Thyasira spp. and Nuculoma tenuis in Atlantic circalittoral sandy mud

Circalittoral cohesive sandy muds with small quantities of gravel, off sheltered or moderately exposed coasts may support populations characterised by Thyasira spp. and in particular Thyasira flexuosa. Other characteristic taxa may include Nuculoma tenuis, Goniada maculate and in some areas Rhodine gracilior. Mysella bidentata, Abra alba, Harpinia antennaria and Amphiura filiformis may be abundant in some examples of this biotope. Whilst moderately diverse, animal abundances are often low and it is possible that the biotope is the result of sedimentary disturbance e.g. from trawling and is possibly an impoverished version of MC6-213. Collectively the biotopes MB6-248, MC6-212, MC6-213 and MD5-212, may form the Amphiura dominated components of the off-shore muddy sand association described by other workers (Jones 1951((( Thorson 1957((( Mackie 1990) and the infralittoral etage described by Glemarec (1973).

Código Eunis 2021: MC6212