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.
- 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 |