STUDIES IN MARINE ECOLOGY: 



I. THE DISTRIBUTION OF COMMON LITTORAL 



INVERTEBRATES OF THE WOODS 



HOLE REGION. 



W. C. ALLEE, 

 Marine Biological Laboratory and the University of Chicago. 



The distribution of animals within the Woods Hole region has 

 been well studied by men interested in individual species and by 

 those concerned with general faunistic problems. Some aspects 

 of the ecology of the region are thoroughly set forth by Verrill 

 and Smith in their "Report on the Invertebrate Animals of 

 Vineyard Sound" made fifty years ago. This classic study re- 

 mains the best account of the ecology of littoral species available. 



The extensive "Biological Survey of the Waters of Woods 

 Hole and Vicinity " x completed about ten years ago by Sumner, 

 Osburn and Cole, while a mine of information concerning the 

 animals of the region, was directly concerned with dredging 

 operations and has little to say at first hand concerning the 

 animals of the intertidal region or those found just below the 

 tidal zone. Among other suggestions they recommend (p. 25) 

 that the intertidal fauna should receive the same detailed atten- 

 tion that they have given to the bottom dwelling species. 



In the absence of a report by the person best qualified to write 

 on the subject, Mr. George M. Gray, the present series of papers 

 has been prepared to make available information accumulated 

 in nine consecutive summers' experience with the inshore inverte- 

 brates of the region. 



The work has been done in connection with a teaching appoint- 

 ment in the course of Invertebrate Zoology of the Marine 

 Biological Laboratory. It represents the collaboration of eigh- 

 teen staff members and of about four hundred students. Many 

 of the present collecting methods were installed in conjunction 

 with Professor Caswell Grave, my predecessor in charge of the 



1 This report will be referred to hereafter as the Biological Survey. 



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