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The taxonomic information about macroalgal species along the Atlantic coast of Morocco is sparse and, in most cases, related to historical records. The aim of the present study is to catalogue the subtidal and intertidal red seaweeds inhabiting three coastal areas nearby Essaouira city, extended between 31° 52′ N−9° 75′ W North and 31° 49′ N −9° 76′ W South. It is the first revised and updated checklist of Rhodophyceae for almost 18 years on the Atlantic Moroccan coastline. A total of 196 taxa belonging to 104 genera was recorded, with an increase of 22% in species compared to previous studies. Additionally, the new benthic macroalgal species collected in the different seasons of the year are shown as well as a comparative analysis of the Ecological State Groups (ESG) of the new records with their Recovery Index (RI) among the three sampled coastal areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to update the red seaweed species in the intertidal zone of the Atlantic coast of Sidi Bouzid, a seaside resort near El Jadida City (Morocco) from 2016 to 2018. A particular interest was given to the new species recorded for the first time in the Moroccan coasts. The results obtained have shown an important red algal diversity in comparison to previous studies with 32 species of seaweeds that were found for the first time in this coastal area. A total of 156 species was recorded andrepresented by 35 families of red algae, where the largest number of these species belonged to Ceramiales order with 73 species, as well as 20 species of the order Gigartinales and 10 species for the Gelidiales and Corallinales orders. Among them, two epiphytes, Aglaothamnion tripinnatum and Gaillona gallica , are cited for the first time for the Moroccan coastline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]