Description of biotope or habitat type
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Crepidula fornicata with ascidians and anemones on infralittoral coarse mixed sediment
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Full (30-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | Moderately exposed |
| Tidal streams | Moderately strong (1-3 kn) |
| Substratum | Medium-coarse sands with gravel, shell, pebbles and cobbles |
| Zone | Circalittoral |
| Depth Band | 0-5 m, 5-10 m, 10-20 m |
| Other Features |
Biotope origin
| Derived using data from | Various |
| Faunal group | Epifauna |
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
Medium-coarse sands with gravel, shells, pebbles and cobbles on moderately exposed coasts may support populations of the slipper limpet Crepidula fornicata with ascidians and anemones. C. fornicata is common in this biotope though not as abundant as in the muddier estuarine biotope SS.SMx.SMxVS.CreMed to which this is related. Anemones such as Urticina felina and Alcyonium digitatum and ascidians such as Styela clava are typically found in this biotope. Bryozoans such as Flustra foliacea are also found along with polychaetes such as Lanice conchilega. Little information is available with regard to the infauna of this biotope but given the nature of the sediment the infaunal communities are liable to resemble those in biotopes from the SS.SCS habitat complex. As with SS.SMx.CMx.FluHyd this biotope could be considered a superficial or epibiotic overlay but more data is required to support this.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crepidula fornicata | 47 | Common | 81-100% |
| Paguridae | 8 | Frequent | 41-60% |
| Styela clava | 6 | Occasional | 41-60% |
| Urticina felina | 5 | Occasional | 41-60% |
| Alcyonium digitatum | 3 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Flustra foliacea | 3 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Lanice conchilega | 3 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Calliostoma zizyphinum | 2 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Maja squinado | 2 | Rare | 21-40% |
| Hydrozoa | 1 | 21-40% | |
| Anemonia viridis | 1 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Buccinum undatum | 1 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Foliose red algae | 1 | 21-40% | |
| Spirobranchus | 1 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Ostrea edulis | 1 | Rare | 21-40% |
| Pomatoschistus | 1 | Occasional | 21-40% |
Similar biotopes or habitat types
SS.SMx.SMxVS.CreMed
SS.SMx.SMxVS.CreMed is found in less exposed marine areas, in particular estuaries, with a lower silt content and variable salinity.
SS.SMx.CMx.FluHyd
SS.SMx.CMx.FluHyd is found in deeper water in slightly more exposed areas with a higher proportion of cobbles and pebbles and in slightly stronger currents.Classification history of this biotope or habitat type
| Classification version | Code | Habitat name |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 (15.03) | SS.SMx.IMx.CreAsAn | Crepidula fornicata with ascidians and anemones on infralittoral coarse mixed sediment |
| 2004 (04.05) | SS.SMx.IMx.CreAsAn | Crepidula fornicata with ascidians and anemones on infralittoral coarse mixed sediment |
| 1997 (97.06) | LS.LMU.SMu.HedMac (part) | Hediste diversicolor and Macoma balthica in sandy mud shores |
| 1997 (97.06) | SS.IMX.EstMx.CreAph (part) | Crepidula fornicata and Aphelochaeta marioni in variable salinity infralittoral mixed sediment |