BIOTIC

BIOTIC Species Information for Arenicola marina
All Taxonomy Biology Distribution Reproduction

Researched by	Dr Harvey Tyler-Walters	Data supplied by	MarLIN
Refereed by	Dr Matt Bentley
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution in Britain & Ireland	Found on all coasts around Britain and Ireland and widely in north-west Europe.
Global distribution	Recorded from shores of western Europe, Norway, Spitzbergen, north Siberia, and Iceland. In the western Atlantic it has been recorded from Greenland, along the northern coast form the Bay of Fundy to Long Island. Its southern limit is about 40° N.
Biogeographic range	Not researched	Depth range	Intertidal
Migratory	Non-migratory / Resident
Distribution Additional Information	None entered

Substratum preferences	Salt marsh Seagrass Mixed Muddy gravel Muddy sand Sandy mud Fine clean sand	Physiographic preferences	Strait / sound Sealoch Ria / Voe Estuary Enclosed coast / Embayment Isolated saline water (Lagoon)
Biological zone	Upper Eulittoral Mid Eulittoral Lower Eulittoral Sublittoral Fringe	Wave exposure	Moderately Exposed Sheltered Very Sheltered
Tidal stream strength/Water flow	Very Strong (>6 kn) Strong (3-6 kn) Moderately Strong (1-3 kn) Weak (<1 kn) Very Weak (negligible)	Salinity	Full (30-40 psu) Variable (18-40 psu) Reduced (18-30 psu)
Habitat Preferences Additional Information	Arenicola marina reaches its highest abundance at mid-tidal levels on muddy sandy shores, except in summer when another zone of abundance occurs on the upper shore due to migration of juveniles (see larval information). Population density is correlated with mean particle size and organic content of the sediment. Arenicola marina is generally absent from sediments with a mean particle size of <80µm and abundance declines in sediments >200µm (fine sand) because they can not ingest large particles. Its absence from more fluid muddy sediments is probably because they do not produce large amounts of mucus with which to stabilise their burrows. Populations are greatest in sands of mean particle size of 100µm. Between 100-200µm the biomass of Arenicola marina increases with increasing organic content (Longbottom, 1970; Hayward, 1994). However, juveniles prefer medium particle sizes (ca. 250 µm) over fine or coarse sand (see general biology - larval) (Hardege et al., 1998).
Distribution References	Fish & Fish, 1996, Ashworth, 1904, Zebe & Schiedek, 1996, Hayward, 1994, Dales, 1958, Longbottom, 1970, Shumway & Davenport, 1977, Beukema & de Vlas, 1979, Farke & Berghuis, 1979, Cadman, 1997, Clay, 1967, Hardege et al., 1998, Barnes, 1994,