FOREWORD 



This NMFS Circular is part of the subseries "Marine Flora and Fauna of the Norlheastern 

 United StatesI' 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 taxa 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 Slates" is 

 planned to include organisms from the headwaters of estuaries seaward to 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 

 the manuals are deposited in the reference collections of major museums of the region. 



The "Marine Flora and Fauna of the Northeastern United States" is being prepared in col- 

 laboration with systematic specialists in the United States 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. I. Smith in 1964, and produced under the auspices of the 

 Systematics Ecology Program, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass. .^fter a suffi- 

 cient 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. 



