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Concept: [Ampharete falcata] turf with [Parvicardium ovale] on cohesive muddy sediment near margins of deep stratified seas in the eunishabitats vocabulary

Concept URI http://eunis.eea.europa.eu/eunishabitats/A5.371
Preferred label [Ampharete falcata] turf with [Parvicardium ovale] on cohesive muddy sediment near margins of deep stratified seas
Definition Dense stands of [Ampharete falcata] tubes which protrude from muddy sediments, appearing as a turf or meadow in localised areas. These areas seem to occur on a crucial point on a depositional gradient between areas of tide-swept mobile sands and quiescent stratifying muds. Dense populations of the small bivalve [Parvicardium ovale] occur in the superficial sediment. Other infauna in this diverse biotope includes [Lumbrineris scopa], [Levinsenia] sp., [Prionospio steenstrupi], [Diplocirrus glaucus] and [Praxillella affinis] although a wide variety of other infaunal species may also be found. Both the brittlestars [Amphiura filiformis] and [Amphiura chiajei] may be present together with [Nephrops norvegicus] in higher abundance than the BlyrAchi or AfilEcor biotopes. Substantial populations of mobile epifauna such as [Pandalus montagui] and smaller fish also occur, together with those that can cling to the tubes, such as [Macropodia] spp. A similar turf of worm tubes formed by the maldanid polychaete [Melinna cristata] has been recorded from Northumberland (Buchanan 1963). Nephrops trawling may severely damage this biotope and it is possible that such activity has destroyed examples of this biotope in the Irish Sea (E.I.S. Rees pers. comm. 2002).
Notation A5.371
Status Valid
Status Modified 2014-01-31
Accepted Date 2014-01-31
Not Accepted Date
Has broader
Has exact match