6-10 



spatial distributions and within-station variability in the data is 

 addressed. The information developed in this section provides a frame- 

 work for the analysis of potential impacts of New Haven Harbor Station. 

 The high spatial and temfjoral faunal variability which characterized the 

 New Haven Harbor benthos over the period of this study, prevented us 

 from utilizing more sophisticated data-reduction techniques which can 

 ordinarily be employed in analyses of benthic faunal data. We therefore 

 had to take an interpretive approach that relies heavily on the more 

 qualitative and descriptive aspects of the data. 



Species Composition 



A master species list (Table 6-2) was compiled from the com- 

 bined data of Normandeau Associates, Inc. (NAI) from 1973-1977 and the 

 Rhoads and Michael (R & M) 1974-1977 program. The list comprises 302 

 species or higher taxa: all major macrofaunal groups identified from 

 previous studies of southern New England estuaries are represented. 



The master species list was examined for inconsistencies due 

 to changes in taxonomic identification procedures and a number of minor 

 taxonomic discrepancies were found. Most of these problems were resolved 

 merely by consulting appropriate systematic sources . Several incon- 

 sistencies in the list were due only to the level of identification: 

 Porifera, Cnidaria, Platyhelminthes and Chordata were generally iden- 

 tified to the species level in NAI data but only to phylum by R & M. 

 Similarly, the Eulalia sp. included in the NAI list was assumed to be 

 Eulalia viridis as identified by R & M. Some inconsistencies between 

 the two lists arose as a result of differences in the literature source 

 used in faunal identifications. This type of discrepancy resulted in 

 several minor changes. The bivalve genus Callocardia was relisted under 

 its more current name Pi tar; the amphipod genus Carinogammarus was 

 updated to Ganmarus ; Crangon vulgaris was assumed to be Crangon sept- 

 emspinosa; and the polychaete identified as Eteone alba was assumed to 

 be Eteone lactea. Finally, a bivalve that had been variously identified 



