In Sebkha Bou Areg, frequent species are the gastropods Bulla striata and Bittium
reticulatum; the bivalves Polititapes aureus, Cerastoderma sp., Abra sp. and
Gastrana fragilis; the polychaete Sabella pavonina; the decapods Palaemon
serratus and Carcinus maenas; the echinoderm Holothuria tubulosa; and the tunicates Clavelina lepadiformis and Botrylloides leachii (Bueno del Campo and
González-García 1996). The seagrass meadows are also reported as the habitat of
the bivalve Pinna nobilis and the cephalopod Sepia officinalis among others. In the
last third of the twentieth century, in areas of freshwater outcrop within the lagoon,
the native shrimp Penaeus kerathurus was still fished in great quantity, but at present
it is very scarce due to contamination of the south shore and by the installation of
aquaculture companies dedicated to Japanese shrimp Penaeus japonicus (Bueno del
Campo and González-García 1996).
In Cabo de Gata, the channels leading to the salt pans harbour species such as the
gastropods Aplysia punctata, Philine quadripartita and Haminoea orteai
(Ballesteros et al. 1986; Talavera et al. 1987), the decapod crustacean Palaemon
serratus and several fish (López Carrique et al. 2004). In areas of lower salinity in the
interior of the saline lagoon (Fig. 9.7), the silt-dwelling bivalves Abra segmentum,
Scrobicularia plana and Cerastoderma glaucum are abundant, as well as the
gastropod Hydrobia acuta, among the filamentous algae (Gofas et al. 2011). In the
ponds with higher salinity, the branchiopod crustaceans Artemia spp. (Artemia
salina, A. parthenogenetica and the introduced A. franciscana) are dominant and
represent the basis of the food of the pink flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus (García
Rodríguez et al. 1982; López Carrique et al. 2004).
The Albufera de Adra lagoons are peculiar because they are currently secluded
from the sea and their fauna is mainly freshwater, with some species of euryhaline
fish such as Aphanius iberus, Anguilla anguilla, Atherina boyeri and Chelon
labrosus (Vidal and Castro 1990; Paracuellos et al. 2019).
In Spain, the lagoons such as those of Adra and Cabo de Gata are included in the
Special Areas of Conservation under the Nature 2000 network, but the occurrence of
priority habitat 1150 “Coastal lagoons” of the Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive
was never claimed in the official registrations as Site of Community Importance. In
Morocco, Sebkha Bou Areg is declared as “Site d’Interêt Biologique et Ecologique”.
All three sites are listed as Ramsar wetlands of international importance. Coastal
lagoons that are permanently connected to the sea are also listed as “Essential Marine
Habitats (EMH) of relevance for the management of priority species” by the
Scientific Advisory Committee of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean 2009). Despite all
these classifications, coastal lagoons in the Alboran Sea are under heavy pressure,
mainly because of urban and agricultural discharges (Zine 2003; Ruiz et al. 2006).
9 Benthic Fauna of Littoral and Deep-Sea Habitats of the Alboran Sea: A. . .
299
reticulatum; the bivalves Polititapes aureus, Cerastoderma sp., Abra sp. and
Gastrana fragilis; the polychaete Sabella pavonina; the decapods Palaemon
serratus and Carcinus maenas; the echinoderm Holothuria tubulosa; and the tunicates Clavelina lepadiformis and Botrylloides leachii (Bueno del Campo and
González-García 1996). The seagrass meadows are also reported as the habitat of
the bivalve Pinna nobilis and the cephalopod Sepia officinalis among others. In the
last third of the twentieth century, in areas of freshwater outcrop within the lagoon,
the native shrimp Penaeus kerathurus was still fished in great quantity, but at present
it is very scarce due to contamination of the south shore and by the installation of
aquaculture companies dedicated to Japanese shrimp Penaeus japonicus (Bueno del
Campo and González-García 1996).
In Cabo de Gata, the channels leading to the salt pans harbour species such as the
gastropods Aplysia punctata, Philine quadripartita and Haminoea orteai
(Ballesteros et al. 1986; Talavera et al. 1987), the decapod crustacean Palaemon
serratus and several fish (López Carrique et al. 2004). In areas of lower salinity in the
interior of the saline lagoon (Fig. 9.7), the silt-dwelling bivalves Abra segmentum,
Scrobicularia plana and Cerastoderma glaucum are abundant, as well as the
gastropod Hydrobia acuta, among the filamentous algae (Gofas et al. 2011). In the
ponds with higher salinity, the branchiopod crustaceans Artemia spp. (Artemia
salina, A. parthenogenetica and the introduced A. franciscana) are dominant and
represent the basis of the food of the pink flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus (García
Rodríguez et al. 1982; López Carrique et al. 2004).
The Albufera de Adra lagoons are peculiar because they are currently secluded
from the sea and their fauna is mainly freshwater, with some species of euryhaline
fish such as Aphanius iberus, Anguilla anguilla, Atherina boyeri and Chelon
labrosus (Vidal and Castro 1990; Paracuellos et al. 2019).
In Spain, the lagoons such as those of Adra and Cabo de Gata are included in the
Special Areas of Conservation under the Nature 2000 network, but the occurrence of
priority habitat 1150 “Coastal lagoons” of the Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive
was never claimed in the official registrations as Site of Community Importance. In
Morocco, Sebkha Bou Areg is declared as “Site d’Interêt Biologique et Ecologique”.
All three sites are listed as Ramsar wetlands of international importance. Coastal
lagoons that are permanently connected to the sea are also listed as “Essential Marine
Habitats (EMH) of relevance for the management of priority species” by the
Scientific Advisory Committee of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean 2009). Despite all
these classifications, coastal lagoons in the Alboran Sea are under heavy pressure,
mainly because of urban and agricultural discharges (Zine 2003; Ruiz et al. 2006).
9 Benthic Fauna of Littoral and Deep-Sea Habitats of the Alboran Sea: A. . .
299