| Procerodes littoralis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
| Order: | Tricladida |
| Family: | Procerodidae |
| Genus: | Procerodes |
| Species: | P. littoralis |
| Binomial name | |
| Procerodes littoralis | |
| Synonyms | |
List
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Procerodes littoralis is a species of triclad flatworm widely distributed on the shores of northwestern Europe and on the east coast of North America from Newfoundland northwards.
Procerodes littoralis is a small flatworm with a maximum length of 9 mm (0.35 in) and width of 1.5 mm (0.06 in), but it is usually smaller than this. It has a fairly wide head with two distinctive marginal tentacles with a pair of eyes behind them. The neck region is slightly narrower and the body is plump and bottle-shaped. The dorsal surface is greyish or olive-brown and the internal organs are sometimes visible through the cuticle. The eyes are surrounded by pale patches which are separated by a slightly darker stripe. [2]
Procerodes littoralis is found in the temperate northwestern Atlantic Ocean, on the European coastline, and on the coast of North America from Newfoundland northwards. It is common round the coasts of Britain on the upper and middle shores where it is the most common marine flatworm. [2] It is tolerant of wide fluctuations in salinity, and is often being plentiful in areas where freshwater streams flow across the beach; it conceals itself under boulders and stones, on shingle and sand. [3] [4]
The chosen habitat of this species is streambeds on the upper shore. Here it is exposed for about eight hours in every tidal cycle to fresh water and for about four hours to salt water. It can survive in both these environments but is inactive at the two extremes of 0 psu and 44 psu. At high tide it tends to gather under large stones where it is protected from wave action while at low tide it tends to burrow down to the base of the gravel where there is probably some residual salinity. This is where it feeds on detritus and such small invertebrates as oligochaetes and marine isopods, including Jaera albifrons and Jaera nordmanni . [5]
Procerodes littoralis starts to breed when about 5 mm (0.2 in) long. It is a hermaphrodite and fertilisation is internal. Batches of about five eggs are laid in oval capsules about 1 mm (0.04 in) in diameter which are glued to the underside of stones. The eggs undergo direct development, hatching directly into miniature adults 2 to 4 mm (0.08 to 0.16 in) long. [4]
The European rock pipit, or just rock pipit, is a species of small passerine bird that breeds in western Europe on rocky coasts. It has streaked greyish-brown upperparts and buff underparts, and is similar in appearance to other European pipits. There are three subspecies, of which only the Fennoscandian form is migratory, wintering in shoreline habitats further south in Europe. The European rock pipit is territorial at least in the breeding season, and year-round where it is resident. Males will sometimes enter an adjacent territory to assist the resident in repelling an intruder, behaviour only otherwise known from the African fiddler crab.
The Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister or Cancer magister, is a species of crab that inhabits eelgrass beds and water bottoms on the west coast of North America. It typically grows to 20 cm (7.9 in) across the carapace and is a popular seafood. Its common name comes from the port of Dungeness, Washington, United States, where it is "a prized crustacean that supports the most valuable fishery on the west coast", and where ocean acidification threatens the marine environment.
Carcinus maenas is a common littoral crab. It is known by different names around the world. In the British Isles, it is generally referred to as the shore crab, or green shore crab. In North America and South Africa, it bears the name green crab or European green crab. In Australia and New Zealand, it is referred to as either the European green crab or European shore crab.
Hemigrapsus crenulatus, the hairy-handed crab or papaka huruhuru, is a marine crab of the family Varunidae, endemic to the New Zealand coast, although a taxon in Chile may be conspecific. It is an intertidal species with semi-terrestrial tendencies. They are named by their characteristic setae, or patches of thick hair, on the chelipeds and legs. They can range from green to brown in coloration. Adult crabs are generally 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) wide at the carapace, although the smallest mature crabs can be around just 1 cm (0.4 in) wide. and are able to survive and reproduce in environments of widely varying salinities.
Austrominius modestus is a species of barnacle in the family Elminiidae, native to Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand, but now spread to Britain and the north west coasts of Europe. It reaches a maximum size of about 10 millimetres (0.39 in) in diameter.
Hemigrapsus sanguineus, the Japanese shore crab or Asian shore crab, is a species of crab from East Asia. It has been introduced to several other regions, and is now an invasive species in North America and Europe. It was introduced to these regions by ships from Asia emptying their ballast tanks in coastal waters.
Semibalanus balanoides is a common and widespread boreo-arctic species of acorn barnacle. It is common on rocks and other substrates in the intertidal zone of north-western Europe and both coasts of North America.
The common starfish, common sea star or sugar starfish is the most common and familiar starfish in the north-east Atlantic. Belonging to the family Asteriidae, it has five arms and usually grows to between 10–30 cm across, although larger specimens are known. The common starfish is usually orange or brownish in color, and sometimes violet; specimens found in deeper waters are pale. The common starfish is found on rocky and gravelly substrates where it feeds on mollusks and other benthic invertebrates.
The European anchovy is a forage fish somewhat related to the herring. It is a type of anchovy; anchovies are placed in the family Engraulidae. It lives off the coasts of Europe and Africa, including in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov. It is fished by humans throughout much of its range.
Asterina phylactica is a species of sea star. It can be found in geographically widespread sites around the British Isles and in the Mediterranean Sea. It has five arms, is about 1.5 cm across and is of a green colour with central brown markings. The species was formally described in 1979 and is very similar to Asterina gibbosa.
Truncatella subcylindrica is a species of small land snail that lives at the edge of the sea. It has gills and an operculum and is gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Truncatellidae.
Macrostomum lignano is a free-living, hermaphroditic flatworm. It is transparent and of small size, and is part of the intertidal sand meiofauna of the Adriatic Sea. Originally a model organism for research on developmental biology and the evolution of the bilaterian body plan, it has since expanded to other important fields of research such as sexual selection and sexual conflicts, ageing and the evolution of the bilaterian body plan, ecotoxicology, and, more recently, genomics.
Tachypleus gigas, commonly known as the Indo-Pacific horseshoe crab, Indonesian horseshoe crab, Indian horseshoe crab, or southern horseshoe crab, is one of the four extant (living) species of horseshoe crab. It is found in coastal water in South and Southeast Asia at depths to 40 m (130 ft). It grows up to about 50 cm (20 in) long, including the tail, and is covered by a sturdy carapace that is up to about 26.5 cm (10.4 in) wide.
Marine habitats are habitats that support marine life. Marine life depends in some way on the saltwater that is in the sea. A habitat is an ecological or environmental area inhabited by one or more living species. The marine environment supports many kinds of these habitats. Marine habitats can be divided into coastal and open ocean habitats. Coastal habitats are found in the area that extends from as far as the tide comes in on the shoreline out to the edge of the continental shelf. Most marine life is found in coastal habitats, even though the shelf area occupies only seven percent of the total ocean area. Open ocean habitats are found in the deep ocean beyond the edge of the continental shelf.
Urothoe marina is a species of small marine amphipod crustaceans in the family Urothoidae. It is found on and burrowing in coarse sediments in shallow coastal waters off northwestern Europe.
Aepus marinus is a species of beetle in the family Carabidae. It is found in the intertidal zone of marine habitats in northwestern Europe where it lives in crevices and under stones. The adult beetle is about 2.5 mm (0.1 in) in length, and is a reddish-yellow colour.
Maritigrella crozierae, the tiger flatworm, is a species of marine polyclad flatworm in the family Euryleptidae. It is found on the eastern coasts of North America and the Caribbean Sea where it feeds on colonial sea squirts.
Kaburakia excelsa, the giant flatworm or giant leaf worm, is a species of flatworm found on the lower shore and shallow water in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It occurs on the lower shore and shallow sub-littoral zone.
Prostheceraeus vittatus, the candy striped flatworm, is a species of marine polyclad flatworm in the family Euryleptidae. It is found in Western Europe, including on the western coasts of the British Isles.
The Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area is an inshore conservation region in the territorial waters of South Africa