Description of biotope or habitat type
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Echinocyamus pusillus, Ophelia borealis and Abra prismatica in circalittoral fine sand
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Full (30-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | |
| Tidal streams | |
| Substratum | Medium to fine sand |
| Zone | Circalittoral |
| Depth Band | |
| Other Features |
Biotope origin
| Derived using data from | Grab |
| Faunal group | Epifauna/Infauna |
Download comparative physical and biological data. The comparative tables enable a rapid comparison of the species composition and principal physical characteristics between a given set of biotopes.
- Records used to define the biotope (core records)
- Other records assigned to this biotope, marked as 'certain'
- Other records assigned to this biotope, marked as 'uncertain'
- Predicted extent of the level 3 (for sublittoral rock & deep sea) or 4 (for sublittoral sediment) habitat
Point data based on records in the UK Marine Recorder Snapshot. Predicted habitat extent is from UKSeaMap.
Description
Circalittoral and offshore medium to fine sand (from 40 m to 140 m) characterised by the pea urchin Echinocyamus pusillus, the polychaete Ophelia borealis and the bivalve Abra prismatica. Other species may include the polychaetes Spiophanes bombyx, Pholoe sp., Exogone spp., Sphaerosyllis bulbosa, Goniada maculata, Chaetozone setosa, Owenia fusiformis, Glycera lapidum, Lumbrineris latreilli and Aricidea cerrutii. The bivalves Thracia phaseolina and Asbjornsenia pygmaea and to a lesser extent Spisula elliptica and Timoclea ovata may also be present. This biotope has been found in the central and northern North Sea. In offshore sandier or gravelly sand sediments in the Western Channel and Celitc sea, the biotope may support species indicative of sandy, muddy and mixed sediment. This variant shares the characteristic fauna of Echinocyamus pusillus amongst others, but also supports a wider variety of polychaete worms such as Spiophanes kroyeri, Magelona sp. and Tharyx killariensis, and may represent the transition to the biotope SS.SCS.CCS.Blan.
Situation
No situation data available.
Temporal variation
No temporal data available.
Characterising species
| Taxon | Relative importance of taxon for defining this community (%) | % of core records where taxon was recorded | Relative frequency % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Echinocyamus pusillus | 9 | 1-20% | 3.1 |
| Spiophanes bombyx | 8 | 1-20% | 1.2 |
| Abra prismatica | 7 | 1-20% | 2.8 |
| Nemertea | 6 | 1-20% | 1.2 |
| Owenia fusiformis | 4 | 1-20% | 5 |
| Glycera lapidum | 4 | 1-20% | 0.7 |
| Sthenelais limicola | 4 | 1-20% | 0.4 |
| Phoronis | 3 | 1-20% | 1.5 |
| Aonides paucibranchiata | 3 | 1-20% | 1.5 |
| Scoloplos armiger | 3 | 1-20% | 0.8 |
| Nephtys cirrosa | 3 | 1-20% | 0.6 |
| Ophelia borealis | 3 | 1-20% | 0.5 |
| Aglaophamus agilis | 3 | 1-20% | 0.5 |
| Centraloecetes kroyeranus | 2 | 1-20% | 1.1 |
| Phaxas pellucidus | 2 | 1-20% | 0.8 |
| Aponuphis bilineata | 2 | 1-20% | 0.5 |
| Euspira nitida | 2 | 1-20% | 0.3 |
| Amphiura filiformis | 1 | 1-20% | 4.2 |
| Timoclea ovata | 1 | 1-20% | 2.1 |
| Kurtiella bidentata | 1 | 1-20% | 2.1 |
| Spiophanes kroyeri | 1 | 1-20% | 1.2 |
| Cochlodesma praetenue | 1 | 1-20% | 1 |
| Urothoe elegans | 1 | 1-20% | 1 |
| Polycirrus | 1 | 1-20% | 0.7 |
| Edwardsia claparedii | 1 | 1-20% | 0.5 |
| Spio filicornis | 1 | 1-20% | 0.5 |
| Asbjornsenia pygmaea | 1 | 1-20% | 0.4 |
| Hilbigneris gracilis | 1 | 1-20% | 0.3 |
| Poecilochaetus serpens | 1 | 1-20% | 0.3 |
| Mediomastus fragilis | 1 | 1-20% | 0.3 |
| Lanice conchilega | 1 | 1-20% | 0.3 |
| Echinocardium flavescens | 1 | 1-20% | 0.3 |
| Copepoda | 1 | 1-20% | 0.2 |
| Peresiella clymenoides | 1 | 1-20% | 0.2 |
| Venus casina | 1 | 1-20% | 0.2 |
| Bathyporeia elegans | 1 | 1-20% | 0.2 |
Similar biotopes or habitat types
SS.SCS.CCS.MedLumVen
This biotope is similar to SS.SCS.CCS.MedLumVen but it occurs in finer sediments with a lower proportion of venerid bivalves.Classification history of this biotope or habitat type
| Classification version | Code | Habitat name |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 (15.03) | SS.SSa.CFiSa.EpusOborApri | Echinocyamus pusillus, Ophelia borealis and Abra prismatica in circalittoral fine sand |
| 2004 (04.05) | SS.SSa.CFiSa.EpusOborApri | Echinocyamus pusillus, Ophelia borealis and Abra prismatica in circalittoral fine sand |