A Taxonomic Listing of Benthic Macro- and Megainvertebrates - scamit

particularly in the higher structure of the nomenclatural hierarchy, published in the last decade,
even revising the number of phyla included in coverage. It reported additional taxa taken in the
B’03 Regional Monitoring Study, expanded coverage into the intertidal zone, and incorporated non-
POTW or regional monitoring efforts within the acceptable coverage limits.
The sixth edition (2011), seventh edition (2012) and eighth edition (2013) continue the coverage
expansions begun earlier, filling in increasing numbers of species from embayment and rocky and
sandy intertidal sampling. Described species and most provisional species added during the B’08
regional monitoring were included . Continued changes to higher classification from on-going
molecular and combined molecular/morphological based phyletic reexaminations were
incorporated. Edition six was the first to benefit from the Species List Review Committee. Their
efforts increased the effectiveness of the review, and have been continued in preparation of the
seventh and eight editions.
CONVENTIONS
Arrangement of the list is hierarchical. The categories used are phylum, subphylum, class, subclass,
infraclass, superorder, order, suborder, infraorder, tribe, superfamily, family, subfamily, genus
(subgenus) and species. For ease of use each taxonomic category is offset from the next higher
category. Each category above genus is, moreover, indicated directly by inclusion with the taxon
name itself to avoid ambiguity (e.g., Subphylum Echinozoa). Arrangement of families is
phylogenetic when information is available, and alphabetic otherwise. Genera, and species within
them, are arranged alphabetically within each family or subfamily, as appropriate. Authorship is
attributed in conformance with ICZN rules. The listing of genus-level identifications (e.g., Bimeria
sp) represents the degree to which the identities of these taxa are known in the region. This form is
also used in cases where the only specimens representing the genus were indeterminable due to
absence of diagnostic characters. It is regional practice in monitoring programs to identify some
groups of organisms at family or higher level. An example is harpacticoid copepods, which are
reported at the ordinal level. For these taxa the term unidentified appears in the binomen position.
The level at which they are typically reported is indicated by the lowest level taxon provided in the
hierarchy.
The degree of detail in the use of higher taxonomic categories varies between groups. In groups
where there are both large numbers of species and wide variations in form, numerous categories are
listed between the phylum and genus level (arthropods, for example). In poorly represented groups
with few species (e.g., cephalochordates) there may be few categories listed between phylum and
family.
Within the list the following typographic conventions have been employed:
PHYLUM LEVEL IS ALL CAPS
Family and Subfamily levels are bolded
Genus and species are in italics
Synonyms are indented below currently accepted binomens and not italicized
Included in the list are a number of unpublished provisional species names erected by workers in
the area. These names are applied to organisms suspected of being new species or whose identities
cannot be determined from available literature. Provisional names are typically in the form of a
genus name followed by the word species (abbreviated as sp) and an alphabetic, alphanumeric, or
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