Mytilus edulis and Fabricia sabella in littoral mixed sediment
Description (English)
Pebbles, gravel, sand and shell debris with mud in sheltered Firths with a strandline of fucoid algae. The fauna is characterised by juvenile mussels Mytilus edulis, often in very high numbers. The nemertean worm Lineus spp. may be abundant and oligochaetes are common. Polychaetes such as Pygospio elegans, Scoloplos armiger and Fabricia sabella may be present in high densities. Fabricia sabella is typically found amongst algal holdfasts and between cobbles on rocky shores. The bivalves Macoma balthica and Cerastoderma edule, typical of muddy sediments, characterise the community. The validity of this biotope is uncertain, as the only available data, from the Dornoch Firth and the Moray Firth, are poor. Its position within the classification, as a strandline community, is also very uncertain, but there is not enough information available for a better description or classification at this stage.
Situation: Occurs on sheltered shores of the Dornoch Firth and Moray Firth.
Source: EUNIS habitat classification
Quick facts
EUNIS habitat type | code A2.212 |
---|---|
Bern Convention | Included in a Resolution 4 habitat type at a higher level (A2.2) |
Vegetation types
Relation to vegetation types (syntaxa)
Not availableSpecies mentioned in habitat description
Species scientific name | English common name | Species group |
---|---|---|
Cerastoderma edule | Invertebrates | |
Macoma balthica | Invertebrates | |
Mytilus edulis | Invertebrates | |
Scoloplos armiger | Invertebrates |
Other classifications
Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type |
---|---|---|---|
Marine Habitat Classification Britain/Ireland 0405 | LS.LSA.St.MytFab | <I>Mytilus edulis</I> and <I>Fabricia sabella</I> in littoral mixed sediment | source |
CORINE Land Cover | 4.2.3. | Intertidal flats | n/a |
History
Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type |
---|---|---|---|
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410 | A2.212 | Mytilus edulis and Fabricia sabella in littoral mixed sediment | same |
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308 | A2.411 | Mytilus edulis and Fabricia sabella in littoral mixed sediment | same |
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202 | A2.411 | Mytilus edulis and Fabricia sabella in poorly-sorted muddy sand or muddy gravel shores | same |
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910 | A2.411 | Mytilus edulis and Fabricia sabella in poorly-sorted muddy sand or muddy gravel shores | same |
MNCR BioMar 97.06 (Britain & Ireland) | LMX.MytFab | Mytilus edulis and Fabricia sabella in poorly-sorted muddy sand or muddy gravel shores | same |