# List of animals of Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound is a large marine estuary in the Northeastern United States. It forms the maritime border between the states of New York and Connecticut. It is diverse and serves as a breeding ground to many different types of marine animal species; the following is a list of said species by scientific and/or common name. Marine mammals are excluded; see List of mammals of New York for the corresponding species.

## Sponges (Porifera)

* Clathria prolifera (red beard sponge)
* Cliona celata (boring sponge)
* Halichondria panicea (breadcrumb sponge)
* Halichondria bowerbanki (yellow sun sponge)
* Haliclona loosanoffi (erect sponge)
* Haliclona oculata (mermaid's glove)
* Isodictya palmata (finger sponge)
* Polymastia robusta

## Comb jellies (Ctenophora)

* Pleurobrachia pileus (sea gooseberry)

## Jellyfishes (Cnidaria: Medusozoa)

* Aurelia aurita (moon jelly)
* Chrysaora quinquecirrha (Atlantic sea nettle)
* Cyanea capillata (lion's mane jellyfish)
* Physalia physalis (Portuguese man o'war)

## Corals (Cnidaria: Alcyonacea and Scleractinia)

* Alcyonium digitatum (dead man's fingers coral)
* Astrangia poculata (northern star coral)

## Sea anemones (Cnidaria: Actiniaria)

* Ceriantheopsis americana (American striped burrowing anemone; invasive species)
* Cerianthus borealis (northern burrowing anemone)
* Diadumene leucolena (ghost anemone)
* Diadumene lineata (orange-striped green anemone)
* Fagesia lineata (lined anemone)
* Metridium senile (frilled anemone)
* Urticina felina (northern red anemone)

## Crustaceans (Arthropoda: Crustacea)
### True crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura)

* Callinectes sapidus (Atlantic blue crab)
* Carcinus maenas (European green crab; invasive species)
* Ovalipes ocellatus (lady crab)
* Cancer irroratus (Atlantic rock crab)
* Cancer borealis (Jonah crab)
* Libinia emarginata (common spider crab)
* Libinia dubia (longnose spider crab)
* Pelia mutica (cryptic teardrop crab)
* Sesarma reticulatum (marsh crab)
* Hemigrapsus sanguineus (Asian shore crab; invasive species)
* Uca pugnax (Atlantic marsh fiddler crab)
* Uca pugilator (Atlantic sand fiddler crab)

### Other decapods

* Homarus americanus (American lobster)
* Pagurus longicarpus (long-wrist hermit crab)
* Pagurus pollicaris (flatclaw hermit crab)
* Crangon septemspinosa (seven-spined sand shrimp)
* Palaemonetes pugio (daggerblade grass shrimp)
* Gilvossius setimanus (ghost shrimp)
* Upogebia affinis (coastal mud shrimp)

### Mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda)

* Squilla empusa (Atlantic mantis shrimp)

## Horseshoe crabs (Arthropoda: Xiphosura)

* Limulus polyphemus (Atlantic horseshoe crab)

## Cephalopods (Mollusca: Cephalopoda)

* Illex illecebrosus (northern shortfin squid)
* Loligo pealei (longfin inshore squid)

## Gastropods (Mollusca: Gastropoda)
### Littorinimorpha

This group includes filter feeders, omnivores, and predatory sea snails.
* Crepidula fornicata (common slipper shell snail)
* Crepidula plana (eastern white slipper shell)
* Euspira heros (northern moonsnail)
* Euspira triseriata (spotted moonsnail)
* Neverita duplicata (sharkeye moonsnail)
* Littorina littorea (common periwinkle; invasive species)
* Littorina saxatilis (rough periwinkle)

### Neogastropoda

Most neogastropods are predatory sea snails.
* Buccinum undatum (waved whelk)
* Busycon carica (knobbed whelk)
* Busycotypus canaliculatus (channeled whelk)
* Ilyanassa obsoleta (eastern mudsnail)
* Ilyanassa trivittata (threeline mudsnail)
* Astyris lunata (lunar dovesnail)
* Phrontis vibex (bruised nassa)
* Nucella lapillus (Atlantic dogwinkle)
* Urosalpinx cinerea (Atlantic oyster drill)
* Eupleura caudata (thick-lip drill)
* Kurtziella cerina (wax-colored mangelia)

### Ptenoglossa

* Cerithiopsis greenii (Green's cerith)
* Seila adamsii (Adam's cerith)
* Retilaskeya emersonii (awl cerith)

## Bivalves (Mollusca: Bivalvia)
### Pteriomorphia

These filter feeders are either mobile or permanently attached to a substrate.
* Anadara transversa (transverse ark)
* Anadara ovalis (blood ark)
* Crassostrea virginica (eastern oyster)
* Ostrea edulis (European flat oyster)
* Mytilus edulis (blue mussel)
* Geukensia demissa (ribbed mussel)
* Modiolus modiolus (northern horsemussel)
* Anomia simplex (jingle shell)
* Argopecten irradians (bay scallop)
* Placopecten magellanicus (sea scallop)

### Heterodonta

These filter feeders are mostly burrowers.
* Arctica islandica (ocean quahog)
* Mercenaria mercenaria (northern quahog / hardshell clam)
* Pitar morrhuanus (false quahog)
* Spisula solidissima (Atlantic surf clam)
* Mulinia lateralis (dwarf surf clam)
* Petricola pholadiformis (false angelwing)
* Mya arenaria (softshell clam)
* Ensis directus (Atlantic jackknife / razor clam)
* Astarte undata (wavy astarte)
* Astarte castanea (smooth astarte)

## Echinoderms (Echinodermata)
### Sea urchins (Echinoidea)

* Sand dollar
* Arbacia punctulata (Atlantic purple sea urchin)
* Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis (common green sea urchin)

### Sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea)

* Sclerodactyla briareus (hairy sea cucumber)

### Starfish (Asteroidea)

* Crossaster papposus (spiny sunstar)
* Solaster endeca (purple sunstar)
* Pteraster militaris (winged sea star)
* Hippasteria phrygiana (horse star)
* Leptasterias tenera (slender seastar)
* Asterias vulgaris (northern seastar)
* Asterias forbesi (common seastar)
* Henricia sanguinolenta (blood star)

### Brittle stars (Ophiuroidea)

* Ophioderma brevispinum (shortspined brittlestar)
* Ophiopholis aculeata (daisy brittlestar)
* Aamphioplus abditus (burrowing brittlestar)
* Axiognathus squamata (little brittlestar)
* Gorgonocephalus arcticus (northern basketstar)

## Sea squirts (Chordata: Tunicata)

* Didemnum spp.
* Molgula manhattensis (sea grape)
* Styela clava (Asian stalked tunicate)
* Botryllus schlosseri (golden star tunicate)
* Botrylloides violaceus (compound tunicate)

## Cartilaginous fish (Chordata: Chondrichthyes)
### Sharks (Selachimorpha)
#### Resident sharks

* Carcharhinus leucas (bull shark)
* Carcharhinus plumbeus (sandbar shark)
* Mustelus canis (dusky smoothhound shark / smooth dogfish)
* Odontaspis taurus (sand tiger shark)
* Squalus acanthias (spiny dogfish)

#### Vagrant sharks

* Carcharhinus obscurus (dusky shark)
* Prionace glauca (blue shark)
* Sphyrna zygaena (smooth hammerhead shark)
* Alopias vulpinus (common thresher shark)
* Carcharodon carcharias (great white shark)

### Skates and rays (Batoidea)

* Dasyatis centroura (roughtail stingray)
* Raja eglanteria (clearnose skate)
* Raja erinacea (little skate)
* Dipturus laevis (barndoor skate)
* Leucoraja ocellata (winter skate)
* Torpedo nobiliana (Atlantic torpedo)
* Rhinoptera bonasus (cownose ray)

## Bony fish (Chordata: Osteichthyes)
### Eels (Anguilliformes)

* Anguilla rostrata (American eel)

### Gadiformes

* Enchelyopus cimbrius (four-bearded rockling)
* Microgadus tomcod (Atlantic tomcod)
* Urophycis chuss (red hake)

### Seahorses and pipefishes (Syngnathiformes)

* Hippocampus erectus (northern lined seahorse)
* Syngnathus fuscus (northern pipefish)

### Jacks (Carangiformes: Carangidae)

* Caranx hippos (crevalle jack, jack crevalle, common jack)
* Caranx crysos (blue runner, hardnose)
* Carangoides bartholomaei (yellow jack, coolihoo)
* Chloroscombrus chrysurus (Atlantic bumper)

### Flatfish (Pleuronectiformes)

* Etropus microstomus (smallmouth flounder)
* Paralichthys dentatus (fluke)
* Pleuronectes ferruginea (yellowtail flounder)
* Pseudopleuronectes americanus (winter flounder)
* Scophthalmus aquosus (windowpane flounder)
* Trinectes maculatus (hogchoker)

### Scorpaeniformes

* Hemitripterus americanus (Atlantic sea raven)
* Myoxocephalus aenaeus (grubby sculpin)
* Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus (longhorn sculpin)
* Prionotus carolinus (northern sea robin)
* Prionotus evolans (striped sea robin)
* Pterois volitans (red lionfish; invasive species)
* Anarhichas lupus (Atlantic wolffish)

### Wrasses (Labriformes: Labridae)

* Tautoga onitis (blackfish, tautog)
* Tautogolabrus adspersus (cunner wrasse, bergall)

### Perciformes
#### Drums (Sciaenidae)

* Cynoscion regalis (weakfish, seatrout)
* Menticirrhus saxatilis (northern kingfish, northern kingcroaker, whiting)
* Sciaenops ocellatus (red drum, redfish, puppy drum, channel bass, red, spottail bass)
* Pogonias cromis (black drum, big ugly, drum, drummer)
* Leiostomus xanthurus (spot, spot croaker)
* Micropogonias undulatus (Atlantic croaker)

#### Other Perciformes

* Centropristis striata (black sea bass)
* Morone saxatilis (striped bass)
* Pholis gunnellus (rock gunnel)
* Pomatomus saltatrix (bluefish)
* Stenotomus chrysops (scup)
* Ulvaria subbifurcata (radiated shanny)
* Archosargus probatocephalus (sheephead)

### Anglerfish (Lophiiformes)

* Dibranchus Atlanticus (Atlantic batfish)
* Lophius americanus (American anglerfish)
* Chaetodipterus faber (Atlantic spadefish)

### Tetraodontiformes

All of the animals in this category are summer visitors, who migrate northwards from warmer waters in the south.
* Balistes capriscus (gray triggerfish)
* Chilomycterus schoepfii (striped burrfish)
* Mola mola (ocean sunfish)
* Sphoeroides maculatus (northern pufferfish)
* Stephanolepis hispidus (planehead filefish)

### Miscellaneous Percomorpha

* Ammodytes americanus (American sand lance)
* Apeltes quadracus (four-spined stickleback; found in fresh and brackish water)
* Fundulus majalis (striped killifish)
* Menidia menidia (Atlantic silverside)
* Opsanus tau (oyster toadfish)
* Peprilus triacanthus (Atlantic butterfish, American butterfish)
* Selene vomer (lookdown)

## Gulf Stream strays

Mainly all the animals in this category are juveniles carried via the Gulf Stream to the sound and end up dying when the water temperature cools.
* Balistes vetula (queen triggerfish)
* Aluterus scriptus (scrawled filefish)
* Acanthostracion quadricornis (scrawled cowfish)
* Histrio histrio (sargassum fish)
* Megalops atlanticus (Atlantic tarpon)
* Scorpaena plumieri (spotted scorpionfish)
* Pomacanthus paru (French angelfish)
* Holacanthus bermudensis (Bermuda blue angelfish)
* Hyporthodus niveatus (snowy grouper)
* Fistularia tabacaria (bluespotted cornetfish)
* Chaetodon ocellatus (spotfin butterflyfish)