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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
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Intro to Brazoria County
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 2
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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)
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 3
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Moss Animals (Bryozoans) Family Vesiculariidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 4
Phylum Bryozoa
Sauerkraut Bryozoan (Zoobotryon verticillatum)
exhibit
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Hard Corals
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 5
Phylum Cnidaria Class Anthozoa Order Scleractinia
Northern Cup Coral (Astrangia poculata)
on Oyster Shell
3-5 mm diameter corallites
24 beaded septa
exhibit
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Typical Coral Polyps
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 6
Phylum Cnidaria Class Anthozoa Order Scleractinia
Source: G.P. Schmahl, NOAA Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary; used with permission
FGBNMS
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Soft Corals
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 7
Phylum Cnidaria Class Anthozoa Order Alcyonacea
Sea Whip (Leptogorgia setacea)
Specimen courtesy of TMN-COT member Phil Huxford
exhibit
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Anemones Family Hormathiidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 8
Phylum Cnidaria
Tricolor Anemone Calliactis tricolor
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Anemones Family Actiniidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 9
Phylum Cnidaria
Warty Anemone (Bunodosoma cavernatum)
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Jellies Family Ulmaridae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 10
Phylum Cnidaria
Moon Jelly (Aurelia aurita)
4
6
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Jellies Family Pelagiidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 11
Phylum Cnidaria video
Sea Nettle (Chrysaora quinquecirrha)
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX
Purple-striped Jelly (Pelagia noctiluca)
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Video 1 – Sea Nettle
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 12
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Hydroids Family Physaliidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 13
Phylum Cnidaria
Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia physalis)
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Sand Dollar Family Mellitidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 14
Phylum Echinodermata
exhibit
Sand Dollar (Mellita quinquiesperforata)
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Plumed Worm
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 15
Phylum Annelida Class Polychaeta
exhibit
Plumed Worm tube (Diopatra cuprea)
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Serpulid Worm
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 16
Phylum Annelida Class Polychaeta
exhibit
Serpulid Worm Reef in Whelk Shell
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©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 17
SORRY! I JUST WOKE UP AND I’M KIND OF
CRABBY!
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Box Crabs Family Calappidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 18
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
Calico Box Crab (Hepatus epheliticus)
Flecked Box Crab (Hepatus pudibundus)
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Fiddler Crabs Family Ocypodidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 19
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
Spined Fiddler Crab (Uca spinacarpa)
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Fiddler Crabs Family Ocypodidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 20
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
Mud Flat Fiddler Crab (Uca rapax)
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Ghost Crabs Family Ocypodidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 21
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
Atlantic Ghost Crab (Ocypode quadrata)
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Left-handed Hermit Crabs Family Diogenidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 22
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
Surf Hermit (Isocheles wurdemanni)
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Left-handed Hermit Crabs Family Diogenidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 23
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
Thin-striped Hermit Clibanarius vittatus
Lightning whelk ‘house’
Hays’ rock snail ‘house’
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Right-handed Hermit Crabs Family Paguridae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 24
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
Flatclaw Hermit (Pagurus pollicaris)
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Marsh Crabs Family Sesarmidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 25
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
Squareback Marsh Crab (Armases cinereum)
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Mud Crabs Family Panopeidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 26
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
Salt Marsh Mud Crab (Panopeus obesus)
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Mud Crabs Family Menippidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 27
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
Stone Crab (Menippe adina)
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Sand Sifter – A Crabbing Time
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 28
Homo sapiens
Pete sifting sand in the swash zone looking for mole and sand crabs
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Mole Crabs Family Albuneidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 29
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
exhibit
Mole Crab (Lepidopa benedicti)
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Sand Crabs Family Hippidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 30
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
exhibit
Puerto Rican Sand Crab (Emerita portoricensis)
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Purse Crabs Family Leucosiidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 31
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
exhibit
Mottled Purse Crab (Persephona
mediterranea)
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Spider Crabs Family Pisidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 32
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
exhibit
Portly Spider Crab (Libinia emarginata)
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Swimming Crabs Family Portunidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 33
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
exhibit
Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)
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Swimming Crabs Family Portunidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 34
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
exhibit
Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)
Photo by Dave Brandes, TMN-COT
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Swimming Crabs Family Portunidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 35
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
exhibit
Speckled Swimming Crab (Arenaeus cribrarius)
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©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 36
Enjoy eating Brown, White, and Pink Shrimp from the
Gulf!
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Shrimp Family Penaeidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 37
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
White Shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus)
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Misc. Barnacles Family Balanidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 38
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
exhibit
Giant Purple Barnacle (Megabalanus tintinnabulum)
Bay Barnacle (Balanus improvisus)
Photo by Kristine Rivers, TMN-COT
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Goose Barnacles Family Lepadidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 39
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
Goose Barnacle (Lepas anserifera)
Peduncle
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Goose Barnacles Family Lepadidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 40
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
exhibit
Smooth Goose Barnacle (Lepas anatifera)
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Macroinvertebrates
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 41
Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea
Copepods – adult and larval nauplius
Photo by Dave Brandes, TMN-COT; Drum Bay
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©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 42
Would you stop clamming up when I am
talking to you?
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Squid
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 43
Phylum Mollusca Class Cephalopoda
exhibit
Ram’s Horn Squid (Spirula spirula)
Courtesy Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (Brenda Bowling), http://txmarspecies.tamug.edu
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Whelks Family Melongenidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 44
Phylum Mollusca Class Gastropoda
exhibit
Lightning Whelk (Busycon pulleyi) Shouldered Pearwhelk (Busycotypus plagosus)
Pearwhelk (Busycotypus spiratus)
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Lightning Whelk and Egg Casings
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 45
Phylum Mollusca Class Gastropoda
exhibit
Lightning Whelk egg casing and baby whelks
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“Snails”
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 46
Phylum Mollusca Class Gastropoda
exhibit
L-R: Hays’ Rocksnail (Stramonita canaliculata) Florida Rocksnail (Stramonita haemastoma) Cancellate Cantharus (Solenosteira cancellaria) Giant Eastern Murex (Hexaplex fulvescens)
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Shark Eyes Family Naticidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 47
Phylum Mollusca Class Gastropoda
exhibit
Shark Eye (Neverita duplicata)
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Other Gastropods
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 48
Phylum Mollusca Class Gastropoda
exhibit
Banded Tulip, Common Sundial, Marsh Periwinkle, Striped False Limpet, White Baby Ear, Lettered Olive
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Oysters Family Ostreidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 49
Phylum Mollusca Class Bivalvia
exhibit
Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea
virginica)
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Coquina Family Donacidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 50
Phylum Mollusca Class Bivalvia
exhibit video
Variable Coquina (Donax variabilis)
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Video 2 – Coquina in Sand
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 51
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Video 3 – Coquina Siphon Action
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 52
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Disk Dosinia Family Veneridae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 53
Phylum Mollusca Class Bivalvia
exhibit
Disk dosinia (Dosinia discus)
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Disk Dosinia Family Veneridae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 54
Phylum Mollusca Class Bivalvia
exhibit
Disk dosinia (Dosinia discus)
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Angelwing Family Pholadidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 55
Phylum Mollusca Class Bivalvia
exhibit
Angelwing (Cyrtopleura costata)
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Channeled Duck Clam Family Mactridae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 56
Phylum Mollusca Class Bivalvia
exhibit
Channeled Duck Clam Raeta plicatella
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Ark Clams Family Arcidae
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 57
Phylum Mollusca Class Bivalvia
exhibit
Ark Clams with periostracum
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Other Bivalves
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 58
Phylum Mollusca Class Bivalvia
exhibit
Top: Giant Atlantic Cockle; Unequal Spoonclam Bottom: Stout Tagelus; Western Bay Scallop
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What About Insects?
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 59
Phylum Arthropoda Class Insecta Order Diptera
Deer Fly (Chrysops brunneus)
Eastern Saltmarsh Mosquito
(Ochlerotatus sollicitans)
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Seaside Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax berenice)
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 60
Phylum Arthropoda Class Insecta Order Odonata
Male Female
Male-like Female
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Tiger Beetles
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 61
Phylum Arthropoda Class Insecta Order Coleoptera
Coastal TB, White-cloaked TB, Cream-edged TB, Gulfshore TB Right: Saltmarsh TB
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Lady Beetles and Marsh Beetle
©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 62
Phylum Arthropoda Class Insecta Order Coleoptera
Seaside Lady Beetle (Naemia seriata seriata)
Flea Marsh Beetle (Ora discoidea)
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©2017 Peggy Romfh, Houston TX 63
THANKS! Let’s go look at some
more specimens!
And remember, no trash on the beach!