Identity:

Clean fine sands with less than 5% silt/clay in deeper water, either on the open coast or in tide-swept channels of marine inlets in depths of over 15-20 m. The habitat may also extend offshore and is characterised by a wide range of echinoderms (in some areas including the pea urchin Echinocyamus pusillus), polychaetes and bivalves. This habitat is generally more stable than shallower, infralittoral sands and consequently supports a more diverse community.