Description of biotope or habitat type
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Cerianthus lloydii and other burrowing anemones in circalittoral muddy mixed sediment
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Full (30-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | Exposed, Moderately exposed, Sheltered, Very sheltered |
| Tidal streams | Moderately strong (1-3 kn), Weak (>1 kn), Very weak (negligible) |
| Substratum | Sandy muddy gravel |
| Zone | Circalittoral, Infralittoral |
| Depth Band | 5-10 m, 10-20 m, 20-30 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
Circalittoral plains of sandy muddy gravel may be characterised by burrowing anemones such as Cerianthus lloydii. Other burrowing anemones such as Cereus pedunculatus, Mesacmaea mitchellii and Aureliania heterocera may be locally abundant. Relatively few conspicuous species are found in any great number in this biotope but typically they include ubiquitous epifauna such as Asterias rubens, Pagurus bernhardus and Liocarcinus depurator with occasional terebellid polychaetes such as Lanice conchilega and also the clam Pecten maximus. Ophiura albida may be frequent in some areas, and where surface shell or stones are present ascidians such as Ascidiella aspersa may occur in low numbers.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerianthus lloydii | 59 | Frequent | 81-100% |
| Asterias rubens | 8 | Occasional | 41-60% |
| Pagurus bernhardus | 5 | Occasional | 41-60% |
| Liocarcinus depurator | 4 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Lanice conchilega | 3 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Pecten maximus | 2 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Ascidiella aspersa | 1 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Callionymus lyra | 1 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Ophiura albida | 1 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Seraphsidae | 1 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Urticina felina | 1 | Occasional | 1-20% |
Similar biotopes or habitat types
SS.SMx.CMx.ClloModHo
The current biotope is closely related to SS.SMx.CMx.ClloModHo but lacks Modiolus and holothurians.
SS.SMx.CMx.ClloMx.Nem
In areas of similar sediment but with a higher proportion of surface pebbles, cobbles and shells SS.SMx.CMx.ClloMx is replaced by SS.SMx.CMx.ClloMx.Nem.Classification history of this biotope or habitat type
| Classification version | Code | Habitat name |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 (15.03) | SS.SMx.CMx.ClloMx | Cerianthus lloydii and other burrowing anemones in circalittoral muddy mixed sediment |
| 2004 (04.05) | SS.SMx.CMx.ClloMx | Cerianthus lloydii and other burrowing anemones in circalittoral muddy mixed sediment |
| 1997 (97.06) | SS.IMX.FaMx.An | Burrowing anemones in sublittoral muddy gravel |