MadSci Network: General Biology
Query:

Re: I have two water organism but I don't know their name.

Date: Sun Dec 3 11:17:59 2000
Posted By: Allison J. Gong, Graduate student
Area of science: General Biology
ID: 975196934.Gb
Message:

Any invertebrate zoology text should have pictures and diagrams of
the freshwater plankton forms.  I do know of several keys and
identification books for marine invertebrates, since they are my
passion and my specialty.  Try these:

Light's Manual: Intertidal Invertebrates of the Central California
Coast. Ralph I. Smith and James T. Carlton, eds. University of
California Press.
        **this key is one of the classic books that all marine
biologists around here have and use.  The newest edition also
contains information on the marine algae.

Robert H. Morris, Donald P. Abbott, and Eugene C. Haderlie. 1980.
Intertidal Invertebrates of California. Stanford University Press.
        **this book has beautiful photographs and informative text.
It's expensive, but worth it.

Eugene N. Kozloff. 1996. Marine Invertebrates of the Pacific
Northwest. University of Washington Press.
        **this key is a bit more up-to-date than Light's Manual, and
covers the northern range of the Pacific Coast of the US.  With it
and Light's, you'd be able to identify, at least to genus, most
critters you'd come across on this coast.  And the information can be
extrapolated to other coasts, too.

Also, Sea Challengers has put out a bunch of books recently, with
beautiful color photographs.  Text is limited, as these are more
field guides than keys, but still useful.  I have "Pacific Coast
Nudibranchs," "Pacific Coast Pelagic Invertebrates - a Guide to the
Common Gelatinous Animals," and "Guide to Marine Invertebrates -
Alaska to Baja California."

Hope this gives you some ideas.  Unfortunately, I don't know of any
online keys, but there might be some.


Allison



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