Endolithic fauna of vacated Zirfaea crispata (Linne) burrows, in Blomidon shale, Minas Basin, Nova Scotia

Vacated Zirfaea crispata (Linné) burrows at Cape Blomidon, Nova Scotia were studied from September, 1978 through January, 1979. The major objective was to determine the "endolithic" community inhabiting these protected burrows. Nine field trips were conducted during low water to extreme low water spring tides. Sampling was primarily confined to the lower eulittoral zone due to high concentration of vacated burrows there. This study deals with four of the nine phyla collected: Annelida, Nemertinea, Sipunculida, and Tunicata. Thirty-four species of polychaetes, six species of nemertines, one species of sipunculoid and a single tunicate specimen were recovered. Four polychaetes, Harmothoe extenuata (Grube), Pherusa afinis (Leidy), Notomastus latericeus Sars, and Praxillella sp. along with the sipunculoid, Phascolopsis gouldi (Pourtales) were new to the list of Minas Basin invertebrates. This study revealed that sublittoral species have become established in the eulittoral zone by utilizing the vacated pholad burrows.