IMIS

Records of the occurrences of marine and estuarine sponges, bryozoans and ascideans on the coast of Maine have been compiled from the historic literature spanning the time frame of 1843 to 1980. These records variously include information on location, abundance, depth and habitat notes. Also available in many cases are common synonymies and scientific author. Sources include the primary literature, scientific and technical reports and unpublished records and field notes of marine researchers. The taxonomy of the species has been verified on the website WoRMS and by taxonomic experts. A few records need further investigation. These data have been georeferenced and entered into the OBIS database providing world-wide access and various search capabilities. Purpose:

The purpose of this exercise is to provide a searchable database for researchers and managers wishing to investigate patterns of distribution of native and invasive species in both time and space along the coast of Maine.

OBIS Schema concepts present in this database (or soon to be included) are: Valid scientific name, higher taxa, scientific author, locality of occurrence, latitude and longitude, field notes and common synonyms. Total Distribution Records: 623 Total Number of Taxa: 205