TM 181 Table 2.7

Table 2.7. Mid-Atlantic reef types, location, and representative flora and fauna (as described in Steimle and Zetlin (2000))

Location (Type)	Representative Flora and Fauna
Location (Type)	Epibenthic/Epibiotic	Motile Epibenthic Invertebrates	Fish
Estuarine (oyster reefs, blue mussel beds, other hard surfaces, semi-hard clay, and Spartina peat reefs)	Eastern oyster, barnacles, ribbed mussel, blue mussel, algae, sponges, tube worms, anemones, hydroids, bryozoans, common Atlantic slipper snail, jingleshell (Anomia sp.), northern stone coral, sea whips, tunicates, caprellid amphipods, and wood borers	Xanthid crabs, blue crab, Atlantic rock crabs, portly spider crab, juvenile American lobster, and sea stars	Gobies, spot, striped bass, black sea bass, white perch, oyster toadfish, scup, black drum, Atlantic croaker, spot, sheepshead, porgy, pinfish, juvenile and adult tautog, pinfish, northern puffer, cunner, sculpins, juvenile and adult Atlantic cod, rock gunnel, conger eel, American eel, red hake, ocean pout, white hake, and juvenile pollock
Coastal (exposed rock/soft marl, harder rock, wrecks and artificial reefs, kelp, and other materials)	Boring mollusks (piddocks), red algae, sponges, anemones, hydroids, northern stone coral, soft coral, sea whips, barnacles, blue mussel, northern horse mussel, bryozoans, skeleton and tubiculous amphipods, polychaetes, jingle shell, and sea stars	American lobster, Jonah crab, Atlantic rock crab, portly spider crab, sea stars, urchins, and squid egg clusters	Black sea bass, pinfish, scup, cunner, red hake, gray triggerfish, black grouper, smooth dogfish, summer flounder, scad, bluefish, amberjack, Atlantic cod, tautog, ocean pout, conger eel, sea raven, rock gunnel, and radiated shanny
Shelf (rocks and boulders, wrecks and artificial reefs, and other solid substrates)	Boring mollusks (piddocks), red algae, sponges, anemones, hydroids, stone coral, soft coral, sea whips, barnacles, blue mussel, northern horse mussel, bryozoans, amphipods, and polychaetes	American lobster, Jonah crabs, Atlantic rock crab, portly spider crabs, sea stars, urchins, and squid egg clusters (with addition of some deepwater taxa at shelf edge)	Black sea bass, scup, tautog, cunner, gag, sheepshead, porgy, round herring, sardines, amberjack, Atlantic spadefish, gray triggerfish, mackerels, small tunas, spottail pinfish, tautog, Atlantic cod, ocean pout, red hake, conger eel, cunner, sea raven, rock gunnel, pollock, and white hake
Outer shelf (reefs and clay burrows including “pueblo village community”)			Tilefish, white hake, and conger eel