Biodiversity & Conservation

For a full description of this biotope including characterizing species, distribution, survey information and references visit JNCC

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. Both Amphiura filiformis and Amphiura chiajei may be present together with Nephrops norvegicus in higher abundance than the CMU.BriAchi or CMS.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 Melinna cristata, a maldanid worm, has been recorded from Northumberland (Buchanan, 1963). (Information taken from the Marine Biotope Classification for Britain and Ireland, Version 97.06: Connor et al., 1997a, b).