Custom Species Lists
The over 1800 taxa of benthic infaunal invertebrates listed below were collected as part of the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Marine Sediment Monitoring Program (MSMP). This program, initiated in 1989, is one component of the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program, a collaborative effort dedicated to monitoring environmental conditions in Puget Sound.
Benthic infaunal invertebrates, often referred to as benthos, are tiny animals, including worms, clams, snails, shrimp, crabs, brittle stars, and many others, that live in the sand and mud at the bottom of Puget Sound. Benthos are an essential link in the Puget Sound food chain, and changes in their community structure and functional groups are an indicator of sediment quality and overall environmental condition. Ecology’s MSMP samples and characterizes the benthos in eight Puget Sound regions and six urban bays on an annual rotational basis, and tracks changes over time that may be due to man-made (for example, toxic chemicals) or natural environmental stressors. Ecology and the Puget Sound Partnership recognize the benthos as one of many Vital Sign Indicators for Puget Sound.
To study the benthos, Ecology relies on taxonomic specialists to identify each animal collected to the lowest possible phylogenetic classification, usually the genus and species level. To preserve this knowledge, and ensure standardized taxonomy for the future of the benthos program, Ecology staff have recently started working with regional taxonomists to create a “voucher sheet”, or a taxonomic description compiled from the scientific literature, for each of our over 1800 taxa. Voucher sheets and taxonomy workshop notes describing Puget Sound benthos that have been generated to date are available in Ecology’s Taxonomic Guides to Benthic Invertebrates of Puget Sound. Also available will be species information drawn from the Encyclopedia of Life.
You can learn more about the benthos in Ecology’s blog. Browse keywords Eyes Under Puget Sound and benthic invertebrates. See also Flickr photos.
For further information, contact Maggie Dutch, Washington State Department of Ecology, margaret.dutch@ecy.wa.gov, 360-407-6021.
Benthic invertebrates of Puget Sound
- Abietinaria sp
- Acanthodoris sp
- Acanthoptilum gracile
- Acanthoptilum sp
- Acanthozoon lepidum
- Acarina
- Acartia (Acartiura) longiremis
- Acartia sp
- Accedomoera vagor
- Aceroides sp
- Achelia alaskensis
- Achelia chelata
- Achelia echinata
- Achelia gracilipes
- Achelia latifrons
- Achelia sp
- Acidostoma hancocki
- Acidostoma sp
- Acila castrensis
- Acteocina culcitella
- Acteocina eximia
- Acteocina harpa
- Acteocina sp
- Actiniaria
- Actiniidae
- Admete gracilior
- Adontorhina cyclia
- Adontorhina sphaericosa
- Aegiochus symmetrica
- Aegires albopunctatus
- Aeolidacea
- Aeolidia papillosa
- Aeolidia sp
- Aeolidiidae
- Aetideus divergens
- Aglaja ocelligera
- Aglajidae
- Aglaophenia sp
- Agnezia septentrionalis
- Akanthophoreus phillipsi
- Alcyonidium sp
- Alia carinata
- Alienacanthomysis macropsis
- Alitta virens
- Allogaussia sp
- Alvania compacta
- Alvania sp
- Amacrodorum bipapillatum
- Amage anops
- Amage sp
- Amauropsis sp
- Americhelidium millsi
- Americhelidium pectinatum
- Americhelidium rectipalmum
- Americhelidium shoemakeri
- Americhelidium sp
- Americhelidium variabilum
- Americorophium salmonis
- Americorophium spinicorne
- Ampelisca agassizi
- Ampelisca brachycladus
- Ampelisca brevisimulata
- Ampelisca careyi
- Ampelisca cristata
- Ampelisca hancocki
- Ampelisca lobata
- Ampelisca pacifica
- Ampelisca pugetica
- Ampelisca sp
- Ampharete acutifrons
- Ampharete cf crassiseta
- Ampharete cf goesi
- Ampharete finmarchica
- Ampharete labrops
- Ampharete sp
- Ampharetidae
- Ampharetinae
- Amphicteis mucronata
- Amphicteis scaphobranchiata
- Amphicteis sp
- Amphiduros sp
- Amphiodia occidentalis
- Amphiodia periercta
- Amphiodia sp
- Amphiodia urtica
- Amphiodia urtica/periercta
- Amphioplus sp
- Amphioplus strongyloplax
- Amphipholis pugetana
- Amphipholis sp
- Amphipholis squamata
- Amphipoda
- Amphiporidae
- Amphiporus sp
- Amphissa columbiana
- Amphissa sp
- Amphitrite cirrata
- Amphitrite edwardsii
- Amphitrite robusta
- Amphitrite sp