Description of biotope or habitat type
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Neopentadactyla mixta in circalittoral shell gravel or coarse sand
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Full (30-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | Exposed, Moderately exposed |
| Tidal streams | Moderately strong (1-3 kn), Weak (>1 kn), Very weak (negligible) |
| Substratum | Clean shell and stone gravel; very coarse sand with a finer sand fraction |
| Zone | Infralittoral - lower, Circalittoral |
| Depth Band | 10-20 m, 20-30 m, 30-50 m |
| Other Features |
Biotope origin
| Derived using data from | Video/still |
| 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
Sublittoral plains of clean, shell, maerl and / or stone gravels or sometimes coarse sands, with frequent Neopentadactyla mixta. Pecten maximus may occur occasionally along with Lanice conchilega. Other epifaunal species may include Ophiura albida, Pagurus spp. and Callionymus spp. These sediments may be thrown into dunes by wave action or tidal streams. Widespread species such as Cerianthus lloydii and Chaetopterus variopedatus are present in many examples of this biotope. Scarcely recorded species such as Molgula oculata, Ophiopsila annulosa and Amphiura securigera may also be found. O. annulosa only occurs in records from the south-west of the British Isles. It should be noted that Neopentadactyla may exhibit periodicity in its projection out of, and retraction into, the sediment (Picton 1993). This biotope may be an epibiotic overlay of the biotope SS.SCS.CCS.MedLumVen.
Situation
This biotope may occur adjacent to maerl beds and to some extent in the lower infralittoral where some seaweeds may occur in low abundances.
Temporal variation
No temporal data available.
Characterising species
| Taxon | Relative importance of taxon for defining this community (%) | Typical abundance - SACFOR scale | % of core records where taxon was recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neopentadactyla mixta | 50 | Frequent | 81-100% |
| Ophiura albida | 8 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Asterias rubens | 5 | Occasional | 41-60% |
| Lanice conchilega | 5 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Pecten maximus | 5 | Occasional | 41-60% |
| Callionymus lyra | 3 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Pagurus bernhardus | 3 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Cerianthus lloydii | 2 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Chaetopterus variopedatus | 2 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Nemertesia antennina | 2 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Adamsia palliata | 1 | Rare | 21-40% |
| Callionymus reticulatus | 1 | Occasional | 1-20% |
| Echinus esculentus | 1 | Occasional | 21-40% |
Similar biotopes or habitat types
SS.SMp.Mrl.Pcal
SS.SCS.CCS.Nmix may occur in circalittoral dead maerl plains, often adjacent to maerl beds.Classification history of this biotope or habitat type
| Classification version | Code | Habitat name |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 (15.03) | SS.SCS.CCS.Nmix | Neopentadactyla mixta in circalittoral shell gravel or coarse sand |
| 2004 (04.05) | SS.SCS.CCS.Nmix | Neopentadactyla mixta in circalittoral shell gravel or coarse sand |
| 1997 (97.06) | SS.CGS.Ven.Neo | Neopentadactyla mixta and venerid bivalves in circalittoral shell gravel or coarse sand |
| 1996 (6.95) | CGS.NeoBv |