Marine, intertidal, gravel, protected, eulittoral

Few areas are mapped as this category because wave-protected areas tend to be characterized by mud rather than gravel. Gravel beaches seldom have one uniform grain size; most surveys report some sand mixed in.  These protected beaches are less disturbed by waves, contain more sand, are more stable, and consequently have higher biological diversity. They tend to have no plant life, however, and are occupied by mobile burrowing animals or epibenthic forms such as shrimp.

Habitat attributes

Class ID: 
24
Class name: 
Marine, intertidal, gravel, protected, eulittoral
Length: 
3.0 km (in WA)
Primary substrate: 
Gravel
Secondary substrate: 
Sand
Tertiary substrate: 
Substrate stability: 
Mobile
Substrate key details: 
No stable surface features
Wave exposure: 
Protected
Blue book classes: 
Marine intertidal gravel: Semi-protected
Map/survey site examples: 
Beckett Point
Fish sampling sites: 
Beach Seine: Beckett Point
Diagnostic species: 
  • Exosphaeroma
  • Owenia collaris
  • Excirolana
  • Nutricola
  • Hemigrapsus
  • Cymatogaster aggregata
  • Aulorhynchus flavidus
  • Leptocottus armatus
  • Parophrys vetulus
  • Enophrys bison
  • Apodichthys flavidus
VEC common associates: 
Leukoma staminea
Cancer spp.
Species notes: