Sandhoppers, Talitrus saltator (Montagu, 1808) (Amphipoda, Gammaridea), atthe Polish Baltic coast: Seasonal and spatial distribution patterns

The occurrence of sandhoppers (Talitrus saltator) was studied on a scale of meters, hundreds of meters, and kilometres along the 30 km long Hel Penins ula in Poland. The animals occurred in patches of several meters in diamete r which were separated by kilometres of uninhabited sand. Seasonal movement s occurred; animals were found in spring and early summer close to the wate r line and in late summer and autumn Farther up on the shore. A few juvenil es, apparently from the wintering population, were observed in April, altho ugh the main breeding took place in late July. Two generations a year are p roduced and the life span is 4-5 months for the spring generation and 8 mon ths for the winter one. The juveniles tend to be more widely dispersed in c omparison with the adults.