Table 2. — Species whose abundance distributions indicate an association with 

 fine silty sands with relatively high organic contents, as found in the Chris- 

 tiaensen Basin and upper Hudson Shelf Valley (Fig. 1). Feeding types and stress 

 area tolerances l\ = high tolerance, L = km tolerance) are also indicated. 



Species 



Dredge spoil 



Sewage sludge 



Feeding type 1 



Edwardsia spp. 



L 





S-SD 



Ceriantheopsis aniericanus 



X 



L 



S-SD 



Phoronis archilecta 



L 



L 



S 



Nucula proximo 



L 





SD 



Araica islandica 



L 





S 



Cerastoderma pinnulatum 







s 



Pilar morrhuanus 



X 





s 



Eleone longa 



L 





c 



Nephtys incisa 



L 



L 



O-SD 



Capitella capitara 



L 



X 



D 



MediomasTus ambiesta 



X 



L 



D 



Prionospio sieenstrupi 



X 





SD 



Paraonis gracilis 







D 



Lumbrineris tenuis 



X 



L 



C 



Ninoe nigripes 



L 



L 



C 



Drilonereis longa 



L 





C 



Cossura longocirraia 







D 



Asabellides oculara 



L 



X 



SD 



Pherusa affinis 



L 



L 



SD 



Lepwcheirus pinguis 







S 



■Feeding type codes: S = suspension feeder. SD = surface deposit feeder, D = sub- 

 surface deposit feeder, C = carnivore, = omnivore. and SV = scavenger. 



cies we have collected in the Christiaensen Basin and upper Hudson 

 Shelf Valley appear to be part of a continuum, transitional, or a 

 mixture of three previously defined major community types which 

 prefer high levels of silt and intrude into the inshore, predominantly 

 sand, habitat within the confines of the upper Hudson Shelf Valley, 

 and in Raritan Bay (McGrath 1974). The two capitellids. Capitella 

 capitara and Mediomastus ambiseta, in this group are recognized 

 opportunists. Feeding types of the 20 species within this group are 

 diverse. 



The second pattern included 17 species whose abundance and 

 wide distribution in the apex could not be strongly correlated with a 

 particular major habitat (Table 3). It included two species, Spiofili- 

 cornis and Polydora ligni, that fit this category only during the 

 summer (Fig. 38 (top), 40 (top)). 



Most of the species in this group (Sthenelais limicola, Nephtys 

 bucera, Aricidea catherinae, Cancer irroratus, Lumbrineris fragi- 

 lis. Spiophanes bombyx, Tellina agilis) have been found to be mem- 

 bers of a medium sand fauna which predominates in inshore areas 



Table 3.— Species whose abundance distributions indicate a lack of strong asso- 

 ciation with any particular habitat. Feeding types and tolerances of stress areas 

 high tolerance, L = low tolerance) are indicated. 



'\ 



Species 



Dredge spoil Sewage sludge Feeding type 1 



Tellina agilis X 



Polygordius trieslinus L 



Phyltodoce arenae L 



Harmolhoe extenuala L 



Sthenelais limicola L 



Glycera dibranchiata X 



Nephtys bucera L 



Spio filicornis (summer) X 



Polydora ligni (summer) X 



Spiophanes bombyx X 



Aricidea catherinae L 



Lumbrineris fragitis L 



Tharyx aculus X 



Tharyx annulosus X 



Ampharele arctica L 



Edotea triloba X 



Cancer irroratus L 



X 



L 

 L 



L 

 X 

 L 

 L 

 X 

 X 

 L 

 L 

 X 

 L 



X 

 L 



SD 



D 



C 



C 



C 

 C-D 

 O-SD 

 SD 

 SD 

 SD 



D 



C 

 SD 

 SD 

 SD 

 SV-SD 

 SVC 



(Pratt 1973: Steimle and Stone 1973; Maureret al. 1976; Maurer, 

 Leathern, Kinner, and Tinsman 1979). Two species, Harmothoe 

 extenuata and Edotea triloba, are members of Pratt's silty sand 

 assemblage, and Tharyx acutus and Polydora ligni were included 

 as members of the estuarine Ampelisca spp. fauna. It should be 

 noted that the collections of Cancer irroratus were dominated by 

 juveniles. Examination of adults alone may indicate a far different 

 abundance distribution pattern. This group of species also included 

 a diversity of feeding types, with surface deposit feeders predomi- 

 nating. 



The third pattern included those species whose abundance distri- 

 bution indicated a strong association with the cleaner sandy sedi- 

 ments found inshore, off both New Jersey and Long Island, as well 

 as the Cholera Bank on the eastern edge of the apex. Nineteen spe- 

 cies, with a wide variety of feeding types, were included in this 

 group (Table 4). Spio filicornis had a more limited distribution in 

 the winter, which included it in this group as well as in the previous 

 group. 



Some of the species we have included in this group have been 

 associated with sandy habitats elsewhere. Steimle and Stone (1973) 

 included Unciola irrorata, Protohaustorius deichmannae , Rhe- 

 poxynius epistomus, Echinarachnius parma, and Spisula solidis- 

 siina as dominants in the medium sand assemblage identified along 

 southwestern Long Island. Most of these same species and Mage- 

 lona riojai, Goniadella gracilis, Nephtys picta, and Crangon sep- 

 temspinosa are included as dominants in Pratt's (1973) Middle 

 Atlantic Bight sand assemblage. Maurer et al. (1976) found N. 

 picta and Ensis directus to dominate medium to coarse clean sand 

 stations on the inner continental shelf off the Delmarva Peninsula. 

 Nephtys picta, Spiophanes bombyx. and M. riojai dominated sandy 

 shoals in the Delaware Bay study of Kinner and Maurer (1978). 



It is interesting to note that Neomysis americana. as it was col- 

 lected in this survey, showed a preference for the mouth of the 

 Hudson-Raritan Estuary. This could be an artifact of sampling, as 

 the grab used is not particularly effective at collecting these mobile, 

 semipelagic crustaceans. 



The three final species, Ensis directus, Nassarius trivittatus. and 

 Polydora ligni (during winter), exhibited an abundance distribution 

 which lacked a definite pattern so as to be placed in any of the 

 above three groups (Figs. 15, 23, 40 (bottom)). Their occurrence. 



Table 4.— Species whose abundance distributions indicate 

 an association with clean sand habitats. Feeding types are 

 included. 



Species 



Feeding type 1 



Astarte castanea 



Spisula solidissima 



Goniadella gracilis 



Nephtys picta 



Nephtys (Aglaophamus) circinala 



Travisia carnea 



Spio filicornis (winter) 



Lumbrinerides acuta 



Magelona riojai 



Caulleriella killariensis 



Ampelisca verrilli 



Unciola irrorata 



Pseudunciola obliquua 



Protohaustorius deichmannae 



Protohaustorius wigleyi 



Rhepoxynius epistomus 



Neomysis americana 



Crangon septemspinosa 



Echinarachnius parma 



S 



S 



C 



O-SD 



O-SD 



D 



SD 



C 



D-SD 



SD 



S 



O-SV-SD 



SD 



S 



s 



O 

 S-SD 

 O-SV 



S-SD 



'For feeding type codes see Table 2. 



'Feeding type codes are listed in Table 2. 



49 



