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Marine Habitat Classification


Description of biotope or habitat type

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   Hesionura elongata and Protodorvillea kefersteini in offshore coarse sand


Physical habitat description

Salinity Full (30-35 ppt)
Wave exposure
Tidal streams
Substratum Coarse sand.
Zone Circalittoral
Depth Band
Other Features

Biotope origin

Derived using data from Van Veen Grab
Faunal group 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.

Distribution of habitat SS.SCS.OCS.HeloPkef <I>Hesionura elongata</I> and <I>Protodorvillea kefersteini</I> in offshore coarse sand

  • 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

Offshore (deep) circalittoral habitats with coarse sand may support populations of the interstitial polychaete Hesionura elongata with Protodorvillea kefersteini. Other notable species include the phyllodocid polychaete Protomystides limbata and the bivalve Asbjornsenia pygmaea. This biotope was reported in the offshore northern North Sea by Eleftheriou and Basford (1989). Relatively little data exists for this biotope.

Situation

No situation data available.

Temporal variation

No temporal data available.

Characterising species

Characterising species data not applicable.

Similar biotopes or habitat types

SS.SCS.ICS.HeloMsim
SS.SCS.OCS.HeloPkef occurs at greater depths than the shallow sandbank biotope and can be distinguished by the relative importance of the polychaete Microphthalmus similis in SS.SCS.ICS.HeloMsim.

SS.SCS.CCS.Pkef
SS.SCS.OCS.HeloPkef is possibly a deep water variant of this biotope and can be distinguished through the increased importance of the polychaete Hesionura elongata.

SS.SCS.ICS.MoeVen
SS.SCS.OCS.HeloPkef is possibly a deep water variant of this biotope where the dominance of Asbjornsenia pygmaea is reduced and replaced by and increase in importance of the polychaetes Hesionura elongata and Protodorvillea kefersteini.

Classification history of this biotope or habitat type

Classification version Code Habitat name
2015 (15.03) SS.SCS.OCS.HeloPkef Hesionura elongata and Protodorvillea kefersteini in offshore coarse sand
2004 (04.05) SS.SCS.OCS.HeloPkef Hesionura elongata and Protodorvillea kefersteini in offshore coarse sand

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