Description of biotope or habitat type
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Infralittoral coarse sediment
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), Very weak (negligible) |
| Substratum | Sand with gravel, pebbles and/or shingle |
| Zone | Infralittoral |
| Depth Band | 0-5 m, 5-10 m, 10-20 m |
| Other Features | Mobile substrata |
Biotope origin
| Derived using data from | Various |
| Faunal group | Epifauna/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
Moderately exposed habitats with coarse sand, gravelly sand, shingle and gravel in the infralittoral, are subject to disturbance by tidal steams and wave action. Such habitats found on the open coast or in tide-swept marine inlets are characterised by a robust fauna of infaunal polychaetes such as Chaetozone setosa and Lanice conchilega, cumaceans such as Iphinoe trispinosa and Diastylis bradyi, and venerid bivalves.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lanice conchilega | 54 | Abundant | 81-100% |
| Diastylis bradyi | 11 | Common | 21-40% |
| Chaetozone setosa | 10 | Abundant | 41-60% |
| Lanice conchilega | 8 | Common | 41-60% |
| Pagurus bernhardus | 8 | Occasional | 41-60% |
| Glycera lapidum | 6 | Common | 21-40% |
| Nephtys cirrosa | 6 | 21-40% | |
| Asterias rubens | 5 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Iphinoe trispinosa | 5 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Spio martinensis | 5 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Phyllodoce maculata | 4 | 21-40% | |
| Scoloplos armiger | 4 | Abundant | 21-40% |
| Pomatoschistus minutus | 4 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Carcinus maenas | 3 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Eteone longa | 3 | 21-40% | |
| Liocarcinus depurator | 3 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Nemertea | 3 | Common | 21-40% |
| Spiophanes bombyx | 3 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Ensis ensis | 2 | Abundant | 21-40% |
| Nephtys hombergii | 2 | 21-40% | |
| Nucula nitidosa | 2 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Nematoda | 1 | 21-40% | |
| Abra alba | 1 | 21-40% | |
| Chorda filum | 1 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Echinocardium cordatum | 1 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Magelona mirabilis | 1 | Frequent | 1-20% |
| Mediomastus fragilis | 1 | 21-40% |
Similar biotopes or habitat types
Not applicable or unknown.
Classification history of this biotope or habitat type
| Classification version | Code | Habitat name |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 (15.03) | SS.SCS.ICS | Infralittoral coarse sediment |
| 2004 (04.05) | SS.SCS.ICS | Infralittoral coarse sediment |
| 1997 (97.06) | SS.IGS.FaG and parts of SS.IGS.FaS | Shallow gravel faunal communities and part of Shallow sand faunal communities |