Janua heterostropha
  - Lepidonotus squamatus
  - Lepidonotus sublevis
  - Lumbrinerides acuta
  - Magelona rosea
  - Maldane sarsi
  - Neanthes arenaceodentata
  - Nephtys sp.
  - Notomastus latericeus
  - Orbiniidae sp.
  - Owenia fusiformis
  - Paradexiospira violacea
  - Paranaitis speciosa
  - Parapionosyllis longicirrata
  - Paraprionospio pinnata
  - Parasabella microphthalma
  - Pectinaria gouldii
  - Pherusa plumosa
  - Phyllodoce mucosa
  - Polydora cornuta
  - Polydora ligni
  - Prionospio heterobranchia
  - Prionospio steenstrupi
  - Sabaco elongatus
  - Sabellaria vulgaris
  - Salvatoria clavata
  - Scoletoma fragilis
  - Scoloplos sp,
  - Spio setosa
  - Spiochaetopterus costarum
  - Spiophanes bombyx
  - Spiophanes wigleyi
  - Spirorbis sp.
  - Streblospio benedicti
  - Syllides longocirratus
  - Tharyx acutus

Phylum Bryozoa

• Class Gymnolaemata

  - Biflustra tenuis
  - Bowerbankia gracilis - Creeping bryozoan
  - Bugula neritina - Common bugula
  - Bugulina flabellata
  - Electra hastingsae
  - Membranipora membranacea - Cheliostome bryozoan
  - Schizoporella unicornis
  - Tricellaria inopinata

Phylum Chordata

• Class Ascidiacea

  - Botrylloides violaceus - Chain tunicate
  - Botryllus schlosseri - Golden star tunicate
  - Didemnum vexillum - Sea vomit
  - Molgula manhattensis - Sea grapes
  - Styela plicata - Pleated sea squirt

Phylum Cnidaria

• Class Hexacorallia

  - Diadumene leucolena - Ghost anemone
  - Diadumene lineata - Orange-striped anenome

• Class Hydrozoa

  - Clytia hemisphaerica
  - Gonionemus vertens - Clinging jelly
  - Moerisia sp.
  - Obelia sp.
  - Tritopsis nutricula - Immortal jelly

• Class Schyphozoa

  - Aurelia aurita - Moon jelly
  - Chrysaora chesapeakei - Bay nettle
  - Chrysaora quinquecirrha - Atlantic sea nettle
  - Cyanea capillata - Lion's mane jelly

Phylum Ctenophora

• Class Nuda

  - Beroe ovata - Brown comb jelly

• Class Tentaculata

  - Mnemiopsis leidyi - Warty comb jelly
  - Pleurobrachia pileus - Sea gooseberry

Phylum Echinodermata

• Class Echinoidea

  - Arbacia punctulata - Purple sea urchin

• Class Asteroidea

  - Asterias forbesi - Forbes sea star

• Class Holothuroidea

  - Leptosynapta tenuis
  - Sclerodactyla briareus

Phylum Mollusca

• Accordion Item 1

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• Accordion Item 2

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