Petersburg  

Mitkof Island, Alaska

Site Description:       

Petersburg is on the north end of Mitkof Island where the Wrangell Narrows meets Frederick Sound.  The town center faces the Wrangell Narrows and accessible beachfront runs along the entire town.  It is a mostly cobble/rock beach with some boulders, much of it strewn with kelp.  There are also sections of mudstone and small pockets of sand.  Under the piers in town are very large beds of tubeworms.  The northeast side of Petersburg and the island faces Frederick Sound.  Here you'll find Sandy Beach, an expansive sand flat facing the Sound.  It is bordered on both sides by boulders.   Our list covers locations across the entire tip of the island as it is essentially one continuous beach.  Some species are more common at some spots than others but as the sites are so near each other, we're treating it as all one location.
 

Google Map


                                     
 In town under a pier


                         
Hungry Point at the north tip of the island


                                           
Sandy Beach

Species List:

     Following is a list of mollusk species observed at this location by members and associates of the club.  This is by no means a complete list of the species which may occur at this site.  Revisions and additions to the data are made as we acquire new information.   When a site contains more than one very distinctive type of habitat or if multiple sites were included in a single location, then a species list for each is included.
    We indicate frequency of occurrence based on our observations.  This is an indicator of how likely it is that you may be able to find this species yourself and is not a formal population survey.  

     Frequency Code:  (Based on the assumption that you are looking in the appropriate location where the species
                                          likes to live - on rocks, in sand, etc.  
Some populations fluctuate seasonally.  Ours are based
                                          on the spring/summer seasons.
)
     [4] - Rare - very difficult to find, maybe only a couple found after repeated visits to the site
     [3] - Uncommon - difficult to find, may not see on every trip but dedicated searching may turn up a few
     [2] - Common - easy to find, should locate a number of them on any given day
     [1] - Abundant - very easy to find, large numbers should be seen on every trip

Data is all intertidal unless noted.

     Bivalves
Astarte sp.  [3]
Chlamys rubida  [4]  
Clinocardium nuttallii  [3]
Entodesma navicula  [3]
Hiatella arctica  [2]  
Leukoma staminea  [2]  
Lucinoma annulata  [4]
Macoma balthica  [1]
Macoma golikovi  [2]
Macoma inquinata  [3]
Macoma nasuta  [4]
Mactromeris polynyma  [3]
Magallana gigas  [3]
Modiolus modiolus  [2]
Mya arenaria  [3]
Mya truncata  [2]
Mytilus trossulus  [1]
Nutricola lordi  [4]
Panomya ampla  [4]
Pododesmus macrochisma  [4]
Saxidomus gigantea  [2]
Serripes laperousii  [4]
Tresus capax  [3]
Zirfaea pilsbryi  [3]
 
     Gastropods
Aartsenia satura  [4]
Amphissa columbiana  [2]

Bittium vancouverense  [4]
Buccinum baeri  [3]

Buccinum glaciale  [4]
Buccinum plectrum  [4]

Crepidula nummaria  [3]
Cryptonatica affinis  [4]
Cryptonatica aleutica  [3]
Fissurellidea bimaculata  [4]
Fusitriton oregonensis  [4]
Lacuna vincta  [2]
Lepeta concentrica  [3]
Lirobittium attenuatum  [4]
Littorina sitkana  [1]

Lottia pelta  [1]
Lottia persona  [2]
Lottia scutum  [2]
Margarites beringensis  [3]
Margarites helicinus  [2]
Margarites pupillus  [1]
Neadmete modesta  [4]
Neptunea lyrata  [3]
Neptunea pribiloffensis  [4]
Nucella canaliculata  [1]
Nucella lamellosa  [2]
Nucella lima  [2}
Nucella ostrina  [4]

Odostomia sp.  [4]
Oenopota tabulata  [4]
Scabrotrophon maltzani  [4]
Scabrotrophon stuarti  [4]
Trichotropis cancellata  [3]
Trophon sp.  [4]
Velutina sp.  [4]
Vitreolina columbiana  [3]
Volutharpa ampullacea  [3]

     Nudibranchs/Sea slugs
Coryphella verrucosa  [4]
Diaulula odonoghuei  [4]
Haminoea vesicula  [4]
Onchidella carpenteri  [4]
Triopha catalinae  [4]

     Chitons
Cryptochiton stelleri  [4]
Cyanoplax dentiens  [4]
Katharina tunicata  [3]

Leptochiton cf. rugatus  [4]
Mopalia hindsii  [4]
Mopalia kennerleyi  [3]
Tonicella lineata  [2]    
Tonicella rubra  [4]



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This page last revised: 7-2-2024