Custom Species Lists
Understanding the condition of various populations of species in Puget Sound is crucial for evaluating the health of the ecosystem as a whole. Variables such as species abundance, change in populations over time, and genetic and phenotypic diversity paint a picture of how well the Sound can provide for the species that live there, and what the future looks like.
Tracking every species in the Sound is not feasible, but the Puget Sound Partnership selected a number of indicator species based on carefully chosen criteria. The indicator species they chose respond predictably to various ecosystem attributes, and belong to populations that are somewhat well understood. In order to evaluate how a population has changed, researchers need good historical data, and most indicator species have a record of peer-reviewed, published data that can be held up against future surveys and studied for changes that may be significant. Data sources used to evaluate the species indicators came from the Washington Departments of Ecology, Fish and Wildlife, and Natural Resources, the USGS, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries Service. More information can be found on the Species Indicator Evaluation page of the Puget Sound Science Review.
Puget Sound Partnership indicator species: invertebrates
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Dungeness Crab
(Cancer magister) -
Egg-Yolk Jellyfish
(Phacellophora camtschatica) -
Japanese Oyster Drill
(Ocinebrellus inornatus) -
Lion's Mane Jellyfish
(Cyanea capillata) -
Littleneck Clam
(Mercenaria mercenaria) -
Manila Clam
(Venerupis philippinarum) -
Moon Jellyfish
(Aurelia aurita) -
Olympia Oyster
(Ostrea lurida) -
Pacific Geoduck
(Panopea generosa) -
Pacific Oyster
(Crassostrea gigas) -
Pinto Abalone
(Haliotis kamtschatkana) -
Purple Varnish Clam
(Nuttallia obscurata) -
Sea Gooseberry
(Pleurobrachia bachei) -
Water Jellyfish
(Aequorea victoria)
Search for Species
Utilizing double quotes for exact terms can narrow your search results. Ex. A common name search of Northwestern Sedge matches 'Northwestern Sedge' and 'Northwestern Showy Sedge'. Typing "Northwestern Sedge" return only 'Northwestern Sedge'.
- Abarenicola claparedi - (Rough-skinned lugworm)
- Abarenicola pacifica - (Pacific lugworm)
- Abarenicola sp.
- Abies amabilis - (Pacific Silver Fir)
- Abies concolor - (White Fir)
- Abies grandis - (Grand Fir)
- Abies lasiocarpa - (Subalpine Fir)
- Abies lasiocarpa var. lasiocarpa - (Subalpine Fir)
- Abies procera - (Noble Fir)
- Abietinaria sp
Species Lists
External links
- BirdWeb
- Burke Museum
- Native plant list (King County)
- Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program
- USGS: Nonindigenous Aquatic Species in Puget Sound
- Washington Herp Atlas
- Washington Invasive Species Council
- Washington Natural Heritage Program
- Washington Natural Heritage Program species lists
- World Register of Marine Species