NEW RECORDS FOR THE BENTHIC MARINE FLORA OF CHAFARINAS ISLANDS (ALBORAN SEA, WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN)

摘要

The Chafarinas Islands, of volcanic origin, are located in the Alboran Sea, in front of the north coast of Morocco, less than 2,5 miles far away from Ras el Ma, and near the frontier with Algeria (UTM coordinates 30SWD59). It is formed by three islands, named Isla del Congreso, Isla del Rey and Isla de Isabel II, the latter being the only one housing a permanent military population. The marine biota of the Chafarinas Islands is very rich, mainly because of the influence of both Atlantic and Mediterranean waters, which define the biogeographical importance of the archipiélago. The knowledge on the marine flora of the islands has been achieved in a scattered way in time (Conde 1984, Navarro & Gallardo 1989, González & Conde 1994, Flores & Conde 1998, Benhissoune et al. 2001, Benhissoune et al. 2002a, Benhissoune et al. 2002b, Benhissoune et al. 2003), with no new record since more than ten years ago (Altamirano 1999). Up to now the marine flora has revealed to include more than 130 specific and infraspecific taxa, including cyanobacteria, macroalgae and the seagrass Posidon oceánica L.