Tvler(1973) reported the species to have an average caloric value 

 of 2.147 gcal/g dry weight, which is relatively low (2-50%) com- 

 pared with values for other crustaceans. 



REPRODUCTION AND GROWTH: Ovigerous females are 

 present April to June in New England (Bousfield 1973). However. 

 Smith (1950) believed spawning can occur throughout the year, 

 with each female spawning more than once a year. The number of 

 eggs per brood varies from a few to 70 (_v = 20). Bousfield (1973) 

 stated that the life span of L. pinguis is probably 2 yr. 



Rhepoxynius epistomus (Shoemaker, 1938) 



[Trichophoxus epistomus (Shoemaker. 1938)] 



DESCRIPTION: A burrowing species, body relatively broad 

 with a rostral hood abruptly narrowing in front of the black eyes. 

 Females reach a length of 7-8 mm, with males slightly smaller 

 (Barnard 1969: Bousfield 1973). 



England, from immediately subtidal areas to depths of >50 m: 

 males occasionally occur in the plankton. Watling and Maurer 

 (1972) stated that this species is euryhaline in medium to fine sands 

 (5-15% silt-clay). Feeley (1967) suggested a preference for coarse 

 sand. In the apex of the New York Bight. R. epistomus was charac- 

 teristic of medium to fine sands, with a few occurring in coarse 

 sand. It was most common in low organic areas in depths up to 30 

 m: a few occurred in medium organic areas and none were found in 

 high organic sediments (Fig. 64: Table 1). 



FEEDING ECOLOGY: Barnard (1969) believed this species to 

 be omnivorous, while Biernbaum (1979, citing Bousfield footnote 

 13) classified it as a burrowing detritivore. 



REPRODUCTION AND GROWTH: Bousfield (1973) reported 

 that R. epistomus has an annual life cycle, with ovigerous females 

 present from May to September off New England. In this family 

 (Phoxocephalidae). the mature male form emerges in abrupt meta- 

 morphosis from a femalelike penultimate stage. 



DISTRIBUTION: American Atlantic between southern Maine 

 and Georgia (Watling and Maurer 1972; Bousfield 1973): also 

 reported from Cuban waters (Ortiz 1978). 



HABITAT: Kinner et al. (1974) reported Rhepoxynius epistomus 

 to be dominant in sandy areas of Delaware Bay. closely associated 

 with Tellina agilis and Protohaustorius wigleyi. Bousfield (1973) 

 reported that it is found in medium-fine unstable sands off New 



/ 1 / 60 » 



NEW 

 JERSEY 



es < 



Vs \ 



/ 30 1 



i > 



« 10 1 i 



\40°20' 

 50 r 



_V 



□ ' 



4010 



73°50' 



7340' 



Figure 64.— Distribution and abundance of Rhepoxynius epistomus in the New 

 York Bight apex. 



Order Mysidacea 



Neomysis americana (Smith, 1873) 



DESCRIPTION: The opossum shrimp; small shrimp-like crusta- 

 ceans up to 12 mm in length: eyes on stalks (Gosner 1971). 



DISTRIBUTION: Wigley and Burns (1971) reported this spe- 

 cies to occur from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Chesapeake Bay. 

 however, Gosner (1971) extended its range south to Cape Hatteras. 



HABITAT: Neomysis americana is the most common euryhaline 

 mysid shrimp inhabiting the estuaries and coastal waters of the 

 northeastern United States. Wigley and Burns (1971) regarded it as 

 a shallow water species most commonly reported from the interti- 

 dal zone to depths of 60 m: Gosner (1971) reported it in depths up 

 to 214 m. Neomysis americana is essentially a bottom dweller dur- 

 ing the day, but undertakes regular vertical migrations to the surface 

 during darkness (Herman 1963). 



In the apex of the New York Bight, this species was collected 

 nearshore in depths to about 24 m and was most abundant in low- 

 organic fine sands (Fig. 65; Table 1). Because the Smith-Mclntyre 

 grab sampler is not a particularly good sampling device for this 

 highly motile species, our estimates of its abundance and distribu- 

 tion are probably very poor. 



FEEDING ECOLOGY: The food of mysids consists of small 

 plankters or bottom forms as well as detritus filtered from currents 

 set up by the thoracic limbs, thus, mysids might be considered to be 

 omnivorous (Smith 1950; Clutter 1967; Richards and Riley 1967: 

 Gosner 1971). 



Stickney et al. (1975) found that the estuarine sciaenid. Cynos- 

 cion regalis, fed heavily on N. americana in the southeastern 

 United States; of a total of 120 fish examined, TV. americana 

 occurred in 55 % of their stomachs. Neomysis americana, which is 

 often known to live in large swarms, also forms an important part 

 of the diet of shad, flounder, and haddock (Wigley 1956: Barnes 

 1963). 



REPRODUCTION AND GROWTH: The sexes are separate and 

 there is external dimorphism in this species. Females have a brood 

 pouch and development of young is direct, occurring within the 



43 



