SPECIES IDENTIFICATION GUIDE - NEW YORK HARBOR ESTUARY - Billion Oyster Project
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NEW YORK HARBOR ESTUARY
SPECIES
IDENTIFICATION
GUIDE
NEW YORK HARBOR ESTUARY
SPECIES IDENTIFICATION GUIDE
Billion Oyster Project
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
2019 Hudson River Estuary Grants for River Education (Round 29)
2 | FISH FISH | 3
TABL E OF CONTE NTS
06 08 10
About this Book Species Covered Intertidal Habitat
12 44 70
Fish Mobile Invertebrates Sessile Organisms
98
Glossary
Billion Oyster Project thanks the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Hudson
River Estuary Program for funding the creation and distribution of this guidebook. The opinions, results,
findings and/or interpretations of data contained in this document are put forth solely by Billion Oyster Project,
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, interpretations, or policies of NYSDEC.
4 | FISH FISH | 5
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Billion Oyster Project (BOP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Over the last five years of working with students in the
organization whose mission is to restore oyster reefs field on oyster restoration, BOP has identified a need
to New York Harbor through public education initiatives. for a compact guide to help identify marine organisms
Why oysters? In the process of feeding, oysters remove found in New York Harbor. We use and recommend many
particles from the waters, hence they act as living water other excellent guides to neighboring ecosystems such
filters. Oysters naturally form three-dimensional reef as the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean. This book
structures that can help shield New York City shorelines focuses on the unique mix of species found in New York
during storm events. This book is about another Harbor because our students know how special our
important function that oysters play in NYC waters. city’s dynamic estuarine environment is. Our students
Oyster reefs provide an essential habitat for numerous feel a unique connection to and responsibility toward its
marine organisms. Many of these organisms are inhabitants, and our students deserve a resource that
highlighted in this book, which is meant to help identify meets their needs in the field.
species and can be used when exploring the riches of
New York City’s aquatic habitats. BOP is excited to present the New York Harbor Estuary
Species Identification Guide to educators, students, and
BOP believes that restoration must include education community scientists throughout New York City and
to be an effective long-term strategy. We also believe beyond. The New York Harbor Estuary, New York City’s
that students’ learning outcomes improve when largest public space, is one of the most biologically
they contribute to real-life restoration projects. For diverse and productive estuary systems in the world,
those reasons, ongoing collaborations with The Urban yet relatively few New Yorkers recognize its value in
Assembly New York Harbor School and other New York the context of their daily lives. Oyster restoration can
City public schools are fundamental to BOP’s work. connect young people to New York Harbor, and we are
Through the lens of oyster restoration, BOP has crafted glad to share this guide with young scientists as they
extensive science curriculum for middle school teachers, identify the biodiversity that exists just beyond their
and numerous lessons and activities across Science, doorstep.
Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM), English Language
Arts (ELA), and Social Studies available to all pre-K to P-12 We welcome questions and comments about this guide:
students, teachers, and families. In addition, we have email us at educate@nyharbor.org.
engaged thousands of volunteers who have contributed
to the fabrication of vital restoration equipment and To learn more about Billion Oyster Project, subscribe to
built an extensive network of 75+ restaurants that our email list at bit.ly/bopnews, and follow @billionoyster
donate discarded oyster shells for use in our hatchery on Twitter and Instagram and @billionoysterproject on
operations. As of May 2021, BOP has installed 47 million Facebook.
oysters across 15 reef sites, representing 12 acres of
New York Harbor.
6 | ABOUT THIS BOOK ABOUT THIS BOOK | 7
1
3
2
6 8 9
5 7
10 4 11 13
14
12 20
16 17 18
15 19
21
27 22
28 29 23 25 26
24
30 31 32 34
33 35
36 38 41 42 43
37 39 40
46 47 44
45 48
51
49 50
Our New York Harbor and other
parts of the Hudson - Raritan Estuary
1. Bluefish 2. Striped Bass 3. Lined Anemone 4. Northern Pipefish
5. Atlantic Needlefish 6. Sea Lettuce 7. Skilletfish 8. Cunner 9. Blue
Mussels 10. Slipper Snails 11. Blackfish 12. Eastern Oysters
13. Striped Killifish 14. Northern Puffer 15. Ribbed Mussel 16. Atlantic
Menhaden 17. Black Sea Bass 18. Atlantic Silverside 19. Oyster Toadfish
20. Moon Jelly 21. Blue Crab 22. Rock Gunnel 23. Flounder 24. Agardh’s
Red Weed 25. Orange-Striped Green Anenome 26. Carnation Worm/
Hard Tube Worm 27. Clam Worm 28. Golden Star Tunicates 29. Frilled
Anemone 30. Hydroids 31. Lacy Bryozoan 32. Lined Seahorse 33. Mud
Crab 34. Spider Crab 35. Dahlia Anemone 36. Chain Tunicates
37. Eastern Mudsnail 38. Boring Sponge 39. Grass Shrimp 40. American
Eel 41. Red Beard Sponge 42. Barnacles 43. European Sea Squirt
44. Oyster Drill 45. Horseshoe Crab 46. Sand Shrimp 47. Whelk
48. Pacific Shore Crab 49. Blood Worm 50. Mummichog 51. Blenny
SPECIES COVERED
The New York Harbor Estuary is a remarkably abundant we have been able to include, this guide aims to present
ecosystem with hundreds of different species of flora detailed information about identification and morphology,
(plants) and fauna (animals). Many of the species in this life history and seasonal behavior, diet and predation, and
guide thrive in brackish water, and the rest are salt water socioeconomic and ecological significance. A few groups
species that we find a lot at BOP restoration sites in shal- of species we describe (amphipods and isopods) may
low waters. Those criteria effectively exclude a number require specific tools (eg, microscopes) and prior training
of marine creatures that are well known to New Yorkers, to identify.
such as shad, sturgeon, and whales. For the species
8 | SPECIES COVERED SPECIES COVERED | 9
Splash or Spray Zone
This is the zone just above the water’s surface. It’s
never completely covered in water, but water often
splashes this area. Lichens, and blue and green
algae can be found growing in the splash zone.
High Tide Zone
Water covers this area twice a day, during high tide.
Here you can find barnacles, oysters, salt marsh
plants, and other organisms that can live mostly in
the open air but twice a day under water.
Middle Intertidal Zone
This area is completely exposed to the air during
low tide. Some estuary animals can tolerate being
out of the water for short periods of time, such as
mussels, barnacles, snails, brown algae, bryozoans,
and crabs. You can find these animals in the middle
intertidal zone.
Low Intertidal Zone
This zone is underwater most of the time, except
for a few hours at the lowest tides, just a few days
each month. Crabs, mollusks, sponges, hydroids,
anemones, tunicates, shrimp and some fish can be
found here.
Subtidal Zone
This zone is always under water and is home to
most fish and invertebrates that can’t survive out
INTERTIDAL HABITAT of water.
Intertidal zones exist where the ocean meets the land--they
are simply the terrain, sometimes covered with water and
sometimes not, that lies between the high and low tide lines.
It is easier to observe these zones on shorelines with a natural
edge--rocky ledges, sandy beaches and mudflats. Of course
much of the waterfront of New York Harbor has been modified
and armored, which can make it hard to observe these natural
zones. This illustration is meant to depict how intertidal zones
may look in New York Harbor.
10 | INTERTIDAL HABITAT INTERTIDAL HABITAT | 11
FISH
American Eel
Atlantic Silverside
Atlantic Needlefish
Oyster Toadfish
Atlantic Menhaden
Striped Killifish
Mummichog
Skilletfish
Blennies
Gobies
Cunner
Blackfish
Striped Bass
Bluefish
Black Sea Bass
Scup
Rock Gunnel
Butterfish
Northern Kingfish
Sculpins
Sea Robins
Northern Puffer
Flounders
Northern Pipefish
Lined Seahorse
12 | FISH FISH | 13
AN G U I L L A R OST R ATA MENID IA MENID IA
AMERICAN EEL ATLANTIC SILVERSIDE
Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Anguilliformes “Eels” • Family Anguillidae “Freshwater Eels” Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Atheriniformes “Silversides” • Family Atherinopsidae “Neotropical Silversides”
Young “glass eels” are
slender and transparent One long fin that runs
Thin, snake-like fish
all the way along their
with pointed tail Small, slender fish
back, tail, and belly First dorsal fin is often folded
down and hard to see with two dorsal fins
Olive-green to Tiny mouth
brown on top
No pelvic fin
White belly ends right Silver stripe outlined in black
Cream-colored belly
before anal fin from pectoral to tail fin
Small pectoral fin
Pictured: A slender, transparent “glass eel” (top) and an COMMON PREDATORS
olive-green adult eel (below). American eels are snake- Striped bass, catfish, gulls, osprey, and bald eagles eat
like fish with a single, long dorsal fin. American eels. Pictured: An adult Atlantic silverside. Atlantic silversides COMMON PREDATORS
are small, slender fish with tiny mouths and one long, Predators of Atlantic silversides include large fish such as
HABITAT STATUS silver stripe on each side. striped bass, bluefish, and Atlantic mackerel, as well as
American eels spend most of their adult lives in fresh- IUCN Population Status: other animals like blue crabs, egrets, herons, gulls, terns,
water streams, lakes, and rivers, brackish estuaries, Endangered • Declining HABITAT cormorants, and raccoons. Small fish like mummichogs
and along the coast. During the daytime, these bottom- In the summer, you are most likely to see Atlantic eat silverside eggs during the summer breeding season.
dwellers hide in any small space they can find, including New York State Conservation Status Rank: Silversides in salty, brackish, or freshwater creeks and
human-made objects like pipes. Imperiled to Vulnerable • S2S3 tidal marshes, usually at a depth of less than 10 feet STATUS
(around 3 meters). They often swim among seagrasses IUCN Population Status:
DIET ASFMC New York Trend Analysis: and algae. Least Concern • Stable
Adult eels eat many different kinds of organisms, includ- Declining
ing small fish, worms, insects, vegetation, frogs, crusta- DIET New York State Conservation Status Rank:
ceans (like blue crabs), mollusks, and even smaller eels. Atlantic silversides eat amphipods, copepods, and other Imperiled to Vulnerable • S2S3
Eel larvae eat tiny plankton and marine snow as they drift small crustaceans, as well as algae, bristle worms, zoo-
along in ocean currents. plankton, young squid, barnacle larvae, and insect larvae.
DID YOU KNOW?
DID YOU KNOW? Atlantic silverside reproduction is closely tied with the lunar
Scientists have never seen American eels breed in the wild! cycle. They usually spawn during the day right around a new
11 cm;
25 - 75 cm or full moon.
1.5 m maximum Maximum 15 cm
14 | FISH FISH | 15
ST RO NGYLUR A MAR I NA
ATLANTIC
Pictured: An adult Atlantic needlefish. Atlantic needlefish
are long, skinny fish with pointy, needle-like jaws.
NEEDLEFISH
HABITAT
In the summer, you can see needlefish out at sea, in es-
tuaries, and even in freshwater rivers. They usually skim
the surface of the water, or hunt in shallow water with
vegetation. Needlefish are attracted to lights and some-
Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” times swim around docks or jetties at night.
Order Beloniformes “Needlefish & Relatives”
Family Belonidae “Needlefish” DIET
Juvenile needlefish eat mostly shrimp and amphipods.
Upper body is blue-green, blending Adults are fish-eating carnivores that hunt silversides,
to silvery on the sides and white below killifish, anchovies, juvenile river herring, and other small
Large eyes relative
fish.
to their head
Needle-like jaw and hundreds Small dorsal and anal fins that
of small, sharp teeth Long and thin are far from their head and
close to their tail fin
Lower jaw is often slightly
longer than the upper jaw
COMMON PREDATORS
Bottlenose dolphins, lemon sharks, seabirds (such as
terns and gulls), and bald eagles eat Atlantic needlefish.
STATUS
IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Unknown Trend
New York State Conservation Status Rank:
Imperiled to Vulnerable • S2S3
DID YOU KNOW?
Needlefish are closely related to flying fish. Needlefish
can’t really fly, but they do leap and skitter out of the
water while chasing their prey.
61 cm; Maximum length is 111 cm
16 | FISH FISH | 17
OP SANU S TAU BR EVOORTIA TYR ANNUS
OYSTER TOADFISH ATLANTIC MENHADEN
Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Batrachoidiformes “Toadfish” • Family Batrachoididae “Toadfish” Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Clupeiformes “Herrings & Anchovies” • Family Clupeidae “Herrings”
Narrow body and tail
Close-set eyes
near top of head Large flattened head
Has the shape of an Dark spot behind and above gills
Latin name Opsanus means overgrown tadpole from above Deeply forked tail fin
“looking upward” Often followed by many smaller
spots in up to six rough lines
Enormous mouth
Wart-like bumps
or fringes around
lower jaw
Fan-shaped pectoral fins Slightly jutting lower jaw Flattened from side to side
No scales and slimy skin
Shimmering yellow and blue
Dark brown, yellow, upper body that shades to
or olive color silver on the sides
Often has darker stripes
and mottling on their fins
Pictured: A juvenile oyster toadfish (left) and an adult such as blennies and gobies, as well as the larvae of black Pictured: An adult Atlantic menhaden. Atlantic menhaden larger plankton including amphipods, mollusk larvae, fish
oyster toadfish (right). Oyster toadfish are dark brown, sea bass and flounder. They also eat worms, shrimp, mol- are small, blue-green and silver fish with at least one larvae, and other zooplankton.
mottled fish with large heads and mouths covered in lusks such as snails, oysters, and squid, and crustaceans large black spot behind their gills.
bumps and fringes. such as mud crabs. COMMON PREDATORS
HABITAT Striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, sharks, seals, and dol-
HABITAT COMMON PREDATORS Atlantic menhaden usually school in the shallows, at less phins eat Atlantic menhaden. Fish-eating birds such as
Oyster toadfish live near oyster reefs in marine or brack- Oyster toadfish have few natural predators because of than 65 feet (around 20 meters) below the surface. Ju- osprey, bald eagles, and gulls also eat menhaden.
ish water. They can also thrive near human-made struc- their powerful bite. Sharks are some of the only animals veniles stay in bays, inlets, and brackish estuaries, while
tures, like jetties, and even in garbage. Toadfish prefer that can successfully capture and eat them. adults venture into the deeper ocean. STATUS
shallow waters at a depth of less than 16 feet (around IUCN Population Status:
5 meters). STATUS DIET Least Concern • Increasing
IUCN Population Status: Juvenile menhaden filter-feed on microscopic algae,
DIET Least Concern • Unknown Trend bacteria, and other phytoplankton. Adult menhaden eat ASFMC Stock Assessment:
Oyster toadfish have a broad diet that includes small fish Not Currently Overfished
DID YOU KNOW?
DID YOU KNOW? The word “menhaden” comes from the Narragansett word
Male toadfish have the fastest-moving muscles of any munnawhatteaug, which means “he enriches the earth.”
vertebrate on Earth! They use these muscles to vibrate their 30 - 38 cm; Maximum Indigenous peoples of the Atlantic coast traditionally used
30 cm; Usually less than
5 cm in oyster cages swimbladders and make their “foghorn” call. length is 50 cm menhaden to fertilize their crops.
18 | FISH FISH | 19F UND ULU S MA J AL I S FUND ULUS HETER OCLITUS
STRIPED KILLIFISH MUMMICHOG
Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Cyprinodontiformes “Toothcarps” • Family Fundulidae “Topminnows & Killifish” Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Cyprinodontiformes “Toothcarps” • Family Fundulidae “Topminnows & Killifish”
Adult females have
They get their name from 2-3 horizontal stripes
Adult males have 15-20 Stocky and minnow-like Dorsal fin begins right
the wavy black stripes Males are smaller than females,
along their sides vertical stripes above anal fin and develop deep blue and yellow
markings with breeding
Small, stout fish with a
Juveniles of both sexes Rounded pectoral fin
silvery-yellow coloration
have only vertical stripes
Mouth is slightly
upturned Thick tail
Adult males turn golden-orange along Slightly larger and more
their sides and on their pectoral fins slender than their cousins,
during breeding season Rounded anal fin
the mummichogs Olive-green to brown Males have silvery vertical
stripes on their sides
Pictured: An adult male striped killifish. Striped killifish DIET
are stout, minnow-like fish. Male striped killifish have Striped killifish eat bristle worms, mosquito and other in- Pictured: An adult male mummichog. Mummichogs are COMMON PREDATORS
vertical black stripes along their sides. Female striped sect larvae, horseshoe crab larvae, mollusk larvae, phyto- small, stocky fish. Males have bright silvery stripes and Aquatic animals like striped bass, American eels, white
killifish (not pictured) have horizontal black stripes. plankton, amphipods and other small crustaceans. They mottling along their sides. Female mummichogs (not pic- perch, and blue crabs eat mummichogs. Birds such as
also scavenge dead plants and animals. tured) have fainter stripes and mottling. herons, egrets, and gulls also eat mummichogs.
HABITAT
Striped killifish prefer salty or brackish habitats with COMMON PREDATORS HABITAT STATUS
tides, like estuaries, salt marshes, and sandy beaches. Bluefish, striped bass, and blue crabs eat striped killifish. Mummichogs stay close to the shore in brackish estuar- IUCN Population Status:
They are shallow-water fish that almost never swim Water birds such as herons, egrets, terns, and gulls also ies, salt marshes, muddy creeks, and eelgrass flats. They Least Concern • Stable
deeper than 3 feet (around 1 meter) below the surface. eat killifish. also sometimes live in freshwater lakes and rivers.
Striped killifish can often be found in tide pools during New York State Conservation Status Rank:
low tide. STATUS DIET Vulnerable
IUCN Population Status: Mummichogs eat copepods, amphipods, worms, grass
Least Concern • Unknown Trend shrimp, eelgrass, dead animals, and fish eggs.
DID YOU KNOW? DID YOU KNOW?
Striped killifish can flop across twelve feet of dry land to get Mummichogs were the first fish to visit space!
back to the water! 7.5 - 9 cm; Maximum Mummichogs taught us that fish can learn to swim in low gravity.
12 - 18 cm length is 11 cm
20 | FISH FISH | 21G OB I E SOX ST R UM OSU S BLENNIIDAE FAMILY
SKILLETFISH BLENNIES
Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Gobiesociformes “Clingfishes” • Family Gobiesocidae “Clingfishes” Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Blenniiformes “True Blennies” • Family Blenniidae “Combtooth Blennies”
The spot is sometimes
Their name comes
During breeding season, trailed by an orange stripe
from their shape Long dorsal fin that starts above
Eyes are close together males may have one or
From above, they almost the gills and ends at the tail fin
near the top of their head more metallic blue spots
look like a frying pan.
near the front of their
Body is flattened dorsal fin
from top to bottom
Wide mouth
with thick lips Skilletfish don’t have scales Feather blennies have a
Small, with a sucking disc on Stout fish with no scales
pair of feather-like cirri Greenish-brown with light,
the underside of their body just above their eyes wavy stripes
Can be anywhere from pale grey
to dark brown in color depending on
what kind of background they live on
Pictured: An adult male striped blenny. Blennies are DIET
Pictured: An adult skilletfish. Skilletfish are mottled DIET mid-sized, mottled brown fish with wavy stripes and a Adult blennies eat small mollusks, crustaceans such as
brown, frying pan-shaped fish with a sucking disc under- Skilletfish like to eat isopods, amphipods, and bristle long dorsal fin. During the breeding season, male blen- small crabs and shrimp, and bristle worms. Juvenile blen-
neath their body. worms. nies have a dark blue spot trailed by an orange stripe on nies eat mollusk larvae.
their dorsal fin. Feather blennies (not pictured) have two
HABITAT COMMON PREDATORS feather-like cirri above their eyes. COMMON PREDATORS
Skilletfish prefer to live among oyster reefs. But you can We don’t know much about aquatic predators of skil- Oyster toadfish, striped bass, bluefish, and weakfish eat
sometimes find them around pilings, in eelgrass mead- letfish, but gulls and raccoons will pick skilletfish off of HABITAT blennies.
ows, or in rocky, shallow water. They usually cling to hard rocks during low tide. Blennies live in salty or brackish habitats, usually among
objects less than 3 feet (around 1 meter) below the sur- oyster reefs but sometimes in sponges or eelgrass STATUS
face. During the winter, they can descend to depths of up STATUS meadows. Blennies prefer habitats with a thick layer of IUCN Population Status:
to 108 feet (around 33 meters). IUCN Population Status: dead and broken shells on the seafloor. You usually see Least Concern • Unknown Trend
Least Concern • Unknown Trend them at depths of less than 100 feet (around 30 meters).
DID YOU KNOW?
DID YOU KNOW? As male blennies guard their eggs, they release a phero-
The skilletfish’s sucking disc evolved from two pelvic fins mone, or behavior-changing chemical, into water. This
that fused together. 8 - 10 cm; Maximum pheromone attracts new females to lay even more eggs in
4 - 5 cm; Maximum length is 15 cm the males’ nest.
length is 8 cm
22 | FISH FISH | 23G OB I OSOMA SP P. TAUTOGOLABR US AD SPER SUS
GOBIES CUNNER
Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Gobiformes “Gobies & Relatives” • Family Gobiidae “True Gobies” Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like fish”
Suborder Labroidei “Wrasses, Cale, & Parrotfish” • Family Labridae “Wrasses”
Small fish that can vary in
color between individuals Sharp, shiny rays
Moderately slender
Two dorsal fins towards their head
One dorsal fin
You can tell cunner apart
from blackfish by their
pointed nose, thinner lips, Softer rays toward
and flattened head their tail
Round tail fin
Naked gobies have shorter Usually have shiny blue
pelvic fins and wider light Pelvic fins are markings from their mouth Color is anywhere from rust-
stripes than seaboard gobies Often dark brown on top with fused together to their gill covers red, olive-green, to brown
eight to nine light vertical Both species have almost
Juvenile cunner look like with a bluish tint
stripes along the side no scales, but seaboard Juveniles have a dark spot on
juvenile blackfish, but
gobies have two scales at their dorsal fin and are often
cunner are smaller
the base of their tail fin deep green that blends in with
underwater vegetation
Pictured: An adult naked goby. Gobies are tiny, but long DIET Pictured: An adult cunner. Cunner are large fish with DIET
fish with light-colored stripes along their sides. Seabord Gobies eat bristle worms, amphipods, copepods, and lar- pointed noses, flattened heads, and shiny blue markings. The cunner diet includes small crustaceans (isopods,
gobies (not pictured) have longer pelvic fins and nar- vae of bivalves, including oysters. amphipods, shrimp, and young lobster), young sea ur-
rower stripes than naked gobies. HABITAT chins, eelgrass, mollusks, and small fish.
COMMON PREDATORS Cunner usually live no more than five or six miles from
HABITAT American eels, sand shrimp, striped bass, bluefish, and shore in salty and, rarely, brackish water. Cunner like COMMON PREDATORS
Gobies live in the shallow parts of estuaries and salt weakfish eat gobies. to hide among kelp or other underwater vegetation, American eels, sand shrimp, striped bass, bluefish, and
marshes. You can sometimes find them over bare sand or near rocky ledges, and around piers, jetties, pilings, and weakfish eat gobies.
mud, but they prefer protected habitats like oyster reefs, STATUS shipwrecks at depths of 33 - 420 feet (around 10 – 128
tide pools, underwater plants, piles of wood, or rubble. IUCN Population Status: meters). STATUS
Seaboard gobies especially like to live around limpet Least Concern • Unknown Trend IUCN Population Status:
shells. Least Concern • Unknown Trend
DID YOU KNOW? DID YOU KNOW?
Oyster farmers can create habitat for gobies by throwing Cunner develop dark stripes at nighttime. These stripes
clean, blank shells back into the water after harvesting break up the cunner’s outline and confuse nocturnal
4 cm; Maximum 15 - 25 cm; Maximum
oysters. predators.
length is 6 cm length is 38 cm
24 | FISH FISH | 25TAUTOGA O N I T I S
BLACKFISH
Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes”
Juveniles are lighter brown, and
look a lot like juvenile cunner
Order Perciformes “Perch-like Fish”
Suborder Labroidei “Wrasses, Cale, & Parrotfish”
Family Labridae “Wrasses”
Blunt nose and
arched facial profile
Males are more uniform in
color with a paler belly
You can tell adult blackfish apart
from cunner by their relatively DIET
small mouth with thick lips
Juvenile blackfish mostly eat copepods and amphipods.
Blue mussels are a major part of the adult blackfish’s
Females have blotted diet, along with other mollusks, crabs, shrimp, and
and uneven stripes
bristle worms.
Soft, unscaled cheeks
Plump and olive-brown, with lighter
COMMON PREDATORS
splotches across their body Pictured: An adult female blackfish (left) and a lighter- Diving birds (like cormorants, grebes, and loons) prey
colored juvenile blackfish (right). Blackfish are plump, on juvenile blackfish. Predatory fish like dogfish, skate,
olive-brown fish with thick lips and light splotches across hake, sea ravens and goosefish prey on adult and juvenile
their body. Female blackfish have blotted and uneven blackfish.
stripes along their side. Male blackfish (not pictured) are
more uniform in color with a bright white underside. STATUS
IUCN Population Status:
HABITAT Vulnerable • Decreasing
Blackfish live in estuaries and out at sea, but they rarely
travel more than 4 miles (around 6 km) from the shore. ASFMC Stock Status:
In the summer, they stay in water that is less than 80 Overfished
feet (around 24 m) deep. Blackfish prefer hard surfaces
with lots of crevices, including oyster reefs, rocky DID YOU KNOW?
18 - 26 cm;
ledges, mussel beds, and human-made structures like Blackfish can live for more than 30 years! They get darker
Maximum length is 91 cm shipwrecks, jetties, and pilings. as they get older.
26 | FISH FISH | 27M OR ONE SAX AT I L I S POMATOMUS SALTATR IX
STRIPED BASS BLUEFISH
Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like Fish” Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like fish”
Suborder Percoidei “Perches, Darters, & Relatives” • Family Moronidae “Temperate Basses” Suborder Percoidei “Perches, Darters, & Relatives” • Family Poatomidae “Bluefish”
First dorsal fin has First dorsal fin is
Mouth is large and Second dorsal fin is long
hard, spiny rays short and spiny
Second dorsal fin and curved inward
downturned, with many sharp,
has soft rays
cone-shaped teeth
Large mouth and
small teeth
Streamlined and Anal fin is long
Slightly jutting
Juveniles look like white torpedo shaped and curved inward
lower jaw Dark blue-green upper
perch, except for their two body that fades to silver Tail is deeply forked
Silver, with seven to eight
separate dorsal fins on the sides
Streamlined body dark horizontal stripes
Pictured: An adult bluefish. Bluefish are torpedo-shaped, squid, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, butterfish, alewives,
Pictured: An adult striped bass. Striped bass are large, eat Atlantic menhaden, but they also prey on Atlantic sil- bluish-silver fish with large, downturned mouths full of Atlantic silversides, and dozens of other fish species.
streamlined, silver fish with dark horizontal stripes along versides, anchovies, alewives, herring, smelt, eels, floun- sharp teeth.
their sides. Juvenile striped bass (not pictured) have der, juvenile striped bass and yellow perch. COMMON PREDATORS
bigger eyes and stripes that become fainter from top to HABITAT Adult bluefish have few natural predators because of
bottom. COMMON PREDATORS Young bluefish prefer sheltered habitat like sandy their size and speed. Tuna, sharks, dolphins, seals, and
Bluefish, Atlantic cod, silver hake, and adult striped bass estuaries or salt ponds. They can also be found over billfish (like marlins) sometimes prey on bluefish.
HABITAT eat juvenile striped bass. Adult striped bass have few mud, silt, or underwater plants. In the summer, adults
Striped bass live freshwater rivers, in estuaries, and in natural predators besides seals and sharks. typically swim at depths of less than 65 feet (around 20 STATUS
the ocean. They prefer deep water along rocky and sandy meters). They prefer warmer waters along the coast at IUCN Population Status:
shores. Striped bass often live in bays, although some STATUS temperatures above 60° F (around 16° C). Vulnerable • Decreasing
populations are landlocked. IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Unknown Trend DIET ASFMC New York Stock Status:
DIET Juvenile bluefish eat copepods, amphipods, and fish Overfished
Juvenile striped bass eat fish larvae, bristle worms, in- ASFMC New York Stock Status: larvae. Their diet becomes increasingly fish-based as
sects, and small crustaceans. Adult striped bass mostly Overfished they get older. Adult bluefish are carnivores. They eat
DID YOU KNOW? DID YOU KNOW?
Striped bass can grow to be as long as an adult human is Bluefish are very fast swimmers.
50 - 75 cm; Maximum tall! 30 - 60 cm; Maximum During their migrations, they can swim up to 70 miles in a single day!
length is 1.5 m length is 120 cm
28 | FISH FISH | 29C E NT R OP R I ST I S ST R I ATA STENOTOMUS CHRYSOPS
BLACK SEA BASS SCUP
Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like Fish” Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like fish”
Suborder Percoidei “Perches, Darters, & Relatives” • Family Serranidae “Sea Basses & Groupers” Suborder Percoidei “Perches, Darters, & Relatives” • Family Sparidae “Sea Breams & Porgies”
Dorsal fin has
Larger mouth than white spots
Sharp, spiny rays on dorsal
blackfish or cunner
fins stick out above soft rays
Top ray of tail Small mouths (latin name
fin ends in a Stenotomus means “narrow
long spine mouth”) and pointed teeth
Arched back and shiny scales
Juveniles have light orange
stripes around their head
Stout, with smoky, black-
brown body and grey belly Scales are light in the center, You can tell scup apart from
and they lose their bluish color butterfish by the scup’s gently
Darker horizontal Upper body is blue, brown,
when they leave the water sloping head profile and spiny
stripe on body or dark yellow, shading to
dorsal fins
silver on the sides. Pectoral fin is yellow-brown
Oval-shaped and flattened
Pictured: An adult black sea bass (right). Adult black sea invertebrates like young lobster, mussels, crabs, and from side to side
bass are stout, blackish-brown fish with light blue scales squid, as well as small fish.
and a spine on their tail fin. A juvenile black sea bass
(left). Juvenile black sea bass have light orange stripes COMMON PREDATORS Pictured: An adult scup. Scup are oval-shaped, golden- COMMON PREDATORS
around their head and a darker horizontal stripe on their Juvenile black sea bass are prey to diving birds, as well brown fish with arched backs and gently sloping heads. Bluefish, Atlantic halibut, sharks, striped bass, weakfish,
body. as weakfish, summer flounder, smooth dogfish, oyster goosefish, hake, and other carnivorous fish eat juvenile
toadfish, bluefish, skate, and sea robins. Spiny dogfish, HABITAT scup. Sharks, dogfish, bluefish, stingrays, flounder, black
HABITAT Atlantic angel sharks, skate, hake, flounder, and goose- Scup live in many different ecosystems, from oyster reefs, sea bass, weakfish, mackerel, and other large carnivorous
Adult black sea bass like to swim near large structures, fish eat adult black sea bass. mussel beds, and rocky ledges, to open, sandy sea floors. fish eat adult scup.
including oyster reefs, mussel beds, jetties, shipwrecks, Juvenile and young adult scup live in bays and estuaries,
rocky ledges, and pilings. Juvenile black sea bass mature STATUS but schools of larger scup stick to deeper ocean waters. STATUS
in brackish estuaries, but adults rarely leave saltwater IUCN Population Status: IUCN Population Status:
environments. Least Concern • Stable Near Threatened • Decreasing
DIET
Juvenile scup eat small mollusks, crustaceans, bristle
DIET ASFMC New York Stock Status:
worms, and fish larvae. Adult scup eat amphipods, razor ASFMC New York Stock Status:
Juvenile black sea bass eat amphipods, isopods, crabs, Not Overfished Not Overfished
clams, blue mussels, hydroids, anemones, small squid,
sand shrimp, small fish, and bristle worms. Adults eat
vegetation, insect larvae, and small fish.
DID YOU KNOW? DID YOU KNOW?
If there are too many females in a group of black sea bass, Most oyster reef fish spawn at night so that their eggs don’t
the largest female will change into a male to balance out get eaten by daytime predators. But for reasons we don’t
20 - 30 cm; Maximum the population. 10 - 25 cm; Maximum understand yet, scup release their eggs in the morning.
length is 66 cm length is 46 cm
30 | FISH FISH | 31P H OL I S G UNNE L LU S PEPR ILUS TR IAC ANTHUS
ROCK GUNNEL BUTTERFISH
Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like Fish” Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like fish”
Suborder Zoarcoidei “Wolffishes, Gunnels, & Eelpouts” • Family Pholidae “Gunnels” Suborder Stromatoeidei “Butterfish & Relatives” • Family Stromateidae “Butterfish”
Flattened from side to side,
like a flounder set upright
Mouth is small with weak teeth
One long dorsal fin runs
the length of their body Round, distinct tail fin Tail fin is deeply forked
9-13 dark spots at the
base of their dorsal fin
Anal and dorsal fins are
Small, round, and silver, with about the same length
Thin, snake-like fish
Anal fin is about half as an extremely deep chest
long as their dorsal fin
Both fins curve inward You can tell butterfish apart from
Look somewhat like American eels, Color varies from No pelvic or ventral fins
except for their tail fin and the dark grey to red scup by the butterfish’s rounded
dark spots at their dorsal fin facial profile and soft dorsal fin
Pictured: An adult butterfish. Butterfish are small, round, COMMON PREDATORS
silver fish, flattened from side to side with a deep chest. Butterfish have many predators, including marine
mammals (seals and dolphins), weakfish, goosefish,
HABITAT bluefish, swordfish, hammerhead sharks, silver hake, and
Pictured: An adult rock gunnel. Rock gunnels are eel-like, DIET During the summer, butterfish remain within 180 feet longfin inshore squid.
spotted brown fish with a long dorsal fin and a tiny, round Rock gunnels eat amphipods, isopods, bristle worms, (around 55 m) of the surface. They usually school over
tail fin. and mollusks such as snails. shallow, flat areas in bays, estuaries, or the surf zone STATUS
(where waves break near the beach). Juvenile and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Stock Status:
HABITAT COMMON PREDATORS adult butterfish swim above sandy or muddy sea floors. Not Overfished
Rock gunnels mostly live in shallow, tidal environments. Wading birds (like herons), shorebirds, otters, raccoons, Juveniles often group up around floating objects.
But they can also descend to depths of up to 600 feet and carnivorous fish eat rock gunnels.
(around 180 m), especially during the winter. Rock DIET
gunnels usually hide under rocks, in crevices, or among Butterfish eat fish larvae, jellyfish, squid, and small
seaweed. crustaceans.
DID YOU KNOW?
When rock gunnels are exposed to air during low tide, waste DID YOU KNOW?
products build up in their bloodstream. After an hour or two, Butterfish store lots of oil in their muscles and organs.
these waste products reach toxic levels that would kill most This oil helps them float and makes them taste slightly buttery.
15 - 23 cm; Maximum
10 - 17 cm other fish. Scientists are still learning about how rock gunnels
length is 30 cm
survive out of water for so long.
32 | FISH FISH | 33ME NT I C I R R H U S SAX AT I L I S MYOXOCEPHALUS SPP.
NORTHERN KINGFISH SCULPINS
Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Perciformes “Perch-like Fish” Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Scorpaeniformes “Mail-Cheeked Fishes” • Family Cottidae “Sculpins”
Suborder Percoidei “Perches, Darters, & Relatives” • Family Sciaenidae “Croakers”
Short, fan-like pectoral fins that
reach the second dorsal fin
First dorsal fin ends Stout and spiny, with lots of
Two dorsal fins
in a long spine head ridges and cheek spines
Slender, with an arched back
Longhorn are typically green,
Silvery with chocolate
Little sculpin have short brown, or yellow with darker
Latin name Menticirrhus means brown wavy stripes
spines on their head and gills marbling on their body and fins
“curly beard,” a reference to
the single barbel (or sensitive Long, horizontal stripe Longhorn sculpin are named for
They are usually light to dark
whisker) underneath the chin begins near pectoral fin their long cheek spines that
grey with darker mottling
and runs to tail fin reach their gills Longhorn are larger than
little sculpin
Pictured: An adult northern kingfish. Mottled brown fish small mollusks, bristle worms, decaying carcasses, and
with an arched back, long dorsal fin spine, and one chin juvenile fish. Pictured: An adult little sculpin (or grubby). Sculpin are They sometimes descend up to 600 feet (around 180 m)
whisker. stout, spiny fish with head ridges, cheek spines, and below the surface.
COMMON PREDATORS short, fanlike pectoral fins. Longhorn sculpin (not pic-
HABITAT Sharks and other large, carnivorous fish eat kingfish. tured) have longer cheek spines than little sculpin. DIET
Northern kingfish prefer to swim over gravel or sand Sculpin are omnivorous scavengers that eat bristle
along coastal beaches, inlets, and bays. Juvenile kingfish STATUS HABITAT worms, small crustaceans, snails, sea slugs, mollusks,
mature in the surf zone (where waves break near the IUCN Population Status: Little sculpin usually live less than 90 feet (around 27 and juvenile fish.
shore) and in estuaries. Least Concern • Stable m) below the surface. You can find them among sea-
weed beds and swimming over sand or rocks near the COMMON PREDATORS
DIET shore. Longhorn sculpin often swim around human-made Dogfish, cod, skate, sea ravens, and summer flounder eat
Kingfish are bottom-feeders that prey on shrimp, crabs, structures in estuaries, salt creeks, and river mouths. sculpin.
DID YOU KNOW?
DID YOU KNOW?
As they grow and mature, northern kingfish absorb their swim-
In the winter, sculpin make an antifreeze protein in their cells. This amazing protein cir-
bladder, a gas-filled organ that helps fish float. Kingfish stay 12 - 15 cm; Max length is 20 cm
culates in sculpin blood and keeps them warm, even if temperatures drop below freezing!
25 - 35 cm; Maximum close to the sea floor, so they don’t need to float as well as fish 25 - 35 cm; Max length is 45 cm
length is 50 cm in the pelagic zone.
34 | FISH FISH | 35P R I ONOT U S SP P. SPHOER OID ES MAC ALATUS
SEA ROBINS NORTHERN PUFFER
Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Scorpaeniformes “Mail-Cheeked Fishes” • Family Triglidae “Sea Robins” Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Tetraodintoformes “Pufferfish & Relatives” • Family Tetraodontidae “Pufferfish”
Unusual-looking, bony fish
Striped sea robins are larger
Large head has multiple than northern sea robins Peppered with white and black Yellow/brown/olive
ridges and spines
spots and small prickles colored upper body
Reddish-brown or grey on top,
Beak-like mouth
fading to a pale underbelly
Striped sea robins have a
straight tail fin, dark horizontal When not inflated, they are
Long, wing-like pectoral fins
stripes on their side, and a club-shaped with a large
You can tell sea robins Northern sea robins have longer pectoral fin head and small body Color shades to a
apart from sculpin by a curved tail fin, vertical lighter underbelly
the 3 feelers on either stripes on their sides, and
side on their chin a shorter pectoral fin
Inflated size
Pictured: An adult northern sea robin. Sea robins are DIET
bony, spiny-headed fish with three feelers in front of their Sea robins mostly eat crustaceans like sand shrimp,
wing-like pectoral fins. Striped sea robins (not pictured) crabs, and amphipods. They also eat juvenile flounder, Pictured: An adult northern puffer in its normal, deflated DIET
have straighter tail fins, darker horizontal stripes on their scup, Atlantic silversides, bivalves, squid, and bristle form. The dotted line represents the size of a fully inflated Northern puffers eat small crustaceans (like crabs,
sides, and longer pectoral fins than northern sea robins. worms. northern puffer. Northern puffers are club-shaped, yel- shrimp, isopods, and amphipods), bivalves (like scal-
low-brown fish with large heads, beak-like mouths, and lops), bristle worms, barnacles, and sea urchins.
HABITAT COMMON PREDATORS small bodies.
Sea robins prefer to swim over sand or gravel, but they Their bony plates protect sea robins from most preda- COMMON PREDATORS
sometimes swim around rocks or reefs. They can de- tors. Only large carnivorous fish like sharks can manage HABITAT Very few predators can successfully eat puffers. Cobia,
scend up to 600 feet (around 180 m) below the surface, to eat them. During the summer, northern puffers live in shallow wa- sharks, and tuna can eat some species of puffer fish.
and like to remain near the sea floor. During the summer, ters near the shore, like bays and estuaries. You can find
you can see sea robins in estuaries, bays, river mouths, STATUS them up to 600 feet (around 180 m) below the surface. STATUS
salt flats, and other coastal areas. IUCN Population Status: IUCN Population Status:
Least Concern • Unknown Trend Least Concern • Decreasing
DID YOU KNOW?
DID YOU KNOW?
Sea robins can actually “taste” their prey with the finger-like
Northern puffers have toxic organs that can kill predators.
feelers under their chins. As soon as they touch a morsel of
20 - 27 cm; Maximum Humans have to remove northern puffer organs before eating them.
30 - 45 cm / 25 - 30 cm food, they know it’s something delicious and quickly snap it up. length is 35 cm
36 | FISH FISH | 37PLEURO NECT I F O R MES O R D E R
FLOUNDERS
Summer flounder usually have many
eye-like spots on their body
Winter flounder bear their mouth and both
Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” eyes on the right side of their body
Order Pleuronectiformes “Flatfish”
Large, dinner plate shaped flatfish
Winter flounder have a smaller
mouth with fleshy lips
Summer flounder bear their mouth and
both eyes on the left side of their body
Pictured: An adult “left-facing” summer flounder. Floun-
der are large, flat, dinner plate-shaped fish with both
eyes on the same side of their body. Winter flounder (not
pictured) have both eyes on the right side of their body.
HABITAT
Flounder are mainly ocean-dwelling fish, but both sum-
mer and winter flounder visit estuaries during the breed-
ing season. Flounder like to burrow in sand, mud, or light STATUS
gravel. When they are near the coast, you can find floun- IUCN Population Status • Summer Flounder:
der in salt ponds, bays, tidal creeks, and seagrass beds. Least Concern • Decreasing
Flounder usually stay less than 600 feet (around 180 m)
Summer flounder have relatively below the surface. New York State Conservation Rank • Winter Flounder:
large mouths with sharp teeth Possibly Vulnerable • S3?
Color changes depending
DIET
on the background, but is Adult summer flounder eat mostly fish, and prefer her- ASFMC Stock Status • Summer Flounder:
usually dark or mottled ring, anchovies, and sand lance, as well as squid. Winter Not Overfished
flounder eat more invertebrates, including bristle worms,
amphipods and other crustaceans, and sea anemones. ASFMC Stock Status • Winter Flounder:
Unknown
SUMMER WINTER COMMON PREDATORS
Carnivorous fish such as striped bass, bluefish, goose- DID YOU KNOW?
fish, spiny dogfish, oyster toadfish, and sea ravens, as Flounder look like normal fish larvae for several weeks
well as birds such as cormorants, herons, and osprey after they first hatch, but during their metamorphosis,
30 - 50 cm; Maximum 25 - 35 cm; Maximum eat adult flounder. Jellyfish and sand shrimp eat flounder one of their eyes slowly migrates over their head until
length is 100 cm length is 58 cm larvae. both eyes are on the same side!
38 | FISH FISH | 39SYNG NAT H U S F U SC U S HIPPOC AMPUS ER ECTUS
NORTHERN PIPEFISH LINED SEAHORSE
Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Syngnathiformes “Pipefish & Seahorses” Class Actinopterygii “Ray-Finned Fishes” • Order Syngnathiformes “Pipefish & Seahorses”
Family Syngnathidae “Pipefish & Seahorses” Family Syngnathidae “Pipefish & Seahorses”
Often have white lines that
Tube-shaped snout follow the body contours
Dorsal fin is short
and delicate
Upright and bony fish
Color varies depending on Horse-like head that is
the individual, but is usually covered in bony plates
green or brown
Tube-shaped snout
Pipefish are long, thin, and rigid
Bony rings all along the body Deep chest Lined seahorses are the only
species of seahorse that currently
No ventral or anal fins Males have a brood lives in New York Harbor
pouch on their belly
Color varies depending on their
Often have white spots background, but in New York
Prehensile tail
on their tail Harbor they’re usually dark
Round tail fin
Pictured: An adult lined seahorse clinging to seagrass and other small crustaceans, as well as snails, and bristle
Pictured: An adult northern pipefish. Northern pipefish COMMON PREDATORS with its prehensile tail. Lined seahorses are upright, bony worms.
are long, thin fish with bony rings all along their bodies Oyster toadfish, bass, perch, drums, and weakfish eat fish with horse-like heads, tube-shaped snouts, and
and tube-shaped snouts. pipefish. deep chests. COMMON PREDATORS
Black sea bass, mako sharks, stingrays, bluefish, and
HABITAT STATUS HABITAT tuna occasionally eat lined seahorses, as do seabirds and
Pipefish mostly live among plant and algae in brackish or IUCN Population Status: During the summer, lined seahorses live in shallow areas wading birds.
saltwater habitats, including marsh creeks, estuaries, Least Concern • Unknown Trend near the shore. You can find them among underwater
and harbors. plants and algae, human-made structures, sponges, and STATUS
New York State Conservation Rank: oyster reefs. IUCN Population Status:
DIET Vulnerable • S3 Vulnerable • Decreasing
Pipefish eat small crustaceans, like amphipods, isopods, DIET
copepods, and shrimp. Lined seahorses eat amphipods, copepods, small shrimp,
DID YOU KNOW?
Pregnancy is dangerous for male pipefish. Many get eaten by DID YOU KNOW?
5 - 11 cm;
predators or starve before they can give birth. Because of the Lined seahorses communicate with little clicking sounds.
Maximum
uneven death rate, there can be as many as nine female pipefish length is 15 cm They make these sounds by tossing their heads against a
10 - 20 cm for every one male. star-shaped crest on their neck called a coronet.
40 | FISH FISH | 41FISH OF NEW YORK HARBOR
ATLANTIC SILVERSIDE
Menidia menidia pg. 15
AMERICAN EEL ATLANTIC NEEDLEFISH OYSTER TOADFISH BLUEFISH BLACK SEA BASS SCUP
Anguilla rostrata pg. 14 Strongylura marina pg. 16 Opsanus tau pg. 18 Pomatomus saltatrix pg. 29 Centropristis striata pg. 30 Stenotomus chrysops pg. 31
ATLANTIC MENHADEN STRIPED KILLIFISH MUMMICHOG ROCK GUNNEL BUTTERFISH NORTHERN KINGFISH
Brevoortia tyrannus pg. 19 Fundulus majalis pg. 20 Fundulus heteroclitus pg. 21 Pholis gunnellus pg. 32 Peprilus triacanthus pg. 33 Menticirrhus saxatilis pg. 34
SKILLETFISH BLENNY GOBY SCULPIN SEA ROBIN NORTHERN PUFFER
Gobiesox strumosus pg. 22 Blenniidae Family pg. 23 Gobiosoma spp. pg. 24 Myoxocephalus spp. pg. 35 Prionotus spp. pg. 36 Sphoeroides maculatus pg. 37
CUNNER BLACKFISH STRIPED BASS FLOUNDER NORTHERN PIPEFISH LINED SEAHORSE
Tautogolabrus adspersus pg. 25 Tautoga onitis pg. 26 Morone saxatilis pg. 28 Pleuronectiformes Order pg. 38 Syngnathus fuscus pg. 40 Hippocampus erectus pg. 41
42 | FISH FISH | 43MOBILE
INVERTEBRATES
Green Crab
Spider Crab
Blue Crab
Mud Crabs
Mitten Crabs
Pacific Shore Crab
Sand Shrimp
Grass Shrimp
Amphipods
Skeleton Shrimp
Isopods
Horseshoe Crabs
Slipper Snails
Whelks
Eastern Mudsnails
Oyster Drills
Bristle Worms
Oyster Flatworm
Comb Jelly
Moon Jelly
44 | FISH FISH | 45C A R C I NU S MAE NAS LIBINIA SPP.
GREEN CRAB SPIDER CRAB
Class Malacostraca • Order Decapoda “Decapods” • Infraorder Brachyura “Crabs” • Family Portunidae “Swimming Crabs” Class Malacostraca • Order Decapoda “Decapods” • Infraorder Brachyura “Crabs” • Family Epialtidae “Spider Crabs”
Uniform beige color
You can count 5 blunt spines Green, but can also be
(or “teeth”) on each side of their mottled brown, grey, or red
They drape their knobby,
capace just behind the eyes Pointed snout and spiny bodies in algae,
short eyestalks sponges, or other debris
Long legs
Adult females have
red-orange underbellies Common spider crabs have about Longnose spider crab
nine spines on their midline have about six spines
Males and juveniles have yel-
Triangular carapace on their midline
low or green underbellies
Pictured: An adult green crab. Green crabs are mid-sized DIET Pictured: An adult spider crab. Spider crabs are long- DIET
crabs that can be green, brown, grey, or red, with 5 blunt Green crabs eat many different kinds of plants and ani- legged, beige crabs with knobby, triangular carapaces Spider crabs eat algae, dead and decaying fish, mollusks,
spines on their carapace. mals from nearly 160 different genus groups. Some of and short eyestalks. barnacles, and sea stars.
their preferred foods include snails, bivalves, (clams
HABITAT and mussels), juvenile fish, algae, juvenile lobsters, bar- HABITAT COMMON PREDATORS
Green crabs can live in many types of saltwater and es- nacles, and bristle worms. Spider crabs live near the sea floor on rocks, mud, and Octopuses, pinfish, grouper, and oyster toadfish eat spi-
tuarine habitats. You can often find them among vegeta- sand. You can find them in large numbers in fairly polluted der crabs.
tion, in salt marshes, and under rocks along the banks COMMON PREDATORS bays and estuaries. Spider crabs can descend to depths
of tidal creeks. Sea birds (including gulls), ducks, herons, raccoons, and of greater than 150 feet (around 45 meters) below the
blue crabs eat green crabs. surface.
DID YOU KNOW?
DID YOU KNOW? To make up for their bad eyesight, spider crabs have sensory
A single green crab can eat up to 40 half-inch clams per day! cells (like taste buds) at the end of each leg. These cells help
5 - 8 cm • Carapace; them find tasty morsels on the sea floor.
6 - 10 cm • Carapace width
Maximum width is 10 cm
46 | MOBILE INVERTEBRATES MOBILE INVERTEBRATES | 47C ALLINECT ES SAP I D US
BLUE CRAB
Class Malcostraca
Males have a narrow,
tower-shaped apron on
their abdomen
Order Decapoda “Decapods”
Infraorder Brachyura “Crabs”
Family Portunidae “Swimming Crabs”
Four serrated spines (or
“teeth”) between their eyes
Deep blue claws often Nine spines on either
Female blue crabs have a
have orange tips side of their eyes
wide, dome-shaped flap (or
“apron”) on their abdomen
Three spines on
their first arms
Females carry their eggs
in a bright orange, spongy
mass on their apron
Pictured: An adult blue crab. Blue crabs are large crabs DIET
Wide carapace with two long
spines on either side with deep blue claws and two long spines on either side Blue crabs eat live and dead fish, fish larvae, shrimp,
Large crab of their carapace. Juvenile blue crabs (not pictured) are bivalves (like oysters, mussels, and clams), snails, and
less brightly colored than adults. vegetation (like eelgrass and sea lettuce).
HABITAT COMMON PREDATORS
Blue crabs spend most of their time underwater, on Raccoons, herons, American eels, striped bass, oyster
rocks, sand, or mud. During the summer, you can find toadfish, drums, and croakers eat blue crabs.
them in river mouths, tidal creeks, salt marshes, and
sounds. Blue crabs like to live near human-made struc- DID YOU KNOW?
8 - 17 cm • Carapace; tures, such as docks, or near underwater plants and Female blue crabs only mate once in their life, but they
Maximum width is 23 cm seaweed. can store male sperm for up to two years!
48 | MOBILE INVERTEBRATES MOBILE INVERTEBRATES | 49PAN OP E I DAE FAM I LY ER IOCHEIR SINENSIS
MUD CRABS MITTEN CRABS
Class Malacostraca • Order Decapoda “Decapods” • Infraorder Brachyura “Crabs” • Family Panopeidae “Mud Crabs” Class Malacostraca • Order Decapoda “Decapods” • Infraorder Brachyura “Crabs” • Family Varunidae “Shore Crabs”
No spines between their eyes You can tell mitten crabs apart Notch between the eyes
Black-fingered mud
from other crabs by the fine, light
Front claws are crabs have a tooth-like
hairs on their equal-sized claws
typically unequal sizes nub on the upper part Mid-sized
of their larger claw burrowing crab
Four or five blunt white-fingered mud crabs
spines (or “teeth”) have light-tipped claws
on both sides of
their carapace
Similar-looking family
of small crabs
Legs are about twice the
Square carapace length of their carapace
Rear legs are pointed
Flatback mud crabs have a
somewhat flattened carapace Pictured: An adult mitten crab. Mitten crabs are mid-sized DIET
burrowing crabs with square carapaces and fine, light Mitten crabs are flexible omnivores. They mainly eat al-
hairs on their claws. gae, decaying matter, and dead fish. Juveniles sometimes
eat amphipods and snails because they need calcium for
Pictured: An adult black-fingered mud crab. Mud crabs are DIET HABITAT their growing shells.
very small crabs with four or five blunt spines on their Larger species (like the black-fingered mud crab) eat Mitten crabs live in fresh, brackish, or salty water dur-
carapaces. oysters, quahog clams, mussels, barnacles, and snails. ing different parts of their life cycle. In freshwater, they COMMON PREDATORS
Smaller species (like the flatback mud crab) eat mainly prefer shallow, slow-moving pools near algae. In brackish We don’t know for sure what animals in New York Harbor
HABITAT algae, decaying plant and animal matter, amphipods, and water, they make burrows in the sides of steep muddy might eat mitten crabs. Some carnivorous fish like Ameri-
Mud crabs live in fresh to brackish water at up to 120 bristle worms. or sandy banks. can eels, striped bass, and catfish might prey on mitten
feet (around 37 meters) below the surface. They prefer crabs. Other potential predators include raccoons, otters,
sheltered estuarine habitats near pilings and jetties, COMMON PREDATORS wading birds (like herons), and bullfrogs.
sponges, bryozoans, eelgrass meadows, woody debris, Blue crabs, wading birds (like herons), oyster toadfish,
rocks, or oyster reefs. and other carnivorous fish eat adult mud crabs. Atlantic FROM THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION: “If you collect a Chinese mitten crab, do not release it back to the water. Keep
it and freeze it (preserve in alcohol if you can’t freeze it). Note date and location caught (GPS coordinates preferred but pinpointed on a map is acceptable)
silversides, mummichogs, grass shrimp, and other and how you caught it. If possible, take a close-up photo. Please make a report within 48 hours of catch that includes photos and location information to
plankton-eating fish and invertebrates prey on the larvae. isinfo@dec.ny.gov or 518-402-9425.”
DID YOU KNOW? DID YOU KNOW?
Mud crab larvae have sharp spines that defend them against plankton-eating fish. Many organisms make their home in the mitten crab’s hairy claws, including bivalve and snail larvae,
5 - 7 cm • Carapace; amphipods, bristle worms, and algae.
2 -4 cm • Carapace width
Maximum width is 10 cm
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