A5.26 Circalittoral muddy sand

Description

Circalittoral non-cohesive muddy sands with the silt content of the substratum typically ranging from 5% to 20%. This habitat is generally found in water depths of over 15-20 m and supports animal-dominated communities characterised by a wide variety of polychaetes, bivalves such as Abra alba and Nucula nitidosa, and echinoderms such as Amphiura spp and Ophiura spp., and Astropecten irregularis. These circalittoral habitats tend to be more stable than their infralittoral counterparts and as such support a richer infaunal community.

Source: EUNIS habitat classification