Floristic and biogeographic considerations about the benthic macroalgal flora in the Gulf of Taranto

A floristic research, based on both literature and collected data, was carried out on the seaweeds of the Gulf of Taranto. 462 taxa determined at both a specific and an intraspecific level were found, among which 313 are Rhodophyta, 79 Phaeophyta, 70 Chlorophyta. From a biogeographic point of view, 48.7% of species belong to the Atlantic element, 14.6% to the Mediterranean element, 24.8 % to the Cosmopolitan element, 5.3 % to the Indo-Pacific element, 5.3% to the Circumtropical element and 1.4 % to the Circumboreal one. Twelve alien species were recently collected, of which Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea and Hypnea cornuta proved to be invasive.