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Zonation of the interstitial polychaeteStygocapitella subterranea (Stygocapitellidae) in European sandy beaches

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Abstract

The zonation ofStygocapitella subterranea Knoellner (Polychaeta, Stygocapitellidae) in sandy beaches is compared for several localities along the European coasts. In tidal beaches the species occupies a zone near average high tide level (AHTL), whereas in non-tidal beaches it is found at a fairly long distance from the water line. The regularities observed inS. subterranea indicate that the interstitial fauna may prove well suited for the establishment of a general scheme of zonation in sandy beaches analogous to that for rocky shores proposed byStephenson andStephenson (1949).

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Communicated byO. Kinne, Hamburg

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Schmidt, P. Zonation of the interstitial polychaeteStygocapitella subterranea (Stygocapitellidae) in European sandy beaches. Mar. Biol. 7, 319–323 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00750824

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