Category Archives: Species

Larus thayeri: Thayer’s gull – The Race Rocks taxonomy

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Thayer’s Gulls aligned for wind, November, 2005

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Charadriliformes
Family Laridae
Genus Larus
Species thayeri
Common Name: Thayer’s Gull

History: Formerly considered as a subspecies of Herring Gulls. It is sometimes regarded as a subspecies of Iceland Gulls.

Physical Appearance:22 1/2″ – 25″ wide Mantle slightly darker grey Grey on the underside of the wing tips is distinctive. Yellow bill with red spot on lower mandible. Pale to brown eyes, with a purple-red ring around it. Darker pink legs.

Sound: Long mewing call: hiyah
Warning call: gah-gah-gah

Nesting: Usually 2 or 3 olive-brown, heavily blotched eggs in grass nest on sea cliffs in the high arctic. They only overwinter at Race Rocks, feeding on the small herring and krill in the surrounding waters.

Habitat: They are seabirds of the arctic, coastal rocks and rocky headlands. They are usually located on the Pacific coast on North America during winters. At Race Rocks, they often number in the hundreds out on the South West corner of the larger island, as the numbers below show.

Immature Gulls: They are similar to herring gulls, but slightly smaller and with proportionately smaller bill.
Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. March 8 2003- Kevin Mingyui Chau

Cryptolithodes sitchensis: turtle crab –The Race Rocks taxonomy

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turtle crab (Cryptolithodes sitchensis). Photos b y Laura Verhegge 

 

Appearance: Cryptolithodes sitchensis range from bright red or orange to gray and even white colors. The average size of an adult turtle crab is 90mm (3.6in). A distinctive characteristic of the crab is that its legs are completely covered by its shell.

Distribution: The turtle crab can be found from Sitka, Alaska along the coast to Point Lowa, California,
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum Crustacea
Class Malacostraca
Order Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Family: Lithodidae
Superfamily: Paguroidea
Genus Cryptolithodes
Species sitchensis
Common Name:Turtle Crab or Umbrella Crab

Where at Race Rocks? This species can be found at Race Rocks and on Rosedale Reef. In the summer of 1997, Donna Gibbs had noted specimens of Cryptolithodes sitchensis. in her inventory.

Habitat: This particular type of crab is usually found on bedrock from the low intertidal zone to 17m (56ft), in semi-protected area on or near the outer coast. Furthermore, the turtle crab rarely leaves its home.

Feeding: While on bedrock, the turtle crab grazes and feeds on sessile organisms, particularly algae.

Reproduction: The turtle crab reproduces sexually, using the molting cycle. There are six stages in the development of the turtle crab: Eggs, Prezoea, Zoea, Megalops, Juvenile Instar, Adult Crab.

Interesting Adaptation: Its distinctive shell allows it to camouflage itself into its surroundings. It is often mistaken for an old clam shell or patch or coralline algae.

Other Members of the Phylum Arthropoda at Race Rocks 
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

AJ (PC year30)

Prasiola meridionalis: short sea lettuce–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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A good example of the highest marine algae in the intertidal zone, Praseola, sp. and the vertical zonation of the upper intertidal.

A good example of the highest marine algae in the intertidal zone, <i>Praseola, sp.</i> and the vertical zonation of the upper intertidal (photo near peg5A) . Photo G. Fletcher

Prasiola  meridionalis, short sea lettuce.

 There are five Prasiola species found in the world. They consist of very small blades (at most a few centimetres in length) usually one cell thick. At Race Rocks it is found as a green fuzz in the spray zone, above the upper  intertidal zone.It is also found along thePacific coast  from Alaska to Chile.

  • prasiolaInteresting local ecology: Tufts of these blades resemble little cabbages growing on wood or rock above the high level or along freshwater streams. Prasiola  can tolerate and exploit high-nitrogen conditions that most plants would find toxic. Therefore a unique aspect of their distribution is their association with guano of marine birds.

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Protoctista
Division: Chlorophyta
Class: Chlorophyceae
Order: Prasiolales
Family: Prasiolaceae
Genus: Prasiola
Species: meridionalis
Common Name: short sea lettuce

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.OCT  2003–Gladys Michelle Reyes–PC  Year 30

 

Uria aalge: The Common Murre- The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Common Murre – photo by Raisa Mirza

Where at Race Rocks?: Flocks of several hundred common murres will be seen in the waters of Race Passage from August to October, with smaller numbers staying around through the winter. They usually come ashore at Race Rocks only if they have been oiled in an oil spill in the Strait. Occasionally there will be high mortality to large flocks of these birds in the strait of Juan de Fuca when they are caught in fish nets at night.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Alcidae
Genus Uria
Species aalge
Common Name: Common murre

Interesting local ecology/behavior/adaptation: Common murres are usually a length of 14 inches. They are an immature-like, basic-plumaged adult but often with a thin, pointed bill and small, rounded tail. Blurry streaks make its flank appear dusty, and this thin white trailing edge is visible at rest. Its head, neck, back, wings, and tail are all blackish, and its breast, belly, foreneck, and undertail are white. A dark line extends from its eye across its cheek, and its white breast meets its dark neck as a blunt, rounded intrusion. Both sexes are very similar. Common murres often raft on the surface of the water, fly in lines, and stand erect.

This rare image of a Common murre ashore on the island was photographed by Pam Birley with remote camera 5 on the West side of the island at Race Rocks in August 2009– See Pam’s other images of this murre in her August log .

Distribution elsewhere: All coast of the Northern Hemisphere where cold currents of upwellings nourish a multitude of fish. In the west, they nest in colonies in western Aleutians and from Arctic Alaska to central California. They are found on the ocean or in large bays.

Reproduction and feeding particulars: Eggs of common murres are produced one at a time and are variable in colour, coming in blue, green, or buffy with darker blotches. They are long and pear shaped, and are laid on inaccessible cliff tops on vertical, narrow ledges, especially on rocky islets or head lands. Each nest has enough space for one egg and one incubating parent. Breeding is their main purpose of coming to shore.

Reference: Peterson, Roger Tory, Peterson Field Guide to Western Birds, New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1990

Udvardy, Miklos D.F., The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, New York, Chanticleer Press, 1977

Common murre – http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i0300id.html

n sea clifts. They are accomplished divers that “fly” under water in pursuit of a small fish.
Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
April 2009 Raisa Mirza

Neomolgus littoralis: the red velvet mite

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The video above was taken by Peg 15 on the North Shore of Great Race Rock where the students of a biology class were doing an intertidal transect. We often find Neomolgus at this elevation, and it is one of the few invertebrates inhabiting the top range of the spray zone.

Neomolgus is a tiny mite looking like a little red dot moving across rocks or other hard surfaces. Its diameter is 3mm. Mites are like spiders and ticks in that they have four pairs of legs. At Race Rocks, it is especially common among the bare rocks out on the North West corner by peg15.

Neomolgus has a large distribution in the northern hemisphere. It moves very actively and responds very negatively to the approach of a human finger. It uses its long snout for piercing small flies and sucking their juices.

Links:http://www.beachwatchers.wsu.edu/ezidweb/neomol01.htm

Kozlof : SeashoreLife of the Northern Pacific Coast.

Lamb and Hanby, Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest, page 276

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class arachnida
Order Acari
Trombidiformes
Family Bdellidae
Genus Neomolgus
Species littoralis
Common Name:red velvet mite

 

Other Members of the Phylum Arthropoda at Race Rocks 
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

 March October 2003-  Rahilla (PC)

Myxilla incrustans: incrusting sponge– The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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This sponge can be found on rocky subtidal areas at Race ROcks  It commonly grows over the surface of swimming scallop shells. It is believed to form a mutualistic association with the swimming scallop, obtaining a moveable substrate while preventing predation of the scallop. Apparently the smell of the sponge deters the sea stars which may be intending to prey on the scallop

crustsponge

The volcano-like oscules on the sponge which is attached to the valve of a swimming scallop.

ah052010scallopl

Adam harding took this photo off the docks at Race Rocks. The shell of the scallop is covered with the orangish layer of sponge with attached hydroids.

It is an extremely variable widely distributed species ranging from intertidal to 2540 m
Colour: the colour in life ranges through various shades of gold occasionally to a light gold-brown with a slight tinge of rose. In alcohol the sponge is grey-white to yellowish-brown.
Form: The sponge is incrusting or occasionally massive
Size: Intertidal incrusting forms re up to 8 cm thick an 20 cm in diameter. Dredged massive forms have a diameter of up to 9 cm. Fistules are up to 25 mm high.
Consistency: the consistency is moderately firm and tough. some specimens are weakly spongy and fragile.
Surface: The surface varies from slightly roughened and tuberculate to highly rugose and fistulated. It is somewhat rough to the touch
Oscules: oscules are common or abundant and irregularly distributed. Oscules may be elevated on fistules when the latter are present. Oscules are from 033 to 8 mm in diameter.
Pores: pores are abundant and measure from 20 to 270u in diameter.

 

rmincrustingsponge

Detailed view of the incrusting sponge on a swimming scallop

rmincrusting

Ryan Murphy took this image of the various colours of the sponge

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Porifera
Class Demospongiae
Order Poecilosclerida
Family Myxillidae
Genus Myxilla
Species incrustans
Common Name: incrusting sponge

 

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students of Lester B. Pearson College
 Oct 2003 Roberto Ruglio year 30

Phalacrocorax pelagicus: Pelagic cormorant–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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rmpelagichorm

Pelagic Cormorant,  Phalacrocorax pelagicus photo by Ryan Murphy, 2010

See images of Pelagic Cormorants on Ryan Murphy’s Flickr site

Range of the Pelagic Cormorant:
Breeds from the Bering Sea to Japan and south to near San Diego, USA.  Winters in the Aleutian Islands and along the coast from British Columbia to Baja, California.

Pelagic cormorants nest at Race Rocks and live there year-round. They prefer the cliff to the West of the camera 5, and can often be seen perched there along the cliff edge (picture above left)

Nest:
The nest is a mass of seaweed and grass on a cliff.  Pelagic cormorants nest in colonies and like ledges so narrow they must land and take off facing the cliff. During the years between 1980 and 1995 numbers of nests ranged above 20. In the years 2000, 2001,2002 there was complete nest failure due to the lack of herring feed in the surrounding waters. During 2003 , 2004, and 2005 only two or three nests have been established with successful hatches.

Following  are pictures taken in the nesting season by G.Fletcher in the 1980s and 1990’s when there were pelagic cormorants nesting at Race Rocks:

Local Numbers of Phalacrocorax pelagicus
Xmas bird count

Screen Shot 2014-12-20 at 8.06.55 PM

Pelagic Cormorants–Ryan Murphy photo

Year
1997–14
1998–2
1999–20
2000–14
2001–12
2002–20
2003- no census taken..too stormy!
2004- 110

rmpelagiccorm22010

Pelagic Cormorant–Ryan Murphy photo

 

2005- 20
2006-20
2007-42
2008-storm
2009-90
2010-78
2011-0
2012-0
2013-17
2014—
rmpelagiccorm2010

Pelagic Cormorant–Ryan Murphy photo-2010

Classification:
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelicaniformes
Family: Phalacrocoracidae
Genus: Phalacrocorax
Species: pelagicus
Common Name: Pelagic cormorant

 

We have seen a marked decline in nesting of one of the four species of seabirds which has nested traditionally at Race Rocks, Pelagic Cormorants (Phalacrocorax pelagicus). By 2007, the nesting population had been reduced to one or two nests, and from 2008 to the last season (2009 ) there were no nests at all. This population crash has been common across the Gulf Islands., and the lower end of Vancouver Island and Strait of Juan de Fuca. According to the Canadian Wildlife Service, the population of this species is estimated to be at 9000 individuals, and the pelagicus subspecies is red-listed by BC – other subspecies are stable.

RM_males-and_female_pelagic_cormornat

Two males and a female pelagic cormorant

In this attached file, I have summarized the results of several papers on research on Cormorant populations in the southern Gulf Islands and Georgia Strait. Vermeer and Rankin, 1984, did their research when the populations were on the incline, however since the 1900s, this trend has not persisted as has been reflected in the paper by Chatwin et al. The summary of their paper and the possible reasons for decline are listed near the end of this review.

See other posts of Pelagic Cormorants at Race Rock

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. Garry Fletcher, 2003

 

Arctonoe vittata: Commensal scale worm–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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scaleworm

Scaleworm on the striped sunstar.( from video)

Physical description: 

The Arctonoe vittata (formerly known as Halosydna lordi) usually have around 25 or more pairs of scale, which they sometimes shed when they are disturbed. Arctonoe grows up to 8cm to 10 cm long and is usually light yellow. However the color may change depending on its host. Scientists do not know wether this is due to a certain compound on the host that changes their color, or wether it is because they basically eat the same thing, but the scale worm usually very lightly changes its color according to its host.

Distribution in the world: Scale worms live in the North Pacific ocean. It is one of the most studied worms and it has been mostly studied near the coasts of Japan and also near Kamtchaka, far east Russia. It also lives in the north west coast of North America, including the coast of British Columbia. It lives mostly in salt water and almost never in fresh water.

Biotic Associations: The Arctonoe vittata a commensal worm, lives on other species. It observes a positive relationship with its host, notably the starfish Asterias amurensis or the mollusc keyhole limpet Diadora aspera It usually lives near the oral part of its host, and when there are two A.vittata there, the other one will live on the arm if it is living on a starfish. The length of the worm is big considering the size of its host, sometimes its ends almost touch when it is curled up on the oral orifice. It mostly likes to live on larger hosts because they are older and more exposed to plankton. If the A.vittata is living on the keyhole limpet, and the keyhole gets attacked by a starfish, the worm will sense that the demise of its host will lead to its own demise. Thus it will bite the seastar’s tube feet and cause it to withdraw. The scale worm is attracted to chemicals released by it’s host. It is interesting to note that the host is also attracted by chemicals released by the commensal worm. The commensal worms seemed to have a different taste for their host depending on which part of the world they came from. However, the limpet Acmaea pallida was the overall favorite host.

Interesting local behavior: Some scale worms have been spotted on seastars. They were colored white, the same as the underside of the star. There have also been some scale worms spotted on sea cucumbers, they were of a reddish color, and were the Red commensal scale worm Arctonoe pulchra

Reproduction and feeding: The A.vittata bites off the food that is left over from the side of the mouth of its host. They are usually fatter if they are located near the mouth of the host. The worms are hermaphrodites. The worm will leave eggs on its host, some grow there, usually the first ones. The rest will move to a different host because there is too much competition with the one that is already there.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Annelida
Class Polychaeta
Order polychaetes
Family polynoidae
Genus Arctonoe
Species vittata

Other Annelids at Race Rocks

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.  Oct 2003, Lindsay Cheong

with underwater photography of Ryan Murphy

Notoplana acticola: flatworm– The Race Rocks taxonomy

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Notoplana acticola is a polyclad flatworm and it is one of the common polyclads of rocky shores. A specimen may be more than 2cm in length, but the average is about 1cm. We find these occasionally in the mussel beds and under rocks in the lower intertidal.

notoplanaacticola

Some mature Notoplana acticola are sometimes found as hermaphrodites.

Notoplana acticola lives in the upper tide pools and it may be abundant in the lower tide pools as well.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom animalia
Phylum platyhelminthes
Class turbellaria
Order polycladida
Family otocelid
Genus notoplana
Species  acticola
Common Name:  flatworm
This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, staff, and volunteers  of
Lester B. Pearson College
Oct 19, 2003		 Aline Celine

Apodichtys flavidus: The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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These images were taken on the remote camera 5 shows a Pigeon Guillemot prior to feeding a Penpoint gunnel to chicks.During the months of May and June, the Pigeon Guillemots (Cepphus columba) are constantly diving off the north side of Great Race Rock and bringing up penpoint gunnels for their young. They nest under loose rock on several locations arounf the island. They are very cautious about going to their nest burrow where they may be seen by predators,

PUGET SOUND/ Strait of Juan de Fuca SPECIES

Apodichthys flavidus Penpoint Gunnel

Pholis clemensi Longfin Gunnel

Pholis laeta Crescent Gunnel

Pholis ornata Saddleback Gunnel

Pholis schultzi Red Gunnel

Xererpes fucorum Rockweed Gunnel

PENPOINT GUNNEL

This is a family of littoral fishes of the northern Pacific and northern Atlantic.They are typically found hiding under rocks and logs or in tidepools at low tide.The longest gunnel , at maximum of 46 cm,is the Penpoint Gunnel.Most gunnels feed on small crustaceans and molluscs.There are about 14 species, six are found here. Although secretive , this family is common in Puget Sound. This fish is not important commercially and is not considered threatened.This species can breath air when out of water.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Body elongate and compressed (eel-like body with no pelvic fins). Contains only flexible spines ,may have a dark streak that runs through the eye from top of head downward . Eye round, its diameter about one fifth the into length length of head. It may have small dark spots along the sides.Distance from snout to anal origin greater than half of body length.Maximum length is 1.5 feet.10 large melanophores along dorsal surface of gut and anus, melanophores can be also along postanal and dorsal near caudal region,ventral surface of gut has a row of small melanophores.Colour very variable depending upon diet as well as environment, from green through brown to red, the green colour from pigments dispersed through skin, the red in special pigment cells, the brown in combination (Hart 1973).Teeth are sharp,pointed, apparent in post-larvae.

Dorsal fin KC-XCIV (Miller and Lea 1972).

Anal fin I,36-42 (Miller and Lea 1972); I,38-42 (Hart 1973).

Pectoral fin 15-16 (Hart 1973).

Mouth Terminal,small,with thick lips (Hart 1973).

Verebrae 96-101 (Miller and Lea 1972)

DISTRIBUTION: Southern California to southeast Alaska and Kodiak Island.In British Columbia on both coasts of Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia .Common in Burrard Inlet in September.Queen Charlotte Islands (Hart 1973). In costal or bay water blending with vegetation such as Sargassum spp.,Ulva spp., and Zostera spp.,settling on the bottom at ca. mm TL (Wilkie 1966).Pelagic,along coastal waters and bays. Horseshoe Cove and vicinity of Portero Power Plant on San Francisco Bay,Marconi Cove of Tomales Bay.

REPRODUCTION: Spawing occurs from January to March.The egg mass is coiled around by one or both parents.The incubation period is about two and two a half months.Newly hatched larvae average about 13mm, and the body is transparent and positively phototactic (Wilkie 1966).The age of maturity of the penpoint gunnel has not be documented in the literature.Growth appears to be rapid during the first year from 20 to 40 milimeters in April and May to 100 to 120 millimeters by the end of summer.

REFERENCES: J.L.Hart- Pacific Fishes of Canada(1973),Wilkie (1966)

 

 

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

March 8 2003- Miroslav Lestanin