Description of biotope or habitat type
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Seapens, including Funiculina quadrangularis, and burrowing megafauna in undisturbed circalittoral fine mud
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Full (30-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | Sheltered, Very sheltered, Extremely sheltered |
| Tidal streams | Weak (>1 kn), Very weak (negligible) |
| Substratum | Mud |
| Zone | Circalittoral |
| Depth Band | 10-20 m, 20-30 m, 30-50 m |
| Other Features |
Biotope origin
| Derived using data from | Various |
| 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
Deep muds, especially in sea lochs, support forests of the nationally scarce Funiculina quadrangularis, in addition to populations of the seapens Virgularia mirabilis and Pennatula phosphorea. The sediment is usually extensively burrowed by crustaceans, the most common of which is Nephrops norvegicus, but Calocaris macandreae and Callianassa subterranea may also be present (the latter is likely to be under-recorded by grab sampling because it is deep burrowing). The burrowing anemone Cerianthus lloydii is present in low numbers in this biotope and the rare anemone Pachycerianthus multiplicatus may also be found occasionally. Amphiura spp. are also often present in high densities. This biotope is closely related to the biotope SS.SMu.CFiMu.SpnMeg.
Situation
No situation data available.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funiculina quadrangularis | 23 | Frequent | 81-100% |
| Pennatula phosphorea | 14 | Frequent | 61-80% |
| Nephrops norvegicus | 13 | Frequent | 61-80% |
| Virgularia mirabilis | 10 | Occasional | 61-80% |
| Cerianthus lloydii | 8 | Occasional | 61-80% |
| Asterias rubens | 6 | Occasional | 41-60% |
| Amphiura filiformis | 3 | Abundant | 21-40% |
| Liocarcinus depurator | 3 | Occasional | 41-60% |
| Pagurus bernhardus | 3 | Occasional | 41-60% |
| Turritellinella tricarinata | 3 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Munida rugosa | 2 | Occasional | 41-60% |
| Aequipecten opercularis | 1 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Seraphsidae | 1 | Occasional | 21-40% |
Similar biotopes or habitat types
SS.SMu.CFiMu.SpnMeg
This biotope is distinguished from SS.SMu.CFiMu.SpnMeg by the presence of the nationally scarce seapen Funiculina quadrangularis.Classification history of this biotope or habitat type
| Classification version | Code | Habitat name |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 (15.03) | SS.SMu.CFiMu.SpnMeg.Fun | Seapens, including Funiculina quadrangularis, and burrowing megafauna in undisturbed circalittoral fine mud |
| 2004 (04.05) | SS.SMu.CFiMu.SpnMeg.Fun | Seapens, including Funiculina quadrangularis, and burrowing megafauna in undisturbed circalittoral fine mud |
| 1997 (97.06) | SS.CMU.SpMeg.Fun | Seapens, including Funiculina quadrangularis, and burrowing megafauna in undisturbed circalittoral soft mud |