Description of biotope or habitat type
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Hesionura elongata and Microphthalmus similis with other interstitial polychaetes in infralittoral mobile coarse sand
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Full (30-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | Exposed, Moderately exposed, Sheltered |
| Tidal streams | Strong (3-6 kn), Moderately strong (1-3 kn), Weak (>1 kn) |
| Substratum | Medium to very coarse sand |
| Zone | Infralittoral |
| Depth Band | 5-10 m, 10-20 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
On infralittoral sandbanks and sand waves and other areas of mobile medium-coarse sand, populations of interstitial polychaetes may be found. These habitats consist of loosely packed grains of sand forming waves up to several metres high often with gravel, or occasionally silt, in the troughs of the waves. This biotope is commonly found both inshore along the east coast of the UK e.g. around the Race Bank, Docking Shoal and Inner Dowsing banks, and in the Southern Bight of the North Sea and off the Belgian coast (Degraer et al. 1999; Vanosmael et al. 1982). These habitats support interstitial communities living in the spaces between the grains of sand, in particular hesionurid polychaetes such as Hesionura elongata and Microphthalmus similis, along with protodrilid polychaetes such as Protodrilus spp. and Protodriloides spp. Other important species may include Turbellaria spp. and larger deposit feeding polychaetes such as Travisia forbesii. An important feature of this biotope which is not reflected in much of the available data is the importance of the meiofaunal population which may exceed the macrofaunal population both in terms of abundance and biomass (Willems et al. 1982). Variants of the biotope may occur in coarse and mixed sediment. This variant may lack Hesionura elongata but still contain a variety of interstitial polychaetes and a greater variety of other taxa, in lower numbers. Encrusting forms of fauna may be present, indicative of the coarser material present.
Situation
This biotope is commonly found both in shore adjacent to the coast, and further away from the coast.
Temporal variation
No temporal data available.
Characterising species
| Taxon | Relative importance of taxon for defining this community (%) | % of core records where taxon was recorded | Relative frequency % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nemertea | 18 | 1-20% | 10.5 |
| Turbellaria | 15 | 1-20% | 7 |
| Hesionura elongata | 14 | 21-40% | 24.3 |
| Protodriloides chaetifer | 11 | 1-20% | 6.9 |
| Nephtys cirrosa | 5 | 1-20% | 1.5 |
| Pisione remota | 4 | 1-20% | 1.6 |
| Protodrilus | 3 | 1-20% | 1.1 |
| Grania | 3 | 1-20% | 2.2 |
| Glycera oxycephala | 3 | 1-20% | 0.6 |
| Crisia denticulata | 3 | 1-20% | 0.4 |
| Enchytraeidae | 2 | 1-20% | 0.6 |
| Gastrosaccus spinifer | 2 | 1-20% | 0.5 |
| Streptosyllis bidentata | 2 | 1-20% | 2.5 |
| Microphthalmus | 1 | 1-20% | 0.3 |
| Paradoneis armata | 1 | 1-20% | 0.5 |
| Platyhelminthes | 1 | 1-20% | 1 |
| Flustra foliacea | 1 | 1-20% | 0.3 |
| Glycera lapidum | 1 | 1-20% | 0.7 |
| Streptosyllis websteri | 1 | 1-20% | 0.5 |
| Asbjornsenia pygmaea | 1 | 1-20% | 1.3 |
| Dorvilleidae | 1 | 1-20% | 0.3 |
Similar biotopes or habitat types
SS.SSa.IFiSa.IMoSa
More mobile and found on finer sediments than SS.SCS.ICS.HeloMsim. More faunally impoverished as a result of this mobility.
SS.SSa.IFiSa.NcirBat
SS.SSa.IFiSa.NcirBat is found in finer sediments with a higher proportion of amphipod and isopod crustaceans.
SS.SCS.ICS.Glap
SS.SCS.ICS.Glap has a gravel fraction and is more faunally impoverished.
SS.SCS.CCS.Pkef
SS.SCS.CCS.Pkef has a more varied sediment composition with a higher fine sand or silt fraction and high prevalence of Protodorvillea kefersteini.Classification history of this biotope or habitat type
| Classification version | Code | Habitat name |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 (15.03) | SS.SCS.ICS.HeloMsim | Hesionura elongata and Microphthalmus similis with other interstitial polychaetes in infralittoral mobile coarse sand |
| 2004 (04.05) | SS.SCS.ICS.HeloMsim | Hesionura elongata and Microphthalmus similis with other interstitial polychaetes in infralittoral mobile coarse sand |