Faunal communities of high energy Atlantic infralittoral rock

Where M.galloprovincialis communities occur the associated fauna is very diverse, with several sessile and mobile species on the rock occupying the spaces between the mussels. Attached either to the barnacle shells or directly to the rock, abundant populations of the cnidarian Corynactys viridis occur, as well as serpulid polychaetes Spirobranchus spp., and the bryozoan Celleporina caliciformis. The echinoderms Ophiotrix fragilis and Amphipholis squamata and the polychaetes Lepidonotus clava and Platynereis dumerilii are common species in this habitat. The flatworms Stylochus neapolitanus and Emprosthopharynx pallida and the ascidean Diplosoma listerianum are frequent and abundant in this habitat. Crustaceans are also abundant, namely Pilumnus hirtellus, Tanais dulongii, Ischyromene lacazei, Elasmopus brasiliensis, Stenothoe tergestina, Podocerus variegatus and Parajassa pelagica. Regarding the molluscs, the most abundant one, besides M. galloprovincialis, is Patella ulyssiponensis; Hiatella arctica and the predator Nucella lapillus are present but in small numbers. Among echinoderms Paracentrotus lividus, Amphipholis squamata and Ophiotrix fragilis occur in this habitat, as well as the predator Marthasterias glacialis, which can cause periodic destruction of the mussel populations. Algae are not abundant in this habitat, the most frequent one is Corallina elongata, whose biotope occurs between the eulittoral and infralittoral populations of Mytilus galloprovincialis.