a wild, wild life on the mid-texas coast: invertebrates · presentation by peggy romfh, m.s....

A Wild, Wild Life on the Mid-Texas Coast: Invertebrates

Presentation by Peggy Romfh, M.S. October 2017

Photos by Pete and Peggy Romfh unless otherwise noted

Videos by Pete Romfh

Pete and Peggy Romfh are members of Texas Master Naturalist, Cradle of Texas Chapter

Intro to Brazoria County

©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 2

What We Will Cover

• Invertebrates we commonly see along the coastal waterways and beaches – Bryozoa (bryozoans) – Cnidaria (coral, jellies, hydrozoa, anemones) – Echinodermata and Annelida (sand dollar and

worms) – Arthropoda (barnacles, shrimp, crabs, insects) – Mollusca (gastropods, bivalves, squid)


Moss Animals (Bryozoans) Family Vesiculariidae


Phylum Bryozoa

Sauerkraut Bryozoan (Zoobotryon verticillatum)

exhibit

Hard Corals


Phylum Cnidaria Class Anthozoa Order Scleractinia

Northern Cup Coral (Astrangia poculata)

on Oyster Shell

3-5 mm diameter corallites

24 beaded septa

exhibit

Typical Coral Polyps


Phylum Cnidaria Class Anthozoa Order Scleractinia

Source: G.P. Schmahl, NOAA Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary; used with permission

FGBNMS

Soft Corals


Phylum Cnidaria Class Anthozoa Order Alcyonacea

Sea Whip (Leptogorgia setacea)

Specimen courtesy of TMN-COT member Phil Huxford

exhibit

Anemones Family Hormathiidae


Phylum Cnidaria

Tricolor Anemone Calliactis tricolor

Anemones Family Actiniidae


Phylum Cnidaria

Warty Anemone (Bunodosoma cavernatum)

Jellies Family Ulmaridae


Phylum Cnidaria

Moon Jelly (Aurelia aurita)

4

6

Jellies Family Pelagiidae


Phylum Cnidaria video

Sea Nettle (Chrysaora quinquecirrha)

©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX

Purple-striped Jelly (Pelagia noctiluca)

Video 1 – Sea Nettle


Hydroids Family Physaliidae


Phylum Cnidaria

Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia physalis)

Sand Dollar Family Mellitidae


Phylum Echinodermata

exhibit

Sand Dollar (Mellita quinquiesperforata)

Plumed Worm


Phylum Annelida Class Polychaeta

exhibit

Plumed Worm tube (Diopatra cuprea)

Serpulid Worm


Phylum Annelida Class Polychaeta

exhibit

Serpulid Worm Reef in Whelk Shell


SORRY! I JUST WOKE UP AND I’M KIND OF

CRABBY!

Box Crabs Family Calappidae


Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea

Calico Box Crab (Hepatus epheliticus)

Flecked Box Crab (Hepatus pudibundus)

Fiddler Crabs Family Ocypodidae



Spined Fiddler Crab (Uca spinacarpa)

Fiddler Crabs Family Ocypodidae



Mud Flat Fiddler Crab (Uca rapax)

Ghost Crabs Family Ocypodidae



Atlantic Ghost Crab (Ocypode quadrata)

Left-handed Hermit Crabs Family Diogenidae



Surf Hermit (Isocheles wurdemanni)

Left-handed Hermit Crabs Family Diogenidae



Thin-striped Hermit Clibanarius vittatus

Lightning whelk ‘house’

Hays’ rock snail ‘house’

Right-handed Hermit Crabs Family Paguridae



Flatclaw Hermit (Pagurus pollicaris)

Marsh Crabs Family Sesarmidae



Squareback Marsh Crab (Armases cinereum)

Mud Crabs Family Panopeidae



Salt Marsh Mud Crab (Panopeus obesus)

Mud Crabs Family Menippidae



Stone Crab (Menippe adina)

Sand Sifter – A Crabbing Time


Homo sapiens

Pete sifting sand in the swash zone looking for mole and sand crabs

Mole Crabs Family Albuneidae



exhibit

Mole Crab (Lepidopa benedicti)

Sand Crabs Family Hippidae



exhibit

Puerto Rican Sand Crab (Emerita portoricensis)

Purse Crabs Family Leucosiidae



exhibit

Mottled Purse Crab (Persephona

mediterranea)

Spider Crabs Family Pisidae



exhibit

Portly Spider Crab (Libinia emarginata)

Swimming Crabs Family Portunidae



exhibit

Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)




exhibit

Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)

Photo by Dave Brandes, TMN-COT




exhibit

Speckled Swimming Crab (Arenaeus cribrarius)


Enjoy eating Brown, White, and Pink Shrimp from the

Gulf!

Shrimp Family Penaeidae



White Shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus)

Misc. Barnacles Family Balanidae



exhibit

Giant Purple Barnacle (Megabalanus tintinnabulum)

Bay Barnacle (Balanus improvisus)

Photo by Kristine Rivers, TMN-COT

Goose Barnacles Family Lepadidae



Goose Barnacle (Lepas anserifera)

Peduncle

Goose Barnacles Family Lepadidae



exhibit

Smooth Goose Barnacle (Lepas anatifera)

Macroinvertebrates



Copepods – adult and larval nauplius

Photo by Dave Brandes, TMN-COT; Drum Bay


Would you stop clamming up when I am

talking to you?

Squid


Phylum Mollusca Class Cephalopoda

exhibit

Ram’s Horn Squid (Spirula spirula)

Courtesy Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (Brenda Bowling), http://txmarspecies.tamug.edu

Whelks Family Melongenidae


Phylum Mollusca Class Gastropoda

exhibit

Lightning Whelk (Busycon pulleyi) Shouldered Pearwhelk (Busycotypus plagosus)

Pearwhelk (Busycotypus spiratus)

Lightning Whelk and Egg Casings



exhibit

Lightning Whelk egg casing and baby whelks

“Snails”



exhibit

L-R: Hays’ Rocksnail (Stramonita canaliculata) Florida Rocksnail (Stramonita haemastoma) Cancellate Cantharus (Solenosteira cancellaria) Giant Eastern Murex (Hexaplex fulvescens)

Shark Eyes Family Naticidae



exhibit

Shark Eye (Neverita duplicata)

Other Gastropods



exhibit

Banded Tulip, Common Sundial, Marsh Periwinkle, Striped False Limpet, White Baby Ear, Lettered Olive

Oysters Family Ostreidae


Phylum Mollusca Class Bivalvia

exhibit

Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea

virginica)

Coquina Family Donacidae



exhibit video

Variable Coquina (Donax variabilis)

Video 2 – Coquina in Sand


Video 3 – Coquina Siphon Action


Disk Dosinia Family Veneridae



exhibit

Disk dosinia (Dosinia discus)

Angelwing Family Pholadidae



exhibit

Angelwing (Cyrtopleura costata)

Channeled Duck Clam Family Mactridae



exhibit

Channeled Duck Clam Raeta plicatella

Ark Clams Family Arcidae



exhibit

Ark Clams with periostracum

Other Bivalves



exhibit

Top: Giant Atlantic Cockle; Unequal Spoonclam Bottom: Stout Tagelus; Western Bay Scallop

What About Insects?


Phylum Arthropoda Class Insecta Order Diptera

Deer Fly (Chrysops brunneus)

Eastern Saltmarsh Mosquito

(Ochlerotatus sollicitans)

Seaside Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax berenice)


Phylum Arthropoda Class Insecta Order Odonata

Male Female

Male-like Female

Tiger Beetles


Phylum Arthropoda Class Insecta Order Coleoptera

Coastal TB, White-cloaked TB, Cream-edged TB, Gulfshore TB Right: Saltmarsh TB

Lady Beetles and Marsh Beetle


Phylum Arthropoda Class Insecta Order Coleoptera

Seaside Lady Beetle (Naemia seriata seriata)

Flea Marsh Beetle (Ora discoidea)


THANKS! Let’s go look at some

more specimens!

And remember, no trash on the beach!

a wild, wild life on the mid-texas coast: invertebrates · presentation by peggy romfh, m.s....

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