Images of the intertidal marine fauna and flora encountered on Tregardock Beach, North Cornwall, from 2001 - 2009 - Sea-Nature Studies

Images of the intertidal marine fauna and flora encountered on Tregardock Beach, North Cornwall, from 2001 - 2009

Actinia equina (Linnaeus, 1758), the beadlet anemone (with blue acrorhagi clearly visible).

Actinia equina (Linnaeus, 1758), the beadlet anemone.

Egg mass of Doris pseudoargus Rapp, 1827, the sea lemon.

Doris pseudoargus Rapp, 1827, the sea lemon (with sponge food).

Perforatus perforatus (Bruguière, 1789), an acorn barnacle.

Diogenes curvimanus (Clément, 1874), a small hermit crab previously thought to be Diogenes pugilator (Roux, 1829) but distinguishable by the light blue spot, dorsal face, fourth segment of the antenna (Almón et al 2022).

Patella pellucida Linnaeus, 1758, blue-rayed limpets.

Jania rubens (Linnaeus) J.V.Lamouroux, 1816, a calcareous red alga.

Lepidochitona cinerea (Linnaeus, 1767), the grey chiton (hahaha!).

Phorcus lineatus (da Costa, 1778), the toothed top shell.

Phorcus lineatus (da Costa, 1778), the toothed top shell.

Otina ovata (T. Brown, 1827), a tiny high shore gastropod.

Trivia monacha (da Costa, 1778), the spotted cowrie.

Actinia equina (Linnaeus, 1758), the beadlet anemone.

Actinia fragacea Tugwell, 1856, the strawberry anemone and Actinia equina (Linnaeus, 1758), the beadlet anemone.

Actinia equina (Linnaeus, 1758), the beadlet anemone (green form).

Aeolidia papillosa (Linnaeus, 1761), the grey sea-slug.

Anurida maritima (Guérin-Méneville, 1836), springtails.

Cancer pagurus Linnaeus, 1758, the edible crab.

Chondrus crispus Stackhouse, 1797, Irish moss.

Flat or purple top shell and dog whelks.

Steromphala umbilicalis (da Costa, 1778), the flat top shell.

Hymeniacidon perlevis (Montagu, 1814), an orange/red sponge.

Lasaea adansoni (Gmelin, 1791), a tiny intertidal bivalve.

Lepidochitona cinerea (Linnaeus, 1767), the grey chiton (hahaha, again!).

Littorina saxatilis (Olivi, 1792), the rough periwinkle (species complex).

Many of the species recorded from Tregardock Beach could be found on this single large rock outcrop.

Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758, the common or edible blue mussel encrusted with barnacles on the lee-ward side of the large rock outcrop.

Nucella lapillus (Linnaeus, 1758), dog whelks.

Onchidella celtica (Cuvier, 1817), celtic sea-slug, over-wintering in an empty barnacle test.

Onchidella celtica (Cuvier, 1817), celtic sea-slug on empty dog whelk egg capsules.

Sagartia elegans (Dalyell, 1848), the elegant sea anemone.

Lipophrys pholis (Linnaeus, 1758), the shanny.

Nucella lapillus (Linnaeus, 1758), dog whelks, with operculum visible.

Verrucaria mucosa Wahlenberg, 1803, a tar lichen.

Tregardock Beach, North Cornwall, view from descent.

Tregardock Beach, North Cornwall, view south-west.

Nucella lapillus (Linnaeus, 1758), dog whelks, one with a drill hole.

Nucella lapillus (Linnaeus, 1758), dog whelk, audibly grinding through a mussel shell.

Nucella lapillus (Linnaeus, 1758), dog whelk and prey!

Carcinus maenas (Linnaeus, 1758), shore crabs mating.

A 'Greenleaf worm', often recorded as Eulalia viridis (Linnaeus, 1767), but care is needed as this is a species complex (Bonse et al 1996).

Spot the flatfish...!

Patella vulgata Linnaeus, 1758, the common limpet.

Littorina obtusata (Linnaeus, 1758), the flat periwinkle.

Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758, the common or edible blue mussel, embedded in rock.

Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758, the common or edible blue mussel.

Acanthochitona crinita (Pennant, 1777), a chiton, with mussels, celtic sea-slug and Chthamalus barnacles.

Anemonia viridis (Forsskål, 1775), snakelocks anemones.

Idotea pelagica Leach, 1816, an isopod.

Ligia oceanica (Linnaeus, 1767), the sea slater, packed into a crevice high on the shore.

Nucella lapillus (Linnaeus, 1758), dog whelk eggs, on a dog whelk, hatching.

Desmarestia ligulata (Stackhouse) J.V.Lamouroux, 1813, Desmarest's flattened weed.

Dilsea carnosa (Schmidel) Kuntze, 1898, red rags.

Fucus serratus Linnaeus, 1753, the serrated wrack.

Gastroclonium reflexum (Chauvin) Kützing, 1849, reflexed grape weed.

Gymnogongrus crenulatus (Turner) J.Agardh, 1851, Norwegian fan weed.

Halidrys siliquosa (Linnaeus) Lyngbye, 1819, sea oak.

Pelvetia canaliculata (Linnaeus) Decaisne & Thuret, 1845, channel wrack.

Saccorhiza polyschides (Lightfoot) Batters, 1902, Furbellows.

Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt, 1955, wireweed.

Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt, 1955, wireweed.

Caloplaca marina Wedd., 1873, the orange sea lichen.

Cancer pagurus Linnaeus, 1758, the edible crab.

Caprella penantis Leach, 1814, a skeleton shrimp, on Desmarest's flattened weed (note also isopod, Idotea pelagica).

Diptera (fly larvae) feeding on a Chthamalus barnacle.

Diptera (fly larvae) feeding on a Chthamalus barnacle.

Unknown mollusc egg mass.

Grantia compressa (Fabricius, 1780), the purse sponge.

Halichondria (Halichondria) panicea (Pallas, 1766), the breadcrumb sponge.

Hyale pontica Rathke, 1847, an amphipod.

Lichina confinis (O.F. Müller) C. Agardh, 1821, a lichen.

Chthamalus stellatus (Poli, 1791), a barnacle with Pyrenocollema halodytes (Nyl.) R.C. Harris, 1987, an associated lichen.

Onchidella celtica (Cuvier, 1817), juvenile celtic sea slugs.

Ophlitaspongia papilla Bowerbank, 1866, an orange sponge.

The National Trust marker for Tregardock Cliffs.

Semibalanus balanoides (Linnaeus, 1767), an acorn barnacle.

Xanthoria parietina (L.) Beltr., 1858, the yellow scale or shore lichen.

Anthopleura thallia (Gosse, 1854), Glaucus pimplet.

Trivia monacha (da Costa, 1778), a juvenile spotted cowrie.

Trivia monacha (da Costa, 1778), a juvenile spotted cowrie.

Velella velella (Linnaeus, 1758), the by-the-wind-sailor.

Velella velella (Linnaeus, 1758), the by-the-wind-sailor.

Diogenes pugilator (Roux, 1829), the small hermit crab.

Onchidella celtica (Cuvier, 1817), celtic sea slug.

References:
BONSE, S., SCHMIDT, H., EIBYE-JACOBSEN, D., & WESTHEIDE, W. (1996). Eulalia viridis (Polychaeta: Phyllodocidae) is a complex of two species in northern Europe: Results from biochemical and morphological analyses. Cahiers de Biologie Marine, 37, 33–48. https://doi.org/10.21411/CBM.A.3348C329

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