P. oceanica and communities of sciaphilous algae in the various caves and large
cavities present on its bottoms. The eulittoral communities are also of great
interest, where important developments of Rissoella verruculosa can be
observed, being one of the main enclaves of the Alboran Sea where this species
develops. The bottom reaches a maximum depth of around 25 m in the Punta de
Cerro Gordo, although the plant communities of greatest interest in this area are
between 0 and 12 m. Eulittoral pools and populations of Cystoseira
tamariscifolia are well developed in this area. Mesophyllum lichenoides also
shows significant development in certain areas.
7. Calahonda. Located on the western coast of the province of Malaga (not to be
confused with the Acantilados y Fondos Marinos de Calahonda-Castell de
Ferro, detailed in #4; these two Andalusian localities have similar names). The
presence of natural habitats compiled in Directive 92/43/EEC justified the
designation of this area as a SAC. It is a terrestrial and maritime area located
on the continental shelf, which includes a small strip of land along the shore,
formed by sandy beaches and rocky outcrops. The SAC of Calahonda is an area
of relevance for its biological diversity and has one of the richest faunal and
floristic heritages of Europe (García Raso et al. 2010). The rocky platforms and
eulittoral pools have a rich flora, even including the seagrass Cymodocea
nodosa. In the eulittoral appears Fucus guiryi, a species that here reaches its
eastern limit of distribution on the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula. In the
infralittoral, the presence of the seagrasses Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea
nodosa accompanied by a varied flora of algae stands out. There are large
shallow areas of dead P. oceanica that probably constituted barrier reefs until
a few decades ago.
8. Placer de las Bóvedas. The Placer de las Bóvedas is one of the few circalittoral
rocky bottoms located off the coast of the province of Malaga, and it is in an
excellent state of conservation, constituting an area of extraordinary biodiversity. It is located about 9 km southwest of San Pedro de Alcántara, between
Estepona and Marbella. It is a set of underwater elevations, the shallowest at
25 m depth. The marine flora proliferates down to 40 m depth, characterized by
encrusting coralline formations and maerl beds. This area was included in the
proposed Special Area Conservation El Saladillo-Punta de Baños in 2016 (the
final status must be recognized by the EC, but at the time of writing, it is still
pending).
9. Estepona. At the eastern end of the bay of Estepona (Málaga) lies the SAC
Fondos Marinos de la Bahía de Estepona. Here Posidonia oceanica meadows do
not exceed 4 m in depth (included in a proposed enlargement to the Special Area
Conservation in 2016). These sites are very near the western limit of distribution
of this species, at Punta Chullera. In deeper areas, rocky substrates host
Cystoseira usneoides formations, red corallinaceous algae such as Lithophyllum
stictaeforme or Mesophyllum lichenoides, and extensive communities of the
small kelp Phyllariopsis purpurascens.
10. Ceuta. Ceuta has 21 km of coastline, influenced by Atlantic and Mediterranean
waters. Along this coastal strip, cliff areas alternate with coves and beaches.
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A. Flores-Moya et al.
cavities present on its bottoms. The eulittoral communities are also of great
interest, where important developments of Rissoella verruculosa can be
observed, being one of the main enclaves of the Alboran Sea where this species
develops. The bottom reaches a maximum depth of around 25 m in the Punta de
Cerro Gordo, although the plant communities of greatest interest in this area are
between 0 and 12 m. Eulittoral pools and populations of Cystoseira
tamariscifolia are well developed in this area. Mesophyllum lichenoides also
shows significant development in certain areas.
7. Calahonda. Located on the western coast of the province of Malaga (not to be
confused with the Acantilados y Fondos Marinos de Calahonda-Castell de
Ferro, detailed in #4; these two Andalusian localities have similar names). The
presence of natural habitats compiled in Directive 92/43/EEC justified the
designation of this area as a SAC. It is a terrestrial and maritime area located
on the continental shelf, which includes a small strip of land along the shore,
formed by sandy beaches and rocky outcrops. The SAC of Calahonda is an area
of relevance for its biological diversity and has one of the richest faunal and
floristic heritages of Europe (García Raso et al. 2010). The rocky platforms and
eulittoral pools have a rich flora, even including the seagrass Cymodocea
nodosa. In the eulittoral appears Fucus guiryi, a species that here reaches its
eastern limit of distribution on the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula. In the
infralittoral, the presence of the seagrasses Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea
nodosa accompanied by a varied flora of algae stands out. There are large
shallow areas of dead P. oceanica that probably constituted barrier reefs until
a few decades ago.
8. Placer de las Bóvedas. The Placer de las Bóvedas is one of the few circalittoral
rocky bottoms located off the coast of the province of Malaga, and it is in an
excellent state of conservation, constituting an area of extraordinary biodiversity. It is located about 9 km southwest of San Pedro de Alcántara, between
Estepona and Marbella. It is a set of underwater elevations, the shallowest at
25 m depth. The marine flora proliferates down to 40 m depth, characterized by
encrusting coralline formations and maerl beds. This area was included in the
proposed Special Area Conservation El Saladillo-Punta de Baños in 2016 (the
final status must be recognized by the EC, but at the time of writing, it is still
pending).
9. Estepona. At the eastern end of the bay of Estepona (Málaga) lies the SAC
Fondos Marinos de la Bahía de Estepona. Here Posidonia oceanica meadows do
not exceed 4 m in depth (included in a proposed enlargement to the Special Area
Conservation in 2016). These sites are very near the western limit of distribution
of this species, at Punta Chullera. In deeper areas, rocky substrates host
Cystoseira usneoides formations, red corallinaceous algae such as Lithophyllum
stictaeforme or Mesophyllum lichenoides, and extensive communities of the
small kelp Phyllariopsis purpurascens.
10. Ceuta. Ceuta has 21 km of coastline, influenced by Atlantic and Mediterranean
waters. Along this coastal strip, cliff areas alternate with coves and beaches.
270
A. Flores-Moya et al.