Beachcomber's Guide to Gulf Coast Marine Life Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida

by Rothschild, Susan B.; Fotheringham, Nick

• ISBN13: 9781589790612
• ISBN10: 1589790618
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-01-08
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing

Summary

Updated guide provides the latest findings about the biology and ecology of the Gulf of Mexico.

Author Biography

Susan B. Rothschild has worked in U.S. fisheries management, water quality assessment of the Chesapeake Bay, and U.S. environmental regulation at local levels.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Third Edition	p. viii
Preface to the Second Edition	p. x
Preface	p. xi
Introduction	p. xii
General Shore and Faunal Features	p. 1
The Habitats	p. 1
The Fauna	p. 4
Lifestyles	p. 4
Invertebrate Taxa	p. 5
Jetties and Groins	p. 9
The Ubiquitous Barnacles	p. 10
Fleet-Footed Scavengers	p. 11
Oyster Drills and Hermit Crabs	p. 12
Flowers in the Crevices	p. 14
Crabs and Shrimp on the Jetty	p. 15
Migration of the Sea Hare	p. 16
Spiny Delicacies	p. 17
Beach Fleas and Skeleton Shrimp	p. 17
Jetty Animals That Resemble Plants	p. 18
Sandy Beaches	p. 21
Life on the Upper Beach	p. 22
Life on the Littoral Beach	p. 24
Snails That Leave Trails	p. 25
Worms in the Surf Zone	p. 27
Life Below the Littoral Zone	p. 28
Starfishes and Sea Pansies	p. 28
Yellow and Purple Whips	p. 30
Life Beyond the Breakers	p. 30
Crabs	p. 30
Snails	p. 31
Clams	p. 32
The Edible Blue Crab and Its Kin	p. 34
Spider Crabs	p. 37
Flotsam and Jetsam	p. 39
Portuguese Man-of-War	p. 40
Purple Sailors and Bubble Rafts	p. 41
Onions from the Sea	p. 42
The Floating Sargassum Community	p. 42
A Deep-Sea Castaway	p. 45
Offshore Bottoms: The Shrimp Grounds	p. 46
The Ubiquitous Fauna	p. 47
Nearshore Worms and Neighbors	p. 50
Spring Bloomers	p. 53
Shrimp for the Table and Aquarium	p. 55
Crabs--Like Hermits and Frogs	p. 58
Creatures to Entice the Sea Lover	p. 60
The Elusive Octopus	p. 62
The Bay Shore: Salt Marshes	p. 63
Mussels and Worms in the Mud	p. 65
Fiddler Crabs and More Fiddler Crabs	p. 66
Key to the Fiddler Crabs of Northwestern Gulf Coast	p. 67
Life in the Marsh Debris	p. 68
Land Crabs	p. 69
Invisible Grass Shrimp	p. 70
The Bay Shore: Mud Flats	p. 71
Razors, Jackknives, and Boring Clams	p. 71
Clams for Food, Roads, and Barter	p. 73
Mud Crabs and Mud Shrimp	p. 74
Delicate Ribbon Worms	p. 75
Augers, Drills, and Moon Snails	p. 76
Hermit Crabs on the Bayshore	p. 77
Worms and Their Neighbors	p. 77
Life in the Seagrass Meadow	p. 79
Clams and Scallops of the Grass Beds	p. 81
The Inconspicuous Cucumber	p. 83
The Carnivorous Whelks	p. 83
Tusks and Bubbles	p. 84
Artificial Reef Habitats	p. 86
Barnacles Upon Barnacles	p. 87
Add Soft Colors and Textures	p. 88
Serpentine and Mossy Forms	p. 89
Denizens of the Crevices	p. 94
Pill Bugs, Crabs, and Sea Spiders	p. 95
Clams, Oysters, and Mussels	p. 98
Oyster Reefs	p. 102
Reef Inhabitants	p. 103
Oyster Predators	p. 104
Oysters as Shelter	p. 105
Shell Habitats	p. 107
Shell Inhabitants	p. 108
Slipper Shells	p. 108
Hydroids	p. 108
Bryozoans, Sponges, and Scaleworms	p. 109
Anemones and Flatworms	p. 110
Plankton and Nekton	p. 112
Plankton and Nekton	p. 112
Sea Nettles, Sea Wasps, and Sea Walnuts	p. 113
Nekton	p. 117
Sea Turtles	p. 119
Loggerhead Turtles	p. 123
Green Turtles	p. 127
Kemp's Ridley Turtles	p. 134
Leatherback Turtles	p. 137
Hawksbill Turtles	p. 141
A Note on Biological Terminology	p. 144
Phylogenetic List	p. 145
Glossary	p. 152
Bibliography	p. 156
Index	p. 172
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