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Where does the Mediterranean Sea begin? Zoogeographical affinities of the littoral sponges of the Straits of Gibraltar

1997; Wiley; Volume: 24; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1046/j.1365-2699.1997.00082.x

1365-2699

José Luís Carballo, Santiago Naranjo, José Carlos García‐Gómez,

Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies

A geographical study of the littoral sponges from the Straits of Gibraltar was undertaken, where the origin of these sponges is observed to be a transition between the different geographic regions that meet in the Straits. A great affinity was also observed between the Mauretanian fauna, the fauna from the Straits of Gibraltar and that from the entire Spanish Peninsular Mediterranean, thus conforming a very homogeneous block within the group of areas studied. On the other hand, a numerous group of species traditionally considered endemic to the Mediterranean, such as: Haliclona mucosa , H. valliculata , H. cratera , H. fulva , H. aqueductus . H. mediterranea , Dendroxea lenis , Phorbas tenacior , Hexadella racovitzai , Ircinia oros , Dictyonella incisa , Acanthella acuta , Diplastrella bistellata , etc. are believed to have an origin in tropical or subtropical Alantic waters.