AFFINITIES OF THE MARINE FLORA OF THE REVILLAGIGEDO ISLANDS, MEXICO

The benthic algal flora reported for the Revillagigedo Islands compris es 205 specific infraspecific taxa: 42 Chlorophyta, 29 Phaeophyta and 134 Rhodophyta. This insular flora shares 131 taxa (54%) with other re gions of the Mexican Pacific and 74 (36%) are restricted apparently to the islands. One hundred three taxa (50%) are shared with areas of th e Mexican tropical Pacific, 69 (34%) with warm temperate Pacific Mexic o and 66 (32%) with La Pat, the transitional zone between tropical and warm temperate Pacific Mexico. Considering more general regions, the Revillagigedo Islands flora includes apparently restricted distributio n (34 spp., 16.6%), exclusively tropical (51 spp., 25%) and widely dis tributed eastern Pacific (33 spp., 16%) taxa. Even though we consider that the inventory of the Revillagigedo Islands and to a lesser degree the eastern tropical Pacific flora is still incomplete and in need of further taxonomic study, the floristic comparison shows a greater aff inity of the Revillagigedo Islands flora with the Mexican tropical Pac ific than with any other part of Mexico.