Characteristic and representative species of Zostera beds in Britain

Some examples of characteristic species of Zostera beds in Britain

Characteristic species are those that are considered to be special to (rare or at the limits of their distribution) or are especially abundant in a particular biotope.

They are generally immediately conspicuous and easily identified (K. Hiscock 1996).

COMMON NAME

SPECIES

  • DETAILS

Stalked jellyfish

Haliclystus auricula

Lucernariopsis campanulata

  • Widespread
  • South-west distribution

Common cuttlefish

Sepia officinalis

  • Southern distribution

Little cuttlefish

Sepiola atlantica

 

Seahorse

Hippocampus ramulosis

  • Reaches its northern limit along the south-west coast

Seahorse

H. hippocampus

  • Possibly occurs on the south-west coast

Broad-nosed pipefish

Snake pipefish

Entelurus aequoraeus

Syngathus typhie

  • Both are almost totally restricted to eelgrass beds, south and east coasts

Hydroid

Laomedea angulata

  • A distinctive shallow water hydroid whose substrate appears to be totally restricted to Z. marina. Few hydroids are so substrate specific.
  • Was thought to have disappeared from Britain after the eelgrass wasting disease epidemic of the 1930s.
  • In 1981, it was found on Z. marina leaves in Studland Bay, Dorset and in a small bed, just north of Misery Point in the River Yealm, Plymouth Sound.
  • Cornelius (1982) suggested that it may be dispersed on detached, floating Zostera sp. leaves and that perhaps these populations had re-colonised previous habitats from European populations.

Red algae

Polysiphonia harveyii

Rhodophysema georgii

  • Was unintentionally introduced to the British Isles before 1908 with oysters
  • This diminutive crustose red algal epiphyte is host specific to Z. marina.

Green algae

Cladophora etroflex

C. battersii

 

Entocladia perforans

  • Both are very rare and have only been recorded in a few locations on the south coast of England and the west coast of Ireland.
  • This microscopic green alga is an endophyte and host specific to Zostera species.

Brown algae

Halothrix lumbricalis Leblondiella densa

Myrionema magnusii

Cladosiphon zosterae

Punctaria crispata

Cladosiphon contortus

  • These 3 small brown algal epiphytes are host-restricted to Zostera leaves.
  • These 2 larger brown algae are also host-restricted to Zostera sp. leaves.

This large brown alga occurs principally on Zostera rhizomes.

Representative species of Zostera beds in Britain

Representative species are those considered to be typical of a feature, habitat or community (K. Hiscock 1996)

The other British seagrass species, Ruppia maritima and R. cirrhosa, may be found amongst Zostera beds.

MICROHABITAT: Surface of leaves and stems

GROUP

SPECIES

COMMON NAME

Algae

 

Films of ciliates and diatoms etc.

Enteromorpha sp.

Ectocarpus sp.

Cladophora rectangularis

Rhodophysema geogii

Ceramium nodulosum

Gracilaria gracilis

Gracilariopsis longissima

Polysiphonia sp.

Brongniartella byssoides

Dumontia contorta

Stypocaulon scoparia

Ulva lactuca

Fucus serratus

 

 

 

Crustaceans

Gammarus insensibilis

Idotea baltica

I. linearis

Praunus sp.

Amphipods

 

Chameleon shrimps (mysids)

Molluscs

Rissoa membranacea

Hydrobia ventrosa

Bittium reticulatum

Littorina littorea

Calliostoma striatum

C. montacuti

Cantharidus striatus

Jujubinus striatus

Hinia reticulata

Haminoea navicula

Akera bullata

Aplysia punctata

Oscanius membranaceus

Archidoris pseudoargus

Cadlina obveolata

Aeolis papillosa

Alderia modesta

 

Spire shell

Common or edible periwinkle

Topshell

Grooved topshell

Netted dogwhelk

All seaslugs

MICROHABITAT: On or in the sediment

GROUP

SPECIES

COMMON NAME

Bivalve molluscs

Cerastoderma edule

C. glaucum

C. exiguum

Lucina/Lucinoma borealis

Lepton sp.

Mytilus edulis

Common or edible cockles

Lagoonal cockle

Little cockle

Northern Lucina

This and other commensal molluscs may be found in other species’ burrows

Mussels, attached to old rhizomes

Worms

Arenicola marina

Lanice conchilega

Marphysa bellii

Oerstedia dorsalis

Myxicola infundibulum

Lugworm

Sandmason worm

Annelid worm, local & probably rare

Ribbon worm

Slime tubeworm

Echinoderms

Synapta digitata

Paracentrotus lividus

Sea cucumber

Sea Urchin, normally bores holes in rocks but often found amongst Zostera

Sipunculans

Phascolosoma pellucidum

 

Crustaceans

Upogebia sp.

Burrowing shrimps

Sea Anemones

Cereus pedunculatus

Peachia hastata

Nematostella vectensis

Daisy anemones

Burrowing anemones

Starlet anemone, typical of lagoon eelgrass beds

Fish

Gobiusculus flavescens

Spinachia spinachia

Ballanas sp.

Anguilla anguilla

Liza sp.

Dicentrarchus labrax

2-spot goby

15-spined stickleback

Small wrasse

Eels

Grey mullet

Bass

References