Brackish
Guides
Limulus polyphemus
Atlantic horseshoe crab, American horseshoe crab
Limulus polyphemus is a marine and brackish chelicerate arthropod commonly known as the Atlantic or American horseshoe crab. Despite its common name, it is more closely related to spiders, ticks, and scorpions than to true crabs. The species has remained morphologically unchanged for approximately 200 million years, earning it the designation of a 'living fossil.' It is ecologically and medically significant, with populations distributed along the Atlantic coast of North America and in the Gulf of Mexico.
Podon leuckartii
Podon leuckartii is a small predatory crustacean in the family Podonidae, order Onychopoda. It belongs to the branchiopod group characterized by paired swimming appendages and a bivalved carapace. The species was originally described under the genus Pleopis. Like other onychopods, it is a holoplanktonic predator in freshwater and brackish aquatic systems.
Pyractomena ecostata
Keel-necked firefly
Pyractomena ecostata, the keel-necked firefly, is an endangered firefly species endemic to the United States with a highly disjunct distribution. It occurs in two widely separated coastal regions: the Mobile Bay area of Alabama east through peninsular Florida, and saltmarshes surrounding Delaware Bay and Cape May in Delaware and New Jersey. This species is restricted to brackish habitats, particularly those receiving saltwater intrusion, and faces severe threats from coastal development, sea level rise, invasive vegetation, and light pollution.
Telmatogetoninae
Intertidal Midges
Telmatogetoninae is a subfamily of non-biting midges (Chironomidae) primarily adapted to intertidal marine and brackish water environments. The subfamily contains two genera: Telmatogeton and Thalassomya. Larvae exhibit specialized physiological adaptations for osmoregulation and desiccation resistance, enabling survival in harsh, variable saline conditions of coastal habitats. Most species inhabit rocky shores, sandy beaches, and estuarine zones, though some members occupy freshwater torrent habitats.