Hyale prevostii

Researched By	Jacqueline Hill	Data Supplied By	MarLIN
Refereed by	Prof. P. Geoff Moore
Taxonomy
Scientific name	Hyale prevostii	Common name	An amphipod
MCS Code	S224	Recent Synonyms	Hyale nilssoni (Rathke)
Phylum	Crustacea	Subphylum
Superclass		Class	Eumalacostraca
Subclass	Peracarida	Order	Amphipoda
Suborder	Gammaridea	Family	Hyalidae
Genus	Hyale	Species	prevostii
Subspecies
Additional Information	No text entered
Taxonomy References	Howson & Picton, 1997, Lincoln, 1979, Hayward & Ryland, 1995b
General Biology
Growth form	Articulate	Feeding method	Herbivore
Mobility/Movement	Crawler, Swimmer	Environmental position	Epifaunal, Epifloral, Epibenthic
Typical food types	Macroalgae, typically fucoids such as Pelvetia canaliculata and Fucus spiralis. Juveniles graze filamentous algae and micro-epiflora.	Habit	Free living
Bioturbator	Not relevant	Flexibility	High (>45 degrees)
Fragility	Intermediate	Size	Very small(<1cm)
Height	Insufficient information	Growth Rate	Insufficient information
Adult dispersal potential	100-1000m	Dependency	Independent
Sociability	Gregarious
Toxic/Poisonous?	No
Additional Information	Growth rate is affected by temperature. At higher temperatures growth is rapid with a short life span and smaller final body size (Moore, 1986).
Biology References	Moore, 1986, Moore, 1977(b)
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution in Britain & Ireland	All coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Global distribution	In Europe from southwest Iceland, north Norway and the Faeroes to the Mediterranean Sea. On the Atlantic coast of north America from south Labrador and the St Lawrence estuary to Connecticut. May be locally common.
Biogeographic range	Not researched	Depth range	Not relevant
Migratory	Seasonal (environment)
Distribution Additional Information	Hyale prevostii nestles in the damp apertures of live gastropods particularly during neap tides, vacating them at spring tide when the species migrates to higher levels of the shore (Moore, 1977).
Substratum preferences	Other species (see additional information), Algae, Bedrock	Physiographic preferences	Open coast, Estuary, Strait / sound, Enclosed coast / Embayment
Biological zone	Upper Eulittoral, Mid Eulittoral, Lower Eulittoral	Wave exposure	Moderately Exposed, Sheltered, Very Sheltered, Extremely Sheltered
Tidal stream strength/Water flow	Strong (3-6 kn), Moderately Strong (1-3 kn), Weak (<1 kn), Very Weak (negligible)	Salinity	Reduced (18-30 psu), Variable (18-40 psu), Full (30-40 psu)
Habitat Additional Information
Distribution References	Lincoln, 1979, Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Eno et al., 1997, Moore, 1986, Moore, 1977(c)
Reproduction/Life History
Reproductive type	Gonochoristic	Developmental mechanism	Direct Development
Reproductive Season	See additional information	Reproductive Location	As adult
Reproductive frequency	Annual protracted	Regeneration potential	No
Life span	1-2 years	Age at reproductive maturity	Insufficient information
Generation time	1-2 years	Fecundity	Insufficient information
Egg/propagule size	Insufficient information	Fertilization type	External
Larvae/Juveniles Larval/Juvenile dispersal potential Insufficient information Larval settlement period Not relevant Duration of larval stage Not relevant
Additional Information	Timing and length of the reproductive period is influenced by temperature. In the south of its range, on the north coast of Spain, Hyale prevostii breeds year-round (Gonzáles & Anadón, 1981). In cooler waters the reproductive period is reduced, for example, February-November in Scotland (Moore, 1986) and April - October in New England (McBane & Crocker, 1984). Reproduction, and therefore the production of gametes, varies across its range. The mating system is polygynous. Mating is prefaced by a period of precopula (duration c.42h) during which time the male carries the passive female tucked under the ventral surface (Moore, 1986). There is no sperm storage, and fertilisation is external. Amphipods do not have a free swimming larval stage. Embryos are brooded in a marsupium, beneath the thorax, formed by the coxal plates and released as juveniles. Same size females produce fewer eggs both to the far north and far south of their range supporting the hypothesis that optimal conditions exist in the middle of the species' geographical range.
Reproduction References	Fish & Fish, 1996, Moore, 1986, Gonzáles & Anadón, 1981, McBane & Crocker, 1984