Table 3. Format of species life history summaries. 



Common Name: the most often used common name. 



Scientific Name: the most recent taxonomic genus and species name. 



Other Common Names: other names that are sometimes used for a species. 



Classification: the most recent taxonomic classification (Phylum, Class, Order, and Family). 



Value 



Commercial : information on commercial harvest. 



Recreational : information on recreational fisheries. 



Indicator of Environmental Stress : identifies if a species is an indicator of environmental degradation. 



Ecological : the role (e.g., key predator or prey) a species plays in marine/estuarine ecosystems. 



Range 



Overall : the complete range of a species. 



Within Study Area : the range of a species within Gulf of Mexico estuaries. In addition, each summary 



contains a relative abundance table (derived from information in Volume I) for the 31 ELMR Gulf of 



Mexico estuaries. 



Life Mode: the life history strategy of a species and its life stages (e.g., anadromous, estuarine resident). 



Habitat 



Ty pe: the habitats used by specific life stages (e.g., riverine, neritic, epipelagic). 



Substrate : the substrate preferences of specific life stages. 



Physical/Chemical Characteristics : the physical and water chemistry preferences of specific life stages 



(e.g., temperature and salinity). 

 Migrations and Movements : the movements and migratory behavior of a species/life stage between or 



within habitats. 



Reproduction 



Mode : type of reproductive strategy (e.g., oviparous, viviparous) and fertilization (e.g., external, internal). 

 Mating/Spawning : timing of spawning and description of mating or spawning behavior. 

 Fecundity : the number of eggs or young produced by an individual. 



Growth and Development 



Egg Size and Embryonic Development : the size of an egg and length of time for embryonic development. 



Age and Size of Larvae : the age and size range of larvae. 



Juveniles Size Range : the size range of juveniles. 



Age and Size of Adults : the age and size range of adults. 



Food and Feeding 



Trophic mode : type of feeder (e.g., carnivorous, herbivorous). 



Food Items : the types of prey eaten (e.g., copepods, amphipods, larval fish). 



Biological Interactions 



Predation : predators known to consume a species. 



Factors Influencing Populations : biological and physical parameters that are known to influence a 

 species' population abundance (e.g., overfishing, ocean productivity, spawning habitat, parasites). 



Personal communications: individuals that provided relevant information. 



References: alphabetical listing of literature cited. 



