FOREWORD 



This NMFS Circular is pari of the subseries "Marine Flora and Fauna of the Northeastern United States," 

 which consists of original, illustrated, modern manuals on the identification, classification, and general biology 

 of the estuarine and coastal marine plants and animals of the Northeastern United States. The manuals are 

 published at irregular intervals on as many laxa of the region as there are specialists available to collaborate in 

 their preparation. 



Geographic coverage of the "Marine Flora and Fauna of the Northeastern United States" is planned to 

 include organisms from the headwaters of estuaries seaward lo approximately the 200 m depth on the continental 

 shelf from Maine to Virginia, but may vary somewhat with each major taxon and the interests of collaborators. 

 Whenever possible representative specimens dealt with in ihe manuals are deposited in the reference collections of 

 major museums of the region. 



The "Marine Flora and Fauna of the Northeastern United Stales" is being prepared in collaboration with 

 systematic specialists in the United Slates and abroad. Each manual is based primarily on recent and ongoing 

 revisionary systematic research and a fresh examination of the plants and animals. Each major taxon, treated in a 

 separate manual, includes an introduction, illustrated glossary, uniform originally illustrated keys, annotated 

 checklist with information when available on distribution, habitat, life history, and related biology, references to 

 the major literature of the group, and a systematic index. 



These manuals are intended for use by biology students, biologists, biological oceanographers, informed 

 laymen, and others wishing to identify coastal organisms for this region. Often they can serve as guides to 

 additional information about species or groups. 



The manuals are an outgrowth of the widely used "Keys to Marine Invertebrates of the Woods Hole 

 Region;' edited by R. 1. Smith in 1964. and produced under the auspices of the Systematics Ecology Program, 

 Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass. After a .sufficient number of manuals of related taxonomic 

 groups have been published, the manuals will be revised, grouped, and issued as special volumes, which will 

 consist of compilations for phyla or groups of phyla. 



