The Distribution of Nephtys on the Scottish Coast

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Abstract
Contrary to previous reports that Nephtys caeca is common and widespread on sandy beaches in Scotland, N. cirrosa is characteristic of clean sand and N. hombergi of muddy sand, as in SW England. Distribution of these spp. can be correlated with distribution of warm water around N of Scotland into North Sea. Although N. cirrosa and N. hombergi live in clean and muddy sand, respectively, N7 hombergi lives in coarser substrata in Scotland than in England. There is a considerable degree of ecological overlap between 2 spp. and many beaches are populated by both. It is suggested that N. cirrosa, being near N limits of its geographical range suffers increased competition from N. hombergi, which extends much further N, and is forced out into coarser substrata than it occupies elsewhere.