Lembos websteri

David Kipling Are there any tube-dwelling amphipods in the UK other than Jassa falcata? I've come across mention of Parajassa pelagica, in the context of being a shallow-water biofouler, but can't find any pictures of it in its nests/tubes. And I have no idea if there are additional species. Keith ... you've written about these species, can you comment?

Jon Moore There are lots of tube dwelling amphipod species in the UK, but most of them live in sediments, e.g. all the Ampeliscids. Epifaunal tube dwellers include Lembos websteri, Erichthonius brasiliensis, Ampithoe spp, Microdeutopus spp, some of the Corophium spp and numerous others. However, most of the ones I see diving normally turn out to be Jassa falcata - they do seem to like the same tide-swept habitats that divers like.

David Kipling Thanks Jon!

Keith Hiscock Parjassa pelagica occurs in shallow depths on wave lashed reefs. Deeper than P. pelagica, Jassa falcata is the dominant jassid forming muddy tubes that may be so extensive that the seabed looks like a farmyard. Bob Forster commented in his 'Underwater observations on the fauna of shallow rocky areas ....' (JMBA 37, 473-482) that P. pelagica occurred to 13m at the Eddystone but only 2-4m inshore at the Mewstone. I have not found the definitive paper about depth ranges and do not have an image of Parajassa.