BIOTIC

BIOTIC Species Information for Nucella lapillus
All Taxonomy Biology Distribution Reproduction

Researched by	Lizzie Tyler	Data supplied by	University of Sheffield
Refereed by	This information is not refereed.
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution in Britain & Ireland	Common on all rocky coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Global distribution	Found throughout the littoral zone of the North Atlantic from the Arctic to the Algarve in the east, Iceland and the Faroes, and from Long Island north to south west Greenland in the west.
Biogeographic range	Not researched	Depth range	0 - 40 m
Migratory	Non-migratory / Resident
Distribution Additional Information	Nucella lapillus is widely distributed approximately between the 19 °C summer isotherm in the south and the -1 °C winter isotherm in the north (Moore, 1936), except in areas of reduced salinity such as the Baltic Sea (Crothers, 1985). Dog whelks occur below of mid tidal level, approximating to 10-75% emersion (Fretter & Graham, 1994). Nucella lapillus may form aggregations on the shore. In summer (May - October) aggregations of 20-500 individuals of mixed ages may form on the open rock surface of extensive shores (e.g. at Robins Hoods Bay) giving the appearance of a hunting pack (Feare, 1971; Lewis, 1964; Crothers, 1985). In winter individuals aggregate in crevices and pools, presumably to avoid dislodgement, since they have difficulty re-attaching in cold weather. Winter aggregations may form into pre-breeding and breeding aggregations in which the juveniles leave to feed but the adults remain (Feare, 1971; Crothers, 1985).

Substratum preferences	Bedrock Large to very large boulders Small boulders Artificial (e.g. metal/wood/concrete) Rockpools Under boulders Caves Crevices / fissures Overhangs	Physiographic preferences	Open coast Strait / sound Sealoch Ria / Voe Estuary Enclosed coast / Embayment
Biological zone	Mid Eulittoral Lower Eulittoral Sublittoral Fringe	Wave exposure	Extremely Exposed Very Exposed Exposed Moderately Exposed Sheltered Very Sheltered Extremely Sheltered
Tidal stream strength/Water flow	Very Strong (>6 kn) Strong (3-6 kn) Moderately Strong (1-3 kn) Weak (<1 kn)	Salinity	Full (30-40 psu) Variable (18-40 psu)
Habitat Preferences Additional Information
Distribution References	Hayward & Ryland, 1990, Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Fish & Fish, 1996, Graham, 1988, Morgan, 1972, Berry & Crothers, 1968, Fretter & Graham, 1994, Crothers, 1985, Feare, 1970b, Moore, 1936, Moore, 1938b, Lewis, 1964, Kirby et al., 1994a, Kirby et al., 1994b, Feare, 1971, Hunt & Scheibling, 1998, Wilson et al., 1983, Hayward & Ryland, 1990,