Priority Marine Features in Scotland's Seas - Habitats (FAQs)

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Mytilus edulis beds on littoral sediments - (LS.LBR.LMus)
• Mytilus edulis and Fabricia sabella in littoral mixed sediment - (LS.LSa.St.MytFab)
• Mytilus edulis beds on sublittoral sediment - (SS.SBR.SMus.MytSS)
• Mytilus edulis beds on reduced salinity infralittoral rock - (IR.LIR.IFaVS.MytRS) 

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial and offshore waters

• Seapens and burrowing megafauna in circalittoral fine mud - (SS.SMu.CFiMu.SpnMeg)
• Burrowing megafauna and Maxmuelleria lankesteri in circalittoral mud - (SS.SMu.CFiMu.MegMax)
• Tall seapen - (Funiculina quadrangularis)
• Fireworks anemone - (Pachycerianthus multiplicatus)
• Mud burrowing amphipod - (Maera loveni)

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Limaria hians beds in tide-swept sublittoral muddy mixed sediment - (SS.SMx.IMx.Lim)

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Modiolus modiolus beds with hydroids and red seaweeds on tide-swept circalittoral mixed substrata - (SS.SBR.SMus.ModT)
• Modiolus modiolus beds on open coast circalittoral mixed sediment - (SS.SBR.SMus.ModMx)
• Modiolus modiolus beds with fine hydroids and large solitary ascidians on very sheltered circalittoral mixed substrata - (SS.SBR.SMus.ModHAs)
• Modiolus modiolus beds with Chlamys varia, sponges, hydroids and bryozoans on slightly tide-swept very sheltered circalittoral mixed substrata - (SS.SBR.SMus.ModCvar)

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Brissopsis lyrifera and Amphiura chiajei in circalittoral mud -(SS.SMu.CFiMu.BlyrAchi) 

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Littoral mud - (LS.LMu)

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Kelp and seaweed communities on sublittoral sediment - (SS.SMp.KSwSS)

The following biotopes of ‘Kelp and seaweed communities on sublittoral sediment’ are specifically excluded: ‘Mats of Trailliella on infralittoral muddy gravel (SS.SMp.KSwSS.Tra)’; & ‘Filamentous green seaweeds on low salinity infralittoral mixed sediment or rock (SS.SMp.KSwSS.FilG).

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Laminaria hyperborea forest with a faunal cushion (sponges and polyclinids) and foliose red seaweeds on very exposed upper infralittoral rock - (IR.HIR.KFaR.LhypFa) - The following biotope is specifically excluded: ‘Mixed Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria ochroleuca forest on exposed infralittoral rock (IR.HIR.KFaR.LhypR.Loch)
• Laminaria hyperborea with dense foliose red seaweeds on exposed infralittoral rock - (IR.HIR.KFaR.LhypR)
• Laminaria hyperborea on tide-swept, infralittoral rock - (IR.MIR.KR.LhypT)
• Laminaria hyperborea on tide-swept infralittoral mixed substrata - (IR.MIR.KR.LhypTX) - This biotope is also a component of the ‘Tide-swept algal communities’ PMF
• Laminaria hyperborea and foliose red seaweeds on moderately exposed infralittoral rock - (IR.MIR.KR.Lhyp) - The following biotope is specifically excluded: ‘Sabellaria spinulosa with kelp and red seaweeds on sand-influenced infralittoral rock (IR.MIR.KR.Lhyp.Sab)

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Faunal communities on variable or reduced salinity infralittoral rock - (IR.LIR.IFaVS)
• Kelp in variable or reduced salinity - (IR.LIR.KVS)
• Submerged fucoids, green or red seaweeds (low salinity infralittoral rock) - (IR.LIR.Lag)
• Sublittoral mud in low or reduced salinity (lagoons) - (SS.SMu.SMuLS)
• Bird’s nest stonewort - (Tolypella nidifica)
• Baltic stonewort - (Tolypella nidifica)
• Foxtail stonewort - (Lamprothamnium papulosum)
• Small brackish water snail - (Lamprothamnium papulosum)

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Maerl beds - (SS.SMp.Mrl)

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Neopentadactyla mixta in circalittoral shell gravel or coarse sand - (SS.SCS.CCS.Nmix)

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Ostrea edulis beds on shallow sublittoral muddy mixed sediment - (SS.SMx.IMx.Ost)
• Native oyster - (Ostrea edulis)

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Caryophyllia smithii and Swiftia pallida on circalittoral rock - (CR.MCR.EcCr.CarSwi)
• Mixed turf of hydroids and large ascidians with Swiftia pallida and Caryophyllia smithii on weakly tide-swept circalittoral rock - (CR.HCR.XFa.SwiLgAs)

Territorial and Offshore waters

• Deep sponge communities (circalittoral) - (CR.HCR.DpSp)
• Northern sea fan - (Swiftia pallida)

In addition to the continental shelf biotopes listed, the PMF also includes Atlantic and Arctic influenced offshore deep sea muds occurring on and off the continental slope. The following components of the SS.SMu.OMu ‘Offshore circalittoral mud’ continental shelf biotope complex are specifically excluded from the ‘Offshore deep sea muds’ PMF: ‘Styela gelatinosa, Pseudamussium septemradiatum and solitary ascidians on sheltered deep circalittoral muddy sediment (SS.SMu.OMu.StyPse)’; & ‘Capitella capitata and Thyasira spp. in organically-enriched offshore circalittoral mud and sandy mud (SS.SMu.OMu.CapThy)'.

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Offshore waters

• Ampharete falcata turf with Parvicardium ovale on cohesive muddy sediment near margins of deep stratified seas - (SS.SMu.OMu.AfalPova)
• Foraminiferans and Thyasira sp. in deep circalittoral fine mud - (SS.SMu.OMu.ForThy)
• Levinsenia gracilis and Heteromastus filifirmis in offshore circalittoral mud and sandy mud - (SS.SMu.OMu.LevHet)
• Paramphinome jeffreysii, Thyasira spp. and Amphiura filiformis in offshore circalittoral sandy mud - (SS.SMu.OMu.PjefThyAfil)
• Myrtea spinifera and polychaetes in offshore circalittoral sandy mud - (SS.SMu.OMu.MyrPo)

In addition to the continental shelf biotopes listed, the PMF also includes Atlantic and Arctic influenced offshore subtidal sands and gravels occurring on and off the continental slope.

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Offshore waters

• Glycera lapidum, Thyasira spp. and Amythasides macroglossus in offshore gravelly sand (SS.SCS.OCS.GlapThyAmy)
• Hesionura elongata and Protodorvillea kefersteini in offshore coarse sand - (SS.SCS.OCS.HeloPkef)
• Echinocyamus pusillus, Ophelia borealis and Abra prismatica in circalittoral fine sand - (SS.SSa.CFiSa.EpusOborApri)
• Abra prismatica, Bathyporeia elegans and polychaetes in circalittoral fine sand - (SS.SSa.CFiSa.ApriBatPo)
• Maldanid polychaetes and Eudorellopsis deformis in offshore circalittoral sand or muddy sand - (SS.SSa.OSa.MalEdef)
• Owenia fusiformis and Amphiura filiformis in offshore circalittoral sand or muddy sand - (SS.SSa.OSa.OfusAfil)

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Zostera noltii beds in littoral muddy sand - (LS.LMp.LSgr.Znol)
• Zostera marina/angustifolia beds on lower shore clean or muddy sand - (SS.SMp.SSgr.Zmar)
• Zostera marina/angustifolia beds on infralittoral clean or muddy sand - (SS.SMp.SSgr.Zmar)
• Ruppia maritima in reduced salinity infralittoral muddy sand - (SS.SMp.SSgr.Rup)

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Ascophyllum nodosum ecad mackaii beds on extremely sheltered mid eulittoral mixed substrata - (LR.LLR.FVS.Ascmac)

As well as the serpulid reefs biotope this PMF includes smaller aggregations of Serpula vermicularis.

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Serpula vermicularis reefs on very sheltered circalittoral muddy sand - (SS.SBR.PoR.Ser)

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial and Offshore waters

• Submarine structures made by leaking gases - (no code)

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Fucoids in tide-swept conditions - (LR.HLR.FT)
• Halidrys siliquosa and mixed kelps on tide-swept infralittoral rock with coarse sediment - (IR.HIR.KSed.XKHal)
• Kelp and seaweed communities in tide-swept sheltered conditions - (IR.MIR.KT) - The following biotopes of ‘Kelp and seaweed communities in tide-swept sheltered conditions’ are specifically excluded: ‘Laminaria saccharina with foliose red seaweeds and ascidians on sheltered tide-swept infralittoral rock (IR.MIR.KT.LsacT)’; & ‘Filamentous red seaweeds, sponges and Balanus crenatus on tide-swept variable-salinity infralittoral rock (IR.MIR.KT.FilRVS)’
• Laminaria hyperborea on tide-swept infralittoral mixed substrata - (IR.MIR.KR.LhypTX) - This biotope is also a component of the ‘Kelp beds’ PMF

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Territorial waters

• Moerella spp. with venerid bivalves in infralittoral gravelly sand - (SS.SCS.ICS.MoeVen) - Recent data suggests that the community associated with this biotope may also be present in waters deeper than is characteristic of infralittoral biotopes. Pending further assessment and classification, this PMF includes examples of the community associated with SS.SCS.ICS.MoeVen even where it lies outside the typical depth range of the biotop

Component biotopes / species (common name - species name)

Offshore waters

• Carbonate mound communities - (no code)
• Coral gardens - (no code)
• Deep sea sponge aggregations - (no code)
• Seamount communities (no code)

Territorial and Offshore waters

• Cold-water coral reefs- (SS.SBR.Crl)