Proceedings of the Second Mediterranean Symposium on Marine

PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECOND MEDITERRANEAN SYMPOSIUM ON MARINE VEGETATION (ATHENS, 12-13 DECEMBER 2003)
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MARINE MACROPHYTOBENTHOS OF CYPRUS
Marine ARGYROU and Myroula HADJICHRISTOPHOROU
Environment Division, Department <strong>of</strong> Fisheries and Marine Research, Ministry <strong>of</strong> Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment,
13 Aeolou Str., 1416 Nicosia, Cyprus
ABSTRACT
In this study we report, a comprehensive list <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> marine macrophytobenthos <strong>of</strong> Cyprus
is presented for <strong>the</strong> first time. A total <strong>of</strong> 70 species recorded, <strong>of</strong> which 4,3 % are
seagrasses, 4,3 % are Cyanophyceae, 30 % are Chlorophyceae, 27,1 % are
Phaeophyceae and 24 % are Rhodophyceae. A 5,7 % <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> total macrophytobenthos
species is represented by Lessepsian migrants, from which <strong>the</strong> species, Caulerpa
racemosa, has a prominent colonization along <strong>the</strong> Cyprus coast.