12 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 258 



padix, the sediments being protected from a severe cycle of erosion 

 and deposition by the surf grass. Another dense population of am- 

 phipods presumably protected by algae in a sand inundated situation 

 at the high tide line of La Jolla is described in table 24. 



At Pt. Dume the Phyllospadix component of the lower intertidal 

 zone is scarce. The densest zone of pelvetiids supports a mixture of 

 typical Cayucan species plus those Amphipoda indicating some 

 sedimentary encroachment and extreme wave-dash (table 11). 

 Typically, Hyale and Aoroides are mixed with sand-encroachment 

 indicators, Pontogeneia rostrata and Lysianassa macromerus plus the 

 wave-dash indicator, Parallorchestes ochotensis. The prominence of 

 Paraphoxus spmosus, member of a burrowing family, suggests the 

 presence of unconsolidated sediments. Even the scrapings of coralline 

 algae (table 12) have roughly the same faunistic composition as that 

 of the pelvetiid zone. In an area slightly removed from that depicted 

 in table 11, the phaeophytic samples of table 13 show a high ranking of 

 paraphoxids, Jassa and Parallorchestes. This combination suggests 

 impoverishment as a result of sand inundation and heavy surf. In- 

 deed, 5 samples of corallines have only 11 species of amphipods. 

 Parallorchestes ochotensis completely dominates those amphipods in a 

 group of samples from a stand of brown algae on a vertical, wave 

 dashed outcrop (table 14). 



The Phyllospadix-pelv etiid zones at Corona del Mar and La Jolla 

 are strongly intermingled with various species of articulated coralline 

 algae. Despite differences in specific appellations, the amphipodan 

 fauna is similar to that of Cayucos in the dominance of Hyale rubra 

 frequens, followed in rank by several species of Elasmopus and Photis, 

 and with Aoroides columbiae occurring in moderate abundance (table 

 19). However, Microjassa litotes, ranking sixth at Cayucos, comes 

 to second place at La Jolla, and Calliopiella pratti has disappeared 

 completely from intertidal zones south of Goleta. The several species 

 of Elasmopvs are much more prominent in the warm intertidal region 

 of southern California than in the cooler region to the north. Strangely 

 enough, they differ as to infraspecific designation between Corona del 

 Mar and La Jolla, despite seasonal similarity in collecting. The niches 

 filled by Photis bifurcata and P. brevipes at Cayucos apparently are 

 filled by P. elephantis and P. conchicola at Corona del Mar. However, 

 Photis brevipes is abundant at La Jolla and P. elephantis is sparse 

 (tables 21, 23, 25), thus indicating possible stress between the two 

 species. The subtropical apseudid-like Cerapus tubularis is a striking 

 occupant of Corona del Mar. Bodies of the individuals are dark 

 purple in alcohol and in life they inhabit circumferentially-striped, 

 ochre-yellow-brown, cylindrical tubes. 



