Red List of Benthic Invertebrates
In all, 19 macrozoobenthic species were considered threatened in the HELCOM Red List assessment. One species, an amphipod Haploops tenuis, was categorised as Endangered (EN) and eighteen species as Vulnerable (VU). Most of the threatened species are restricted to the western part of the HELCOM area with many occurring mainly in the Kattegat.
Nine species were classified Near Threatened (NT) and 23 species as Data Deficient (DD). Altogether, 51 species were red-listed in this assessment.
Of the almost 1 900 species included in the Baltic Sea checklist, 627 (33%) were left unevaluated (Not Evaluated). For these species the information required for the assessment was missing, for example due to the fact that the species never or only occasionally become sampled in normal monitoring.
It is quite likely that eutrophication has played a significant role in the negative development for many of the red-listed benthic invertebrates. In the western HELCOM area, to which most of the red-listed species are restricted, the detrimental changes caused by eutrophication are the same as elsewhere in the Baltic Sea region, for example increased sedimentation and anoxia in bottom habitats.
Another important factor behind the declines is bottom trawling, which is very intense in some areas. Bottom trawling has a direct impact on benthic fauna on the actual site of trawling and causes turbidity and increased sedimentation over much larger areas.
Various construction activities, especially on the coast, have also had detrimental effects on bottom fauna. This includes sea defence or coast protection works, land reclamation, the construction of wind farms and dredging to deepen waterways, for example, as well as boulder fishing, which has decreased the amount of hard bottom habitats considerably in some areas in past decades.
Species Information Sheets
Name | Species name | Threat category | Threat criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| HELCOM Red List Monoporeia affinis | Monoporeia affinis | Least Concern (LC) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Haploops tenuis | Haploops tenuis | Endangered (EN) | B1ab(i,iii)+2ab(ii,iii) |
| HELCOM Red List Clelandella miliaris | Clelandella miliaris | Vulnerable (VU) | B1ab(i,iii) |
| HELCOM Red List Cliona celata | Cliona celata | Vulnerable (VU) | D2 |
| HELCOM Red List Deshayesorchestia deshayesii | Deshayesorchestia deshayesii | Vulnerable (VU) | B2ab(iii) |
| HELCOM Red List Epitonium clathrus | Epitonium clathrus | Vulnerable (VU) | B1ab(iii) |
| HELCOM Red List Haploops tubicola | Haploops tubicola | Vulnerable (VU) | B1ab(i,iii)+2ab(ii,iii) |
| HELCOM Red List Hippasteria phrygiana | Hippasteria phrygiana | Vulnerable (VU) | B1ab(iii) |
| HELCOM Red List Hippolyte varians | Hippolyte varians | Vulnerable (VU) | B1ab(iii) |
| HELCOM Red List Lunatia pallida | Lunatia pallida | Vulnerable (VU) | B1ab(iii) |
| HELCOM Red List Macoma calcarea | Macoma calcarea | Vulnerable (VU) | A2c |
| HELCOM Red List Modiolus modiolus | Modiolus modiolus | Vulnerable (VU) | A2c |
| HELCOM Red List Nucula nucleus | Nucula nucleus | Vulnerable (VU) | A2c |
| HELCOM Red List Parvicardium hauniense | Parvicardium hauniense | Vulnerable (VU) | B2ab(ii,iii) |
| HELCOM Red List Pelonaia corrugata | Pelonaia corrugata | Vulnerable (VU) | D2 |
| HELCOM Red List Scrobicularia plana | Scrobicularia plana | Vulnerable (VU) | A2c |
| HELCOM Red List Solaster endeca | Solaster endeca | Vulnerable (VU) | B1ab(iii) |
| HELCOM Red List Stomphia coccinea | Stomphia coccinea | Vulnerable (VU) | B1ab(iii) |
| HELCOM Red List Abra prismatica | Abra prismatica | Vulnerable (VU) | B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) |
| HELCOM Red List Atelecyclus rotundatus | Atelecyclus rotundatus | Vulnerable (VU) | D2 |
| HELCOM Red List Boreotrophon truncatus | Boreotrophon truncatus | Near Threatened (NT) | B2ab(ii,iii) |
| HELCOM Red List Corophium multisetosum | Corophium multisetosum | Near Threatened (NT) | B2b |
| HELCOM Red List Corystes cassivelaunus | Corystes cassivelaunus | Near Threatened (NT) | D2 |
| HELCOM Red List Inachus dorsettensis | Inachus dorsettensis | Near Threatened (NT) | B1ab(iii) |
| HELCOM Red List Mya truncata | Mya truncata | Near Threatened (NT) | A2c |
| HELCOM Red List Sabella pavonina | Sabella pavonina | Near Threatened (NT) | B1ab(iii) |
| HELCOM Red List Alderia modesta | Alderia modesta | Near Threatened (NT) | B2a |
| HELCOM Red List Amauropsis islandica | Amauropsis islandica | Near Threatened (NT) | B2ab(ii,iii,iv) |
| HELCOM Red List Ekmania barthii | Ekmania barthii | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Epitonium clathratulum | Epitonium clathratulum | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Epitonium turtonis | Epitonium turtonis | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Eurydice pulchra | Eurydice pulchra | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Gammarellus angulosus | Gammarellus angulosus | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Gammarus inaequicauda | Gammarus inaequicauda | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Geryon trispinosus | Geryon trispinosus | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Inachus phalangium | Inachus phalangium | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Lekanesphaera rugicauda | Lekanesphaera rugicauda | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Limnoria lignorum | Limnoria lignorum | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Macroplea pubipennis | Macroplea pubipennis | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Myosotella myosotis | Myosotella myosotis | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Orchestia gammarellus | Orchestia gammarellus | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Palaemonetes varians | Palaemonetes varians | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Pleurogonium rubicundum | Pleurogonium rubicundum | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Roxania utriculus | Roxania utriculus | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Skeneopsis planorbis | Skeneopsis planorbis | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Talitrus saltator | Talitrus saltator | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Thia scutellata | Thia scutellata | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Upogebia stellata | Upogebia stellata | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Vitreolina philippi | Vitreolina philippi | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Agrypnetes crassicornis | Agrypnetes crassicornis | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Amphipholis squamata | Amphipholis squamata | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Cryptonatica affinis | Cryptonatica affinis | Data Deficient (DD) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Pontoporeia femorata | Pontoporeia famorata | Least Concern (LC) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Saduria entomon | Saduria entomon | Least Concern (LC) | – |
| HELCOM Red List Macroplea mutica | Macroplea mutica | Least Concern (LC) |
