[Antedon] spp., solitary ascidians and fine hydroids on sheltered circalittoral rock
|
English name
|
[Antedon] spp., solitary ascidians and fine hydroids on sheltered circalittoral rock
|
|
|
EUNIS habitat type code
|
A4.313
|
Level
|
5
|
|
Edition
|
EUNIS Habitat Classification 2012 - a revision of the habitat classification descriptions.
|
Description ( English )
This biotope is typically found on silty boulder or rock slopes, in the sheltered parts of sealochs, subject to weak or very weak tidal currents. The seabed consists of smooth, silty bedrock or boulders, often as outcrops on mixed muddy sediment. There are often small vertical faces on the sides of rock ridges, and at few sites, there may be more extensive steep or vertical bedrock. In sharp contrast to the barren, grazed appearance of A4.3111, the species composition of unit A4.313 is quite diverse, although no one phyla dominates. A wide range of encrusting species may be found, including the brachiopod [Neocrania anomala], the saddle oyster [Pododesmus patelliformis], encrusting red algae and polychaetes ([Pomatoceros triqueter] and [Protula tubularia]). Other conspicuous species include crinoids on the tops of boulders ([Antedon bifida], commoner in shallower water and [Antedon petasus], commoner in deeper water), scattered solitary and colonial ascidians ([Ascidia mentula], [Ascidia virginea], [Corella parallelogramma], [Clavelina lepadiformis] and [Ciona intestinalis]) and tufts of fine hydroids ([Kirchenpaueria pinnata], [Nemertesia antennina], [Obelia dichotoma] and [Halceum halecinum]). The cup coral [Caryophyllia smithii] and the crustose bryozoan [Parasmittina trispinosa] are all typically present, as are a wide range of echinoderms, including the sea urchin [Echinus esculentus], the starfish [Asterias rubens] and [Crossaster papposus], and the brittlestars [Ophiothrix fragilis] and [Ophiura albida]. Other species recorded are the squat lobster [Munida rugosa], the hermit crab [Pagurus bernhardus] and the chiton [Tonicella marmorea].
Situation: The range of biotopes shallower and deeper than A4.313 is typical of a sheltered sealoch. Silted kelp biotopes (e.g. units A3.312, A3.313) are typically found shallower than A4.313 in the infralittoral zone. Deeper than A4.313, the boulder slope typically grades into a muddy slope or plain (units A5.3 or A5.4), along with fauna commonly associated with soft-sediments (e.g. seapens and the mud snail [Turritella]).
Source
Connor, D.W., Allen, J.H., Golding, N., Howell, K.L., Lieberknecht, L.M., Northen, K.O. & Reker, J.B. [edited ETC/BD] (2004)
External links
Relationships with other classifications
|
Classification
|
Code
|
Title
|
Relation type
|
|
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410
|
A4.313
|
[Antedon] spp., solitary ascidians and fine hydroids on sheltered circalittoral rock
|
same
|
|
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308
|
A3.711
|
[Antedon] spp., solitary ascidians and fine hydroids on sheltered circalittoral rock
|
same
|
|
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202
|
A3.711
|
[Antedon] spp., solitary ascidians and fine hydroids on sheltered circalittoral rock
|
same
|
|
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910
|
A3.711
|
[Antedon] spp., solitary ascidians and fine hydroids on sheltered circalittoral rock
|
same
|
|
CORINE Land Cover
|
5.2.3.
|
Sea and ocean
|
n/a
|
|
Marine Habitat Classification Britain/Ireland 0405
|
CR.LCR.BrAs.AntAsH
|
Antedon spp., solitary ascidians and fine hydroids on sheltered circalittoral rock
|
source
|
|
MNCR BioMar 97.06 (Britain & Ireland)
|
SCR.BrAs.AntAsH
|
[Antedon] spp., solitary ascidians and fine hydroids on sheltered circalittoral rock
|
same
|
|
|
A
|
Marine habitats
|
Ancestor
|
|
|
A4
|
Circalittoral rock and other hard substrata
|
Ancestor
|
|
|
A4.3
|
Atlantic and Mediterranean low energy circalittoral rock
|
Ancestor
|
|
|
A4.31
|
Brachiopod and ascidian communities on circalittoral rock
|
Parent
|
Subscriptions
Mobile
Contact us
Write to us
Call us
Green tips
The European Environment Agency (EEA) is an agency of the European Union.