BIOTIC

BIOTIC Species Information for Gammarus salinus
All Taxonomy Biology Distribution Reproduction

Researched by	Georgina Budd	Data supplied by	MarLIN
Refereed by	This information is not refereed.
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution in Britain & Ireland	On all coasts of England, Scotland and Wales in brackish-water, especially in the Humber and Severn Estuaries.
Global distribution	North-west Europe from English Channel to Baltic, some isolated reports of Gammarus salinus on the Iberian Peninsula.
Biogeographic range	Not researched	Depth range	0-10 m
Migratory	Non-migratory / Resident
Distribution Additional Information	Gammarus species are abundant estuarine animals. Spooner (1947) stated that gammarids were adaptable to various surroundings and not limited to particularly specialised ecological niches. Nor did they show gross patchiness of distribution within their habitable range, rather continuous populations occupy the entire length of estuaries, although the proportion of species represented changes from head to mouth. Furthermore, gammarids are relatively indifferent to the nature of the substratum to a remarkable degree. Provided that there is some kind of object to provide them with shelter/cover it does not matter whether the substratum is muddy or stony, the water turbid or clear and almost any kind of organic matter provides detritus upon which to feed (Spooner, 1947). The distributional range of Gammarus salinus to the south was thought to be restricted as far as the English Channel. However, Van Maren (1975) reported Gammarus salinus for the first time on the Spanish coast in 1974.

Substratum preferences	Algae Gravel / shingle Coarse clean sand	Physiographic preferences	Estuary
Biological zone	Upper Infralittoral Lower Infralittoral	Wave exposure	Sheltered Very Sheltered Extremely Sheltered
Tidal stream strength/Water flow	Strong (3-6 kn) Moderately Strong (1-3 kn)	Salinity	Reduced (18-30 psu) Low (<18 psu)
Habitat Preferences Additional Information
Distribution References	Lincoln, 1979, JNCC, 1999, NBN, 2002, Maren van, 1975, Crothers, 1966, Spooner, 1947,