4 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM VOL. 125 
The 379 buoys examined (fig. 1) were distributed as follows: 229 
along the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to Florida, 58 in the 
Gulf of Mexico (south and west coast of Florida and Texas), 77 along 
the Pacific coast from California to Washington, six in the Bahamas, 
and nine in the Hawaiian Islands. Owing to lack of opportunity for 
the biologists to sample the buoys along such a long stretch of coast, 
the largest gap in the collections les between central California and 
northern Washington. 
At each station, square foot samples were scraped from the buoy 
at the waterline, at three and six feet depths and subsequent fathom 
(6 feet—1.83 meters) intervals below the surface, depending on the 
size of the buoy. Linear foot scrapings also were made from the bridle 
and mooring chains at fathom intervals to the bottom. Likewise, a 
square foot sample was taken when possible from the anchor block. 
Occasionally, samples were taken from submarine nets or other 
submerged installations. After weights, volumes, and other data on 
the fouling were taken, the samples (or aliquots) were preserved and 
shipped to Woods Hole, Mass., for sorting. At each station, the usual 
hydrographic data were recorded (water temperature, transparency, 
etc.) and water samples for salinity determinations were taken. 
At Woods Hole, the fouling samples were sorted into major tax- 
onomic groups for later identification by specialists. After large 
organisms were removed, the residue was scanned with a microscope for 
small forms. A total of 2028 samples from 379 buoys were sorted, an 
average of five to six per buoy. 
The 100 stations at which isopods and/or tanaidaceans were found 
are named in table 1. Their location is shown in figure 1, along with 
buoys in the same area at which none of these crustaceans was found. 
Resuuts.—Collection data are presented and summarized in tables 
1 and 2 and figures 1 and 2. Isopods were taken from 95 buoys, or 
about one-fourth of the 379 sampled. Tanaidaceans were found on 
only 14 buoys, or 3.7 percent of those sampled. Five buoys yielded 
tanaidaceans but no isopods. 
No isopods or tanaidaceans were found in the following vicinities 
(number of buoy stations sampled in each area in parentheses): 
Newfoundland (19); Eastport, Me. (12); Mt. Desert, Me. (13); 
Penobscot Bay, Me. (10); Delaware Bay (24); Chincoteague Bay, 
Va. (6); Cape Fear, N.C. (2); Cape Romain, S.C. (5); and Amelia 
Island, Fla. (6). Doubtless, both groups occur in these areas, perhaps 
even on buoys, but were missed in the sampling. 
The collection comprises 26 species of Isopoda belonging to 16 
genera distributed among seven families (fig. 2). These represent four 
of the seven aquatic suborders (Flabellifera, Valvifera, Asellota, and 
Anthuridea). The three suborders not represented are tbe Epicaridea, 
