Page 1 - CatraEgadi2006

Nova Hedwigia 82 3-4 489-538 Stuttgart, May 2006

The benthic algal flora on rocky substrata of the Egadi islands,
a marine protected archipelago ofT the western coast of Sicily

(ltaly, Mediterranean Sea)

by

Marcello Catra, Giuseppina Alongi, Donatella Serio,
Mario Cormaci and Giovanni Furnari*

Dipartimento di Botanica dell'Università di Catania
Via A. Longo 19, I - 95125 Catania, Italy

With 2 figures and 3 tables

Catra, M., G. Alongi, D. Serio, M. Cormaci & G. Furnari (2006) : The benthic algal flora on rocky
substrata of the Egadi islands, a marine protected archi pelago off the western coast of Sicily (Italy ,
Mediterranean Sea). - Nova Hedwigia 82: 489-538.

Abstract: The results of a floristic study of the benthic alga l flora on rocky substrata of the marine
protected area of the Egadi islands off western Sicily, which had previously been studied in 1970s,
are presented. The list ofspecies consists of200 Rhodophyta, 58 Ochrophyta (=Phaeophyta) and 27
Chlorophyta. Only 158 species of the present flora ha ve been previously reported, while Il O of
those previously reported were not found during the present study. Conversely, 127 species were
newly found. For each species, the distribution in the archipelago, the season(s) and depth(s) of
collection as well as the reproductive phenology, are given. The new combinations Audouinella
mediterranea (=Chantransia mediterranea) and Umbraulva olivascens (=Ulva olivascens) are made.

Key words: Algal flora, tloristic changes, Mediterranean Sea, Marine Protected Area, Egadi islands,
ltaly.

Introduction

The Egadi islands, a Marine Protected Area since 1991, are a small archi pelago
situated in front of Trapani (western Sicily). The archipelago consisting of three
large islands (Favignana, Marettimo and Levanzo) and four small islets (Formica,
Porcelli, Maraone, Asinelli), covers an area of 523 km2• Favignana and Levanzo are
the closest islands to Sicily and are about 16 km from it, while Marettimo is the
furthest one, being about 38 km from Sicily. Further geographic information on the
main islands are given in Table l.

*Corresponding author, e-mail: g.furnari @unict.it

001 : l o. l l 27/0029-5035/2006/0082-0489 0029-5035/06/0082-0489 $ 12.50

({) 2006 J. Cramer in der Gcbrtider Bomtracger
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