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Suffolk Natural History, Vol. 47
Sea Gooseberry Pleurobrachia pileus is usually found in open water, especially in the summer and autumn, but can be washed up on-shore. Moon jellyfish Auralia aurita is Britain’s most common jellyfish, sometimes forming massive local populations. It is a pelagic species, but can also be found in estuaries and harbours. In addition, several individuals of Nematostella vectensis (Starlet sea anemone) were seen in the saline lagoons on Orford Ness. This tiny Biodiversity Action Plan species is listed as vulnerable by IUCN/WCMC and rare on the British Red List, and is protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Orford Ness itself was designated as a Special Area of Conservation for its saline lagoons. The Comb jelly Beroe cucumis is very uncommon on the east coast. Polychaete worms The Peacock Worm Sabella pavonina is widely distributed and locally abundant. This worm can grow to 30 cm long, but is very slender and lives permanently in a smooth, flexible, muddy tube that projects up out of the sand. The Sand Mason Worm Lanice conchilega is common in intertidal and subtidal sediments. This large worm lives in a tube which it builds out of sand grains and shell fragments and has a characteristic frayed end above the sand. One of the tube-building Keel Worms Pomatoceros sp. was also recorded. Crustaceans Several species of crustacean were found including barnacles (Cirripedia sp.), skeleton shrimp (Caprella sp.), Shore Crab Carcinus maenas, Sea toad or Great Spider Crab Hyas araneus, the isopod Idotea sp., the prawn Palaemon elegans and the amphipod Jassa falcate. Molluscs
Seven mollusc species were recorded, the Common Mussel Mytillus edulis and six nudibranchs: Dendronotus frondosus, Coryphella sp., Onchidoris bilamellata, Goniodoris nodosa, Facelina bostoniensis and Hermaea bifida. Echinoderms Two common species were found: Common Starfish Asterias rubens and Green Sea Urchin Psammechinus miliaris. Sea squirts - Ascidiacea One non-native species of sea squirt was found: Styella clava which originates from the Pacific and has been present in the UK since the 1950s. The native sea squirt known as Sea Grape Molgula sp. was also recorded. Fishes The Shanny Lipophrys pholis is a very common species from the combtooth blenny family. It can be found under seaweed from where it emerges at high tide to forage over the flooded shore and is often seen around man-made structures such as pilings. Liparis montagui¸ confusingly called Montagu’s Sea-Snail, is often found in estuaries.
Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 47 (2012)