Description of biotope or habitat type
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Protodorvillea kefersteini and other polychaetes in impoverished circalittoral mixed gravelly sand
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Full (30-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | Exposed, Moderately exposed |
| Tidal streams | |
| Substratum | Medium to coarse sand with some gravel or shell, and a fine sand or mud fraction |
| Zone | Infralittoral |
| Depth Band | 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
In coarse gravelly or shelly sand sometimes with a slight mud content, along open coasts in depths of 10 to 30 m, and in shallower offshore areas, an impoverished community characterised by Protodorvillea kefersteini may be found. This biotope has a number of other species associated with it including Nemertea spp., Chaetozone zetlandica, Prionospio cirrifera, Glycera lapidum, Ampelisca spinipes and numerous other polychaete species all occurring at low abundances. The polychaete Sabellaria spinulosa can also be found in low numbers in this biotope.
Situation
This biotope has been reported in the North Sea along the Norfolk/Lincolnshire coast located in and around marine aggregate dredging areas.
Temporal variation
This biotope may be quite variable both spatially and temporally in terms community structure and also sediment type which is often borderline between the SCS complex and the SMx complex.
Characterising species
| Taxon | Relative importance of taxon for defining this community (%) | Typical abundance - SACFOR scale | Typical abundance - (count per m2) | % of core records where taxon was recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protodorvillea kefersteini | 17 | 33 | 61-80% | |
| Nemertea | 14 | Common | 23 | 61-80% |
| Chaetozone zetlandica | 12 | 26 | 61-80% | |
| Prionospio cirrifera | 7 | 15 | 41-60% | |
| Ampelisca spinifer | 7 | 37 | 41-60% | |
| Exogone verugera | 6 | Frequent | 17 | 21-40% |
| Glycera lapidum | 6 | 11 | 41-60% | |
| Pholoe inornata | 5 | 12 | 41-60% | |
| Eunereis longissima | 3 | 9 | 41-60% | |
| Sabellaria spinulosa | 3 | 6 | 41-60% | |
| Nematoda | 2 | 11 | 21-40% | |
| Brachyura | 2 | 6 | 21-40% | |
| Hesionura elongata | 2 | 8 | 21-40% | |
| Scoloplos armiger | 2 | 10 | 21-40% | |
| Seraphsidae | 2 | 7 | 21-40% | |
| Notomastus latericeus | 1 | Frequent | 7 | 21-40% |
Similar biotopes or habitat types
SS.SCS.CCS.MedLumVen
SS.SCS.CCS.MedLumVen is more diverse than the current biotope and it is possible that SS.SCS.CCS.Pkef is a disturbed or transitional variant of the SS.SCS.CCS.MedLumVen due to dredging activities or storm events.
SS.SBR.PoR.SspiMx
As for SS.SCS.CCS.MedLumVen.
SS.SCS.OCS.HeloPkef
A deep water variant of SS.SCS.CCS.Pkef.
SS.SMx.OMx.PoVen
SS.SMx.OMx.PoVen is an offshore version of SS.SCS.CCS.Pkef.Classification history of this biotope or habitat type
| Classification version | Code | Habitat name |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 (15.03) | SS.SCS.CCS.Pkef | Protodorvillea kefersteini and other polychaetes in impoverished circalittoral mixed gravelly sand |
| 2004 (04.05) | SS.SCS.CCS.Pkef | Protodorvillea kefersteini and other polychaetes in impoverished circalittoral mixed gravelly sand |