Rocky Shores
Main content start
[High] [Mid] [Low] [Taxonomic] [alphabetical]
Species By Zone Height
High Intertidal Zone: +1 m to >1.5 m (+3 to >5 ft)
Mostly bare rock at upper limits; patchy cover of hearty red algae, barnacles, & limpets
- Chthamalus spp. - acorn barnacle
- Balanus glandula - acorn barnacle
- Tetraclita rubescens - red barnacle
- Littorina keenae - large periwinkle
- Littorina scutulata - small periwinkle
- Littorina plena - small periwinkle
- Tegula funebralis - black turban snail
- Lottia gigantea - owl limpet
- Lottia digitalis - finger limpet
- Lottia austrodigitalis - southern finger limpet
- Lottia scabra - rough limpet
- Lottia paradigitalis - high shore limpets
- Haliotis cracherodii -black abalone, in crevices
- Nucella emarginata - predatory whelk
- Nucella ostrina - predatory whelk
- Acanthinucella punctulata - predatory whelk
- Nuttalina calfiornica - chiton; nestled among barnacles
- Cyanoplax - smooth green chiton, under Silvetia
- Pachygrapsus crassipes - lined shore crab
- Phragmatopoma - sand-tube worm
In Pools
- Pagurus samuelis - hermit crab
- Oscarella carmela - slime sponge w. no skeleton; on sides & under rocks
Under Rocks
- Notocomplana acticola - polyclad flatworm
- Pseudoalloioplana californica - brown polyclad flatworm
- Ligia occidentalis - isopod
- Petrolisthes cinctipes - porcelain crab
Red Algae
- Porphyra perforata - thin ruffled blades, gray-green
- Mastocarpus papillatus - dominant; highly variable
- "Petrocelis" - crustose tetrasporophyte stage of Mastocarpus
- Endocladia muricata - highest band of algae on shore
- Mastocarpus jardinii
- Mazzaella affinis
Brown Algae
- Fucus gardneri - rockweed
- Hesperophycus californicus
- Silvetia compressa
- Analipus japonica - small brown alga (wave-exposed)
Green Algae
- Cladophora - bright green tufts
Mid-Intertidal Zone: +.15 m to +1 m (+0.5 to +3 ft)
High cover of algae & invertebrates; little free space.
Many high-zone species also occur in the upper mid zone.
- Anthopleura elegantissima - cloning green anemone
- Anthopleura sola - large green anemone
- Anthopleura xanthogrammica - large green anemone
- Semibalanus cariosus - large acorn barnacle
- Tetraclita rubescens - red barnacle (center of distribution)
- Tegula funebralis - black turban snail
- Tegula brunnea - brown turban snail
- Limpets - many cap-shaped snails
- Littorina plena - periwinkle
- Fissurella volcano - keyhole limpet
- Haliotis cracherodii - black abalone, in crevices
- Acanthinucella spirata - predatory whelk
- Nucella analoga compressa - predatory whelk
- Ocinebrina circumtexta - small predatory whelk
- Dodecaceria fewkesi - tube worm
- Cucumaria pseudocurata - false tar spot sea cucumber
Side/under rocks, overhangs
- Haliclona - purple sponge
- Epiactis prolifera - brooding anemone
- Hemigrapsus nudus - purple shore crab
- Romaleon antennarium - small juveniles
- Cirolana harfordi - isopod
- Leptosynapta albicans - burrowing sea cucumber
- Amphiodia occidentalis - long-armed brittle star
- Leptasterias aequalis - 6-armed sea star
- Mopalia muscosa - hairy girdle chiton, under rocks
- Mopalia lignosa - chiton, under rocks
- Thylacodes squamigerus - tube snail
- Nereis grubei - segmented polychaete worm
- Phascolosoma agassizii - peanut worm
- Pseudoalloioplana californica - brown polyclad flatworm
In Pools
- Pagurus granosimanus - hermit crab
Wave exposed areas
- Mytilus californianus - mussel
- Pollicipes polymerus - gooseneck barnacle
- Pisaster ochraceus - ochre sea star
- Katharina tunicata - black chiton
Red Algae
- Chondracanthus canaliculatus
- Mazzaella flaccida
- Mazzaella splendens
- Mazzaella leptorhynchos
- Gelidium coulteri
- Gastroclonium subarticulatum
- Corallina - pink erect coralline
Brown Algae
- Egregia menziesii - feather boa kelp (wave-exposed)
- Postelsia palmaeformis - sea palm (very wave-exposed)
- Analipus japonica - small brown alga (wave-exposed)
Green Algae
- Codium fragile - dead man's fingers
- Ulva spp. - sea lettuce; bright green
- Cladophora - bright green tufts
Low Intertidal Zone: below +.15 m (0.5 ft) to lowest exposed levels
Rocks covered with multiple layers of algae & sessile invertebrates.
- Acmaea mitra - limpet
- Tegula brunnea - brown turban snail
- Calliostoma ligatum - brown top snail
- Stenoplax heathiana - chiton
- Tonicella lineata - lined chiton
- Pisaster ochraceus - ochre sea star
- Patiria miniata - bat star
- Henricia - slender sea star
- Strongylocentrotus purpuratus - purple sea urchin
- Pseudocnus curatus - tar spot sea cucumber
- Lissothuria nutriens - small red sea cucumber
- brittle stars
- Thylacodes squamigerus - tube snail
- Aglaophenia spp. - ostrich plume hydroid
- Corynactis californica - strawberry anemone
- Balanophyllia elegans - cup coral
- Megabalanus califonricus - acorn barnacle
Many colonial subtidal species also occur in the low intertidal.
- tunicates - colonial ascidians
- bryozoans - wholly colonial moss animals
- sponges - red, orange, yellow, tan crusts
- shelled snails - many subtidal species can be found in the low zone
- nudibranchs - sea slugs
- crabs - cancrid crabs, spider crabs
- tube worms
Red Algae - many mid-zone reds also occur in the low zone
- Sarcodiotheca gaudichaudii
- Prionitis lanceolata
- Rhodymenia pacifica
- Gelidium robustum
- Pikea californica
- Gastroclonium subarticulatum
- corallines - pink crusts & jointed erect forms
- NOTE: many more spp. of red algae occur in the low intertidal & into the subtidal
Brown Algae
- Costaria costata
- Laminaria setchellii - kelp
- Macrocystis integrifolia - giant kelp
- Egregia menziesii - feather boa kelp
- Alaria marginata
Green Algae
- Flowering plants
- Phyllospadix scouleri - surf grass
- Zostera marina - eel grass; protected sites, mostly subtidal
Browse Rocky Shore Organisms by Taxonomic Group
Species listed alphabetically within each group
Cnidaria - sea anemones, corals, hydroids
- Aglaophenia spp. - ostrich-plume hydroid
- Anthopleura elegantissima - cloning sea anemone
- Anthopleura sola
- Anthopleura xanthogrammica - solitary green anemone
- Balanophyllia elegans - cup coral
- Corynactis californica - strawberry anemone
- Epiactis prolifera - brooding anemone
Echinoderms - sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, brittle stars
- Amphiodia occidentalis - long-armed brittle star
- Cucumaria pseudocurata - false tar spot sea cucumber
- Henricia "leviuscula"
- Leptasterias aequalis - 6-arm sea star
- Leptosynapta albicans - burrowing sea cucumber
- Lissothuria nutriens - small red sea cucumber
- Patiria miniata - bat star
- Pisaster ochraceus - ochre sea star
- Pseudocnus curatus - tar spot sea cucumber
- Strongylocentrotus purpuratus - purple sea urchin
Molluscs - snails, nudibranchs, bivalves, chitons
- Acanthinucella punctulata - whelk
- Acanthinucella spirata - whelk
- Calliostoma ligatum - brown top snail
- Tegula brunnea - brown turban snail
- Tegula funebralis - black turban snail
- Cyanoplax hartwegii - green chiton
- Fissurella volcano - keyhole limpet
- Haliotis cracherodii - black abalone
- Katharina tunicata - black chiton
- Littorina keenae - periwinkle
- Littorina plena - periwinkle
- Littorina scutulata - periwinkle
- Mopalia lignosa - chiton
- Mopalia muscosa - hairy girdle chiton
- Mytilus californianus -mussel
- Nucella analoga compressa - whelk
- Nucella emarginata - whelk
- Nucella ostrina - whelk
- Nuttalina californica - chiton
- Ocinebrina circumtexta - whelk
- Thylacodes squamigerus - tube snail
- Stenoplax heathiana - chiton
- Tonicella lineata - lined chiton
- Acmaea mitra
- Lottia asmi - on turban snails
- Lottia austrodigitalis
- Lottia digitalis
- Lottia fenestrata
- Lottia gigantea - owl limpet
- Lottia incessa - on feather boa kelp
- Lottia instabilis
- Lottia limatula - file limpet
- Lottia paleacea - on surf grass
- Lottia paradigitalis
- Lottia pelta - one of the most variable limpet spp. (more info.)
- Lottia persona
- Lottia scabra
- Lottia scutum
Crustaceans - crabs, shrimp, isopods, amphipods
- Romaleon antennarium
- Cirolana harfordi - isopod
- Hemigrapsus nudus - purple shore crab
- Ligia occidentalis - isopod
- Pachygrapsus crassipes - lined shore crab
- Pagurus granosimanus - hermit crab
- Pagurus samuelis - hermit crab
- Petrolisthes cinctipes - porcelain crab
- Pleuroncodes planipe - pelagic red crab (stranded during El Niño)
Barnacles - sessile crustaceans
- Balanus glandula
- Chthamalus spp.
- Megabalanus californicus
- Semibalanus cariosus
- Pollicipes polymerus - gooseneck barnacle
- Tetraclita rubescens
Other Phyla - sponges, worms, etc.
- Haliclona - purple sponge
- Oscarella carmela - aspiculate sponge
- Notocomplana acticola - polyclad flatworm
- Pseudoalloioplana californica - brown polyclad flatworm
- Dodecaceria fewkesi - tube worm
- Nereis grubei - segmented polychaete worm
- Phragmatopoma californica - sand tube worm
- Phascolosoma agassizii - peanut worm
- Chondracanthus canaliculatus
- Corallina spp.
- Endocladia muricata
- Gastroclonium subarticulatum
- Gelidium coulteri
- Gelidium robustum
- Mastocarpus jardinii
- Mastocarpus papillatus (incl. "Petrocelis")
- Mazzaella affinis
- Mazzaella flaccida
- Mazzaella leptorhynchos
- Mazzaella splendens
- Pikea californica
- Porphyra perforata
- Prionitis lanceolata
- Rhodymenia pacifica
- Sarcodiotheca gaudichaudii
Ochrophyta, Phaeophyceae - brown seaweeds
- Alaria marginata
- Costaria costata
- Egregia menziesii - feather boa kelp
- Fucus gardneri - rock weed
- Hesperophycus californicus
- Laminaria setchellii
- Postelsia palmaeformis - sea palm
- Silvetia compressa
- Cladophora columbiana
- Codium fragile - dead man's fingers
- Ulva spp. - sea lettuce
- Phyllospadix scouleri - surf grass
- Zostera marina - eel grass