Table 27. — Bathymetric distribution of Eriopisa elon 

 gata in samples from Middle Atlantic Bight. 



Depth interval 

 (m) 



Number of 

 samples 



Mean density 



(No./m') 



Table 28. — Sediment associations of Eriopiaa elon- 

 gata in samples from Middle Atlantic Bight. 



Sediment 

 type 



Number of 

 samples 



Mean density 

 (No./m') 



2 

 10 



10 

 10 



reported in open coastal areas from Nova Scotia to Long 

 Island Sound (Bousfield 1973). We collected this species 

 in 21 samples from 14 stations in the Nantucket Shoals 

 area (Fig. 1.3). Grammarus annulatus was relatively 

 abundant in the area in which it occurred, with a mean 

 density of 90/m^ ranging between 10/m^ and 630/m^. 



Bathymetric Distribution. According to Bousfield 

 (1973), G. annulatus is primarily pelagic, but its occur- 

 rence in relatively high numbers in our grab samples in- 

 dicate that it must sometimes be benthic or epibenthic. 

 We collected G. annulatus in samples between 15 and 

 183 m. The highest density (190/m^) and the largest 

 number of samples (6/21) occurred between 30 and 39 m 

 (Table 29). 



Table 29.— Bathymetric distribution of Gammarus 

 annulatug in samples from Middle Atlantic Bight. 



Sediment Relationship. This species has been 

 reported primarily from sand sediments (Bousfield 

 1973). Our collections of G. annulatus were predomi- 

 nately on sand (19/21), but it also occurred on gravelly 

 sand (1/21) and silt-clay (1/21). 



Gammarus daiberi Bousfield 1969 



This species occurs in the brackish portions of es- 



tuaries from Long Island Sound to South Carolina 

 (Bousfield 1973). We collected G. daiberi at four sta- 

 tions: one from the Connecticut River, two from the Up- 

 per Chesapeake, and one from Albemarle Sound (Fig. 

 13). The density was high (l,2(X)/m2) in the Connecticut 

 River, but low (10/m') at the other stations. All four sta- 

 tions were in shallow water (5-8 m). The station in the 

 Connecticut River was on a sand bottom, but the other 

 three stations were on silt-clay bottoms. 



GammartM mucronatua Say 1818 



This shallow-water species has been found between 

 the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Gulf of Mexico (Bous- 

 field 1973). It is primarily an intertidal form in salt 

 marshes and estuaries, but it occurs subtidally in brack- 

 ish waters (Bousfield 1973). Since we did little collecting 

 in its preferred habitats, it is not surprising that G. 

 mucronatus occurred only twice in our samples (Fig. 

 13). Single specimens were taken in the upper Chesa- 

 peake (7 m — clayey silt) and in Pamlico Sound (4 m — 

 sand). 



Gammarus tigrinus Sexton 1939 



This species occurs in the upper reaches of estuaries 

 between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and North Carolina 

 (Bousfield 1973; Fox and Bynum 1975). We collected 

 three specimens from a single station in Buzzards Bay 

 on a silt-clay bottom at 15 m (Fig. 13). 



Maera danae Stimpson 1853 



This epibenthic species is known from the American 

 Atlantic, from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to New Jersey 

 (Bousfield 1973). We collected M. danae in low to mod- 

 erate densities at two stations: one from Narragansett 

 Bay (150/m^) and the other offshore of Long Island 

 (2/m'') (Fig. 14). The Narragansett Bay station was at 13 

 m on a shell bottom, and the Long Island station was at 

 49 m on a sand bottom. 



Melita dentata (Krt^yer) 1842 



This subarctic boreal species is widely distributed in 

 the North Atlantic, and it has previously been recorded 

 as far south as Cape Cod Bay on gravel bottoms from 

 low water to 300 m (Bousfield 1973). Our collections 

 from 10 stations between Cape Cod and Maryland ex- 

 tend the range of this species to the south (Fig. 14). 

 Melita dentata occurred in low densities (2-40/m^) 

 between 46 and 70 m on sand (8/10), gravel (1/10), and 

 shell (1/10) bottoms. 



Melita nitida Smith 1873 



This species occurs in the mesohaline jwrtions of es- 

 tuaries between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Gulf of 



25 



