ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



Preparation of the "Marine Flora and Fauna of the 

 Northeastern United States" is being coordinated by the 

 following Board: 



Coordinator: Melbourne R. Carriker, Systematics- 

 Ecology Program, Marine Biological 

 Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass. 



Advisers: Marie B. Abbott, Systematics-Ecology 

 Program. 



Arthur G. Humes, Boston University Ma- 

 rine Program, and Systematics-Ecology 

 Program. 



Wesley N. Tiffney, Department of Biology, 

 Boston University, and Systematics- 

 Ecology Program. 



Ruth D. Turner, Museum of Comparative 



Zoology, Harvard University, and Sys- 

 tematics-Ecology Program. 



Roland L. Wigley, National Marine Fish- 

 eries Service, Biological Laboratory, 

 Woods Hole, Mass. 



Robert T. Wilce, Department of Botany, 

 University of Massachusetts, and Sys- 

 tematics-Ecology Program. 



The Board established the format for the "Marine 

 Flora and Fauna of the Northeastern United States," 

 invites systematists to collaborate in the preparation of 

 manuals, reviews manuscripts, and advises the Scientific 

 Editor of the National Marine Fisheries Service. 



Preparation of the present manual was supported in 

 part by Grant GB-24,832 from the National Science 

 Foundation to the Systematics-Ecology Program. 



COORDINATOR'S COMMENTS 



Publication of the "Marine Flora and Fauna of the 

 Northeastern United States" is most timely in view of 

 the growing universal emphasis on environmental work 

 and the urgent need for more precise and complete iden- 

 tification of coastal organisms than has been available. 

 It is mandatory, wherever possible, that organisms be 

 identified accurately to species. Accurate scientific 

 names unlock the great quantities of biological infor- 

 mation stored in libraries, obviate duplication of research 

 already done, and make possible prediction of attributes 

 of organisms that have been inadequately studied. 



The present manual, "Annelida: Oligochaeta" covers 

 the east coast of North America. Dr. David G. Cook 

 began his systematic study of the oligochaete fauna of 

 the east coast in September 1967, when he commenced 

 a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Systematics- 



Ecology Program sponsored first by the Ford Foundation 

 and later by the National Science Foundation. During 

 this period he prepared a number of manuscripts on this 

 little known group. These have since been published 

 and provided the background for the preparation of this 

 manual. Dr. Ralph O. Brinkhurst, a specialist on the 

 microdrile oligochaetes of the world, carried out his 

 study of the New England aquatic oligochaetes during 

 the summer of 1967 and 1968 as a visiting investigator 

 in the Systematics-Ecology Program under the support 

 of the Ford Foundation and the National Science Foun- 

 dation. 



Manuals are available for purchase from the Superin- 

 tendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, 

 Washington, D.C. 20402. The manual so far published 

 in the series and its cost per copy is listed below. 



COOK, DAVID G., and RALPH O. BRINKHURST. Marine flora and fauna of the Northeastern 



United States. Annelida : Oligochaeta $0.35 



23 



GPO 796-6H 



