BIOTIC

BIOTIC Species Information for Nematostella vectensis
All Taxonomy Biology Distribution Reproduction

Researched by	Charlotte Marshall & Angus Jackson	Data supplied by	MarLIN
Refereed by	Dr Simon Davy & Dr Martin Sheader
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution in Britain & Ireland	Found on north coast of Norfolk, the east coast of Suffolk, the Blackwater Estuary and Hamford Water in Essex, the Hampshire coast and on the south coast of Dorset.
Global distribution	In North America from Nova Scotia to Georgia on the Atlantic coast, from Florida to Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico and from California to Washington on the Pacific coast. Also found on the South and East coast of England.
Biogeographic range	Not researched	Depth range	<1 m to 2 m max
Migratory	Non-migratory / Resident
Distribution Additional Information	The populations of this species in Britain may either be: 1) relicts from a larger earlier distribution, 2) have arrived in Britain from North America by natural mean or 3) have been introduced by human agency. Dispersal between lagoons may be via floating mats of Chaetomorpha sp. thus extending their dispersal potential. Biological zone is not relevant because this species lives in lagoons, generally not exposed to tidal action. Posey & Hines (1991) suggested that in the Rhode River, America, the distribution outside lagoons may be limited through predation by shrimps. Nematostella vectensis is often found using Ruppia sp. or Chaetomorpha sp. as substrata (Williams, 1991). Depth Although the species is usually found in water less than 1 m deep, a few live down to 2 m water depth (M. Sheader, pers. comm.). Salinity In English populations of Nematostella vectensis, the salinity in the vast majority of sites ranges between 2-42 ppt with the greatest abundance in ponds with seasonally varying salinity between 16-32 ppt. (Sheader et al., 1997). Distribution in Britain and Ireland Nematostella vectensis is found on north coast of Norfolk, the east coast of Suffolk, the Blackwater Estuary and Hamford Water in Essex (Carol Reid, English Nature, pers. comm.), the Hampshire coast and on the south coast of Dorset. Nematostella vectensis was first described as a new species from brackish pools on the Isle of Wight.

Substratum preferences	Mud Algae	Physiographic preferences	Isolated saline water (Lagoon)
Biological zone	Lagoonal	Wave exposure	Ultra Sheltered
Tidal stream strength/Water flow	Very Weak (negligible)	Salinity	Variable (18-40 psu) Low (<18 psu)
Habitat Preferences Additional Information
Distribution References	Manuel, 1988, Stephenson, 1935, Sheader et al., 1997, Hand & Uhlinger, 1992, Hand & Uhlinger, 1994, Posey & Hines, 1991,