Cobscook Bay Inventory: A Historical Checklist of Marine Invertebrates Spanning 162 Years

Abstract

Cobscook Bay inventory is a historical checklist that documents nearly 800 species of macroinvertebrates found in Cobscook Bay, ME, based on collection records spanning the past 162 years. Information on species occurrence over time has been compiled from published literature, museum collection records, electronic databases, graduate students theses, and species collection lists from invertebrate zoologists. Nearly all records have been reviewed for the validity of identifications by an international group of taxonomic specialists. Accepted species names and their authorities are listed along with alternate names used previously for well over a century. This format results in a historical timeline of the occurrence of species in Cobscook Bay that starts with discovery and continues through past and recent records for each species. It is hoped this database will provide a baseline that will be updated with discoveries of new species, made by developing molecular techniques and observed changes in species occurrence from invasions or local extinctions, to keep its historical perspective intact.