Wetland Species

Here are species common to Southern California salt marshes, you might see them on a walk around the Los Cerritos Wetlands (LCW). We've seen quite a few in the LCW, and we have marked those with an asterisk (*)

You can find the birds of the wetlands here.

Invertebrates

Polychaete Worms

• Fire Worm - Nephtys caecoides
• Spinoid Worms - Polydora sp. several genera; all morphologically similar
• Inn-Keeper Worm - Urechis caupo

Crustaceans

• Striped Shore Crab - Pachygrapsus crassipes
• Yellow Shore Crab - Hemigrapsus oregonensis
• Purple Shore Crab - Hemigrapsus nudus
• Fiddler Crab - Uca crenulata
• Red Ghost Shrimp - Callianassa californiensis

Gastropods

• Striped Sea Hare - Navanax inermis
• Sea Hare - Aplysia californica
• Cloudy Bubble Snail - Bulla gouldiana
• California Horn Snail - Cerithidea californica

Bivalves

• Common Littleneck Clam - Protothaca staminea
• California Jackknife Clam - Crytomya californica or Tagelus californianus
• Razor Clam - Solen rosaceus
• Bent Nose Clam - Macoma nasuta
• Purple Clams - Sanquinolaria nuttalli

Cephalapods

• Two Spotted Octopus - Octopus bimaculoides

Insects and Arachnids

• Sea Spider - Class PYCNOGONIDAE Ammothella biunguiculata var. californica
• Wandering Skipper - Panoquina errans
• Pygmy Blue - Brephidium exilis
• Mudflat Tiger Beetle - Cicindela trifasciata sigmoidea
• Gabb's Tiger Beetle - Cicindela gabbi
• Rove Beetles - Bledius spp.
• Saldid Bug - Pentacora signoreti

Fishes

• Bay Pipe Fish - Syngnathus griseolineatus
• Staghorn Sculpin - Leptocottus armatus
• Arrow Gobi - Clevelandia ios
• Longjaw Mudsucker - Gillichthys mirabilis
• Yellow-Finned Gobi
• Diamond Turbot - Hypsopsetta guttulata
• California Halibut - Paralichthys californicus
• Stripped Mullet - Mugil cephalus
• California Killifish - Fundulus parvipinnis
• Topsmelt - Atherinops affinis
• Round Sting Ray - Urobatis haleri
• Gray Smoothhound Shark - Mustelus californicus

Mammals

• Coyote - Canis latrans
• Western Harvest Mouse - Reithrodontomys megalotis limicola
• California Ground Squirrel - Citellus beecheyii beecheyii
• Harbor Seal - Phoca vitulina
• Bobcat - Lynx rufus

Reptiles

• Gopher Snake - Pituophis melanoleucus
• King Snake - Lampropeltis getula californiae
• Western Fence Lizard - Sceloporus occidentalis
• Side Blotched Lizard - Uta stansburiano
• Southern Alligator Lizard - Gerrhonotus multicarinatus

Plants

Lower Zone

• Cordgrass - Spartina foliosa*

Middle Zone

• Salt Wort or Turtleweed - Batis maritima*
• Annual Pickleweed - Salicornia bigelovii*
• Pickle Weed - Salicornia virginica*
• Fleshy Jaumea or Marsh Jaumea - Jaumea carnosa*
• Sea-blite - Suaeda esteroa*
• California Sea-blite - Suaeda californica
• Horned Sea-blite - Sueada calceoliformis
• Arrow Grass - Triglochin concina
• Salt Marsh Dodder - Cuscuta salina*
• Alkali Heath - Frankenia salina*
• Marsh Rosemary/Sea Lavendar - Limonium californicum

Upper Zone

• Salt Grass - Distichlis spicata
• Salt Marsh Bird's Beak - Cordylanthus maritimus
• Watson's Salt Bush - Atriplex watsonii
• Alkali Weed - Cressa truxillensis*
• Shore Grass - Monanthochloe littoralis*
• Glass Wort - Salicornia subterminalis*
• Pearly Everlasting - Anaphahis spp.*
• Canadian horsetail - Conyza canadensis*
• Bed Straw - Galium angustifolium*

Upland Transition Zone

• Palmers Frankenia - Frankenia palmerii
• Wholly Sea-blite - Sueada taxifolia
• Boxthorn or California desert-thorn - Lycium californicum*
• Golden Bush - Isocoma menziesii*
• Sandspurry - Spergularia marina*
• Cockelbur - Xanthium strumarium*

Freshwater Transition

• Spiny Rush - Juncus acutus
• Cattails - Typha spp.*
• Bulrush / Tule Grass - Scirpus spp.*

Non-Native / Invasive Plants

You shouldn't see these in the wetlands, but you might...
(This list of from the 2008 ES&P Biology Team - you can find our more about what the ES&P teams and other researchers have found, here.)

• Australian Saltbush - Atriplex semibaccata*
• Black Mustard - Brassica nigra*
• Cheeseweed - Malva parviflorum*
• Crystal Iceplant - Mesymbryanthemum crystallimum*
• European Sicklegrass - Parapholis incurva*
• Framer's Foxtail - Hordeum vulgare*
• Italian Ryegrass - Lolium multiflorum*
• Little Iceplant - Mesymbryanthemum nodiflorum*
• Milk Thistle - Silybum marianum*
• Nightshade - Solanumsp.*
• Plaintain - Plantago spp.*
• Rabbitfoot Beardgrass - Polypogon monspeliensis*
• Red Brome - Bromus madritensis*
• Redstem Stork's Bill - Erodium cicutarium*
• Ripgut Grass - Bromus diandrus*
• Russian Thistle - Salsola tragus*
• Short Pod Mustard - Sisymbrium sp.*
• Smotherweed - Bassia hyssopifolia*
• Sow Thistle - Sonchus oleraceus*
• Sweetclover - Melilotus indica*
• Tocalote - Centaurea melitensis*
• White Sweetclover - Melilotus alba*
• Wild Radish - Raphanus sativa*