The quantitative distribution of three Cumacea (Crustacea, Peracarida) in Kames Bay, Scotland

Abstract

Comparative studies of the quantitative distribution and factors influencing the distribution are described for three species of cumaceans in Kames Bay, Scotland.Cumopsis goodsiri is restricted to the intertidal zone. The outer limits of distribution are controlled by a combination of sand grain size, exposure period and drainage. Iphinöe trispinosa is restricted to the sandy sublittoral zone from low-water mark to where the bottom begins to grade into mud. Pseudocuma longicornis overlaps completely with I. trispinosa and also extends into the sublittoral zone to mean low-water spring mark.The highest density for each species in Kames Bay is C. goodsiri, 30 per [Formula: see text]; I. trispinosa, 64 per [Formula: see text]; P. longicornis, 272 per [Formula: see text].