Coast Of France Research Articles

Trans‐equatorial migration, staging sites and wintering area of Sabine’s GullsLarus sabiniin the Atlantic Ocean

The migrations and winter distributions of most seabirds, particularly small pelagic species, remain poorly understood despite their potential as indicators of marine ecosystem health. Here we report the use of miniature archival light loggers (geolocators) to track the annual migration of Sabine’s GullLarus sabini, a small (c.200 g) Arctic‐breeding larid. We describe their migratory routes and identify previously unknown staging sites in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as their main Atlantic wintering area in the southern hemisphere. Sabine’s Gulls breeding in northeast Greenland displayed an average annual migration of almost 32 000 km (n = 6), with the longest return journey spanning close to 39 000 km (not including local movements at staging sites or within the wintering area). On their southern migration, they spent an average of 45 days in the Bay of Biscay and Iberian Sea, off the coasts of France, Spain and Portugal. They all wintered in close association with the cold waters of the Benguela Upwelling, spending an average of 152 days in that area. On their return north, Sabine’s Gulls staged off the west African coast (Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal), spending on average 19 days at this site. This leg of migration was particularly rapid, birds travelling an average of 813 km/day, assisted by the prevailing winds. Sabine’s Gulls generally followed a similar path on their outbound and return migrations, and did not exhibit the broad figure‐of‐eight pattern (anti clockwise in the southern hemisphere and clockwise in the northern hemisphere) seen in other trans‐equatorial seabirds in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Origins and age structure of Red Knot Calidris canutus staging and wintering on the Atlantic coast of France

In western Europe, the coasts of Vendee and Charente-Maritime on the central Atlantic shoreline of France constitute the most southern wintering site for the Red Knot Calidris canutus islandica, welcoming around 37,000 individuals each winter, and also represent a key stopover area for C. c. canutus (up to 60,000 individuals) between Africa and the Wadden Sea in spring. Nevertheless, the origin of the birds in France arriving in the autumn is unclear, considering that the first islandica start to appear for wintering while canutus could use the same sites as a stopover on their migration route to Africa. We used biometric data from birds caught between 1983 and 2008 to assess the origin of Red Knot staging and wintering in France, and we also investigated the age structure of Red Knot groups during three distinctive periods of their biological cycle: autumn migration, wintering and spring migration. This first assessment was completed by data analysis of ring recoveries over a period of 44 years and isotopic ratio signatures of feathers. The obtained results were in conformity with the general patterns of distribution throughout the year and the timing of migration of both subspecies in Europe as described in previous reviews. Nevertheless, this study highlights two unknown features for both subspecies in this part of their European area distributions. First, a very large predominance of juveniles was recorded at the expense of an extreme rarity of adults in autumn and early winter. We prove the presence of canutus-knots among these juveniles, even with staging later in the autumn and the possibility of wintering there for some of them. Although the Atlantic coast of France welcomes only 9% of the population of islandica-knots wintering in Europe, this network of estuarine bays could represent a crucial strategic area for juveniles. The place could constitute a liberated area for islandica juveniles coming later than adults already settled in northern sites. It offers the possibility for canutus to migrate south on distance-limited stages in order to experiment with the flyway and refuel to join the traditional African wintering grounds.

Historical tsunami database for France and its overseas territories

Abstract. A search and analysis of a large number of historical documents has made it possible: (i) to discover so-far unknown tsunamis that have hit the French coasts during the last centuries, and (ii) conversely, to disprove the tsunami nature of several events referred to in recent catalogues. This information has been structured into a database and also made available as a website (http://www.tsunamis.fr) that is accessible in French, English and Spanish. So far 60 genuine ("true") tsunamis have been described (with their dates, causes, oceans/seas, places observed, number of waves, flood and ebb distances, run-up, and intensities) and referenced against contemporary sources. Digitized documents are accessible online. In addition, so as to avoid confusion, tsunamis revealed as "false" or "doubtful" have been compiled into a second catalogue. Both the database and the website are updated annually corresponding to the state of knowledge, so as to take into account newly discovered historical references and the occurrence of new tsunamis on the coasts of France and many of its overseas territories: Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, New Caledonia, Réunion, and Mayotte.

The Dog Whelk Nucella lapillus and Dye Extraction Activities From the Iron Age to the Middle Ages Along the Atlantic Coast of France

ABSTRACT In Europe, the extraction of dyes from marine shells found in archaeological contexts is little known outside the Mediterranean area. Although smaller than the Mediterranean species with dyeing properties, the dog whelk Nucella lapillus and the oyster drill Ocenebra erinaceus can be indicative of dyeing activities. They are regularly found broken in archaeological contexts in France and Ireland, where their presence can indicate an important economic activity of the coastal inhabitants. In this article, I summarize the archaeological data for this activity along the Channel and Atlantic coasts of France, including localization of these deposits and their chronology, composition of the shell middens, typology of fragments of shell, and presence of other activities. The application of biometrics to dog whelks from one site, ZA du Pladreau, yields information on the way in which the shells were selected first on the seashore, and second at the place of pigment extraction.

Admiralty Lookout and the Defence of Dover Harbour, 1905–1945

AbstractDover Castle played an important role in defending the south-east coast for almost 900 years, most crucially perhaps during both world wars of the twentieth century. In the Spring of 2008 English Heritage opened to the public an apparently unremarkable brick and concrete structure, perched on the very edge of the White Cliffs at the southern limit of the castle. Known as Admiralty Lookout, this building enjoys a panorama of the Dover Straits and the coast of France. In wartime it formed a lookout and communications centre for controlling those Royal Navy, Army coast artillery and civilian port authorities responsible for the safety of shipping in the Straits and the installations of the harbour. This article summarises its varied service history, and how the staff stationed there exercised their important commands.

Total phenolic contents, radical scavenging and cyclic voltammetry of seaweeds from Brittany

The role of polyphenols as antioxidants in our daily nutrition has been extensively investigated, but information on composition of tannins from marine sources on nutrient utilisation is limited. This study will be focused on the determination of the polyphenol quantities in brown seaweeds from Brittany coast in France; the extracts were delivered from algae centre for valorisation (CEVA), and the fidelity of the method was examined intraday and interlaboratories. The seaweed’s extracts are divided into three categories: Fucus Vesiculosus, Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus Serratus. Consequently, the total polyphenol contents (TPC) of these extracts will be measured using Folin–Glombitza spectrophotometric method. Thereafter, the antioxidant properties of these polyphenols were determined using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging. All polyphenols extracted were tested using cyclic voltammetry (CV) in aprotic media. The CV is realised to compare the results from spectroscopic method and to electrochemically characterise the seaweed’s polyphenols.

Telecommunications in European Island Micro-States and Micro-Territories

On the margins of Europe lie a number of micro-states and micro-territories. Global best practice in telecommunications fits them poorly ‒ it does not scale down to the necessary level. The problems are aggravated by geographical remoteness and (except for Iceland) not being part of the EU’s common legal framework and policy processes. On the other hand, not being members of the European Union (EU) allows much greater flexibility. Jersey and Guernsey comprise the Channel Islands, British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the coast of France, a legacy of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy. The Isle of Man, another British Crown Dependency, lies between England and Ireland. The Faroe Islands lie between Great Britain and Iceland, part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but not of the EU. The other Danish territory is Greenland, a vast icy expanse located in North America, but more closely connected to Europe. Iceland has been independent from Denmark for decades and is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), with an outstanding application to join the EU. While telecommunications is generally scalable, this eventually breaks down. There are too few people for parliaments, for ministries, for competition authorities, for regulators, for operators and for markets. While expertise can be bought in, the scale of markets cannot be adjusted. One of the constraints of small island developing states (SIDS) is the high cost and limited access to undersea cables. By comparison, the European islands are very well provided for high capacity and even redundancy. This allows relatively affordable access for telephony and for Internet access. The small sizes mean a lack of economic diversity. For example, Greenland is heavily dependent on fisheries. Jersey, Iceland and the Isle of Man have relied on financial services, with complaints that the British territories are tax havens. Heavy dependence of employment by government. The heavy burden of the contemporary regulatory state is not easily borne by small islands. There are severe constraints on the people available to serve as judges, in competition authorities and in regulators. These institutions can be afforded, but add to the costs for citizens and businesses. Iceland, through its membership of the EEA, has to transpose most of the EU regulatory framework, as do Cyprus and Malta. Not designed for micro-states, and not easily or at least legally customisable. Small markets. Greenland has elected to have a monopoly in telecommunications, while the others have tried for competition. They have been more successful in mobile than fixed, typically with two GSM operators, migrating to 3G.

Stratigraphic records and variability of incised valleys and estuaries along French coasts

AbstractSome of the striking results of the papers published in the special publication “French Incised valleys, estuaries and lagoons” of the Bulletin de la Société géologique de France are presented and compared. The selection of papers within this volume focuses exclusively on the recent progress made on modern French incised valleys, estuaries and lagoons around the coasts of France. Those papers together with abundant papers recently published on modern French incised valleys provide new insights for the knowledge on these sedimentary systems. The large amount of new results obtained is indebted to an extensive exploration within a large variety of estuaries, lagoons and coastal areas, from macrotidal tide-dominated, to microtidal wave-dominated, with also meso- to macrotidal mixed tide- and wave-dominated estuaries. These data allow comparing incised valleys within the same setting of tectonically stable and sediment starved margins, but showing contrasted conditions of hydrodynamics, sediment supply and bedrock control. At a stratigraphic level, sea-level variation is the main parameter controlling incised valley formation and sediment fill. The first-order controlling factor explaining the observed variations in valley fills is hydrodynamics. Three valley-fill categories are highlighted: tide-dominated, mixed tide-and-wave and wave-dominated, that match the classification based on hydrodynamics and morphology of present-day estuaries or lagoons. The second-order controlling factor explaining the observed variations in valley fills is the antecedent morphology of the bedrock, which in turn controls hydrodynamics and sediment supply. Finally, a promising result is the demonstration of the potential of incised valley fills to record high frequency environmental changes related to climate events and human activities.

Environmental anomalies, energetic reserves and fatty acid modifications in oysters coincide with an exceptional mortality event

Mortality of oysters Crassostrea gigas occurred along the coasts of France during sum- mer 2008, causing a serious crisis in French oyster production. During spring to summer 2008, 5 groups of 1-yr old oysters of different origins and ploidy levels deployed in the Thau lagoon (France) were sampled for biometrical and biochemical analyses; environmental parameters were monitored in the same area. Mortality occurred in 2 episodes: 13 May to 10 June and 24 June to 9 July. Wild-collected oysters showed mortality sooner than other groups but total overall mortality was 85% in all groups. Mortality occurred when seawater temperature was >19°C during the repro- ductive season when energetic reserves of oysters were at their lowest. Energy reserve levels and mortality in oysters seemed to be independent of reproductive effort, and most likely reflected an unusual deficit in phytoplankton. The level of bacterial fatty acids in oysters increased markedly before the second mortality event, probably indicating an enhancement of the microbial loop or decomposition processes. At the same time, unsaturation of oyster fatty acids decreased, suggesting a diet change, acclimatization to increasing temperature or, most likely, oxidative damage due to an enhanced production of reactive oxygen species, which are often associated with stressful situations. Wild-collected and hatchery-produced oysters, which exhibited different mortality patterns, showed persistent differences in fatty acid (20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3) content in their membrane, despite the fact that they were reared in the same environment. Mortality started when fatty acid 20:4n-6 content increased to ~3% in the polar lipids, suggesting that this ratio could make a useful indicator of mor- tality risk. Finally, the 2008 mortality event coincided with a nationwide increase of ~1.5°C in winter seawater temperature, which may impact the oyster and its pathogens.

Ripeness and Grief in Conflict Analysis

In assessing the timing of a conflict resolution effort, one of the most frequently used explanatory frameworks is ripeness theory. Despite its popularity, ripeness theory has some limitations: poorly established generalization outside international situations, empirical validation is difficult to objectify, limited consideration of non-rational factors, and low predictability. The purpose of our study is to contribute to enriching ripeness theory by bringing in the theory of grief developed by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. The anchovy fishing conflict in the Bay of Biscay (off the coast of France and Spain) lends itself to this type of analysis, as it is a conflict that has seen many reversals, making the place of resolution efforts hard to explain. It is from this perspective that grief theory is put forward as a complementary explanatory model. The model is tested using an original methodology that has the merit of being reproducible through the lexical analysis of newspaper articles. The results, confirming the grief model’s relevance, can then be proposed as an enhancement to ripeness theory by incorporating the grief model. This improvement leads to a better understanding of the issues of initiating a conflict resolution effort.

Harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in north-western France: aerial survey, opportunistic sightings and strandings monitoring

The harbour porpoise(Phocoena phocoena)is one of the common small cetaceans of European waters. This discreet and undemonstrative species is strongly represented throughout the cold waters of the northern hemisphere, and is the most abundant cetacean in the North Sea. In the last few years, some observations and studies indicate a shift of harbour porpoise distribution in European waters, from northern regions of the North Sea to the southern North Sea, English Channel and Celtic Sea. This shift may include a comeback around the coasts of France. Harbour porpoises inhabit shelf-waters and are often observed in shallow waters, conditions offered for instance by the coasts of Brittany in north-western France. We used opportunistic sightings, aerial survey and a ten-year strandings database to study the presence of harbour porpoises along the coasts of Brittany. Opportunistic sightings made by non-specialists did not confirm a strong presence of harbour porpoises along the Brittany coasts, most probably because of the undemonstrative behaviour of this cetacean. However, aerial survey and stranding analysis indicate that harbour porpoises have become natural inhabitants of the Brittany coasts once more: 68.6% of cetacean school sightings made during a 1578 km aerial survey of the Brittany coasts concerned harbour porpoises, with an encounter rate of 1.5 individuals per 100 km that peaked to 5.8 per 100 km to the top of the shallow waters of the south-western Western English Channel. The number of harbour porpoise strandings increased each year from 1997 to 2007, making a total of 135 along the coasts of Brittany. Other cetaceans did not show such an increase during the same period. Strandings of harbour porpoises were also characterized by an apparent increase as a proportion in relation to all the cetacean strandings during the months of September to January, by a marked impact of by-catch during winter, and by an almost total absence of stranded calves. The comeback of the harbour porpoise along Brittany coasts is clearly confirmed by our data, and a stable population seems to be established again along the coasts of Brittany. This tends to confirm the shift of the distribution of the species in certain European waters. Long term monitoring, diet and genetic studies are now planned for a better understanding of this shift, and for the effective implementation of a conservation plan.

The development of a 75 kilohertz phase steered active parametric sonar system for subseabed target detection.

Parametric sonar systems offer a number of potential advantages over conventional sonar’s that has encouraged investigation and implementation of nonlinear acoustic effects into sonar systems by numerous groups since Westervelt’s discovery reported in 1956. The work represented here describes the development of an active parametric sonar system utilizing a 75 kHz primary frequency signal with measured secondary frequency generation from 1–22 kHz using a 2‐D 729 element square array arranged into 13 staves of 54 elements each. The array, dedicated computer controlled signal synthesis and power amplifier systems were developed and tested during trials on the Fisheries Research Services trails site on Loch Duich, Scotland. Primary and secondary frequency source levels of 245 dB re 1 μPa‐m and 195 dB re 1 μPa‐m at 7 kHz were measured with −3 dB full angle beam‐widths of 3 and 2.5°–7° for frequencies 3–11 kHz, respectively. Individual control of the thirteen stave (channels) allowed in‐pulse scanning and beam steering across a 36° sector including demonstration of real‐time dynamic stabilization in one plane. Results will be presented for implementation of the system into a towed body sonar used during sediment classifications trials off the coast of France and for target detection tasks in Scotland.

Morphodynamics of beach/dune systems: examples from the coast of France

Four representative sectors encapsulating the morphological and hydrodynamic diversity of the French coast are used to illustrate the morphodynamics of beach/dune systems at various timescales. These beach/dune systems cover the four shoreline sectors composing the French coast, i.e., the southern North Sea, the English Channel, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean, and range from stormdominated short-fetch to swell settings, and from micro- to macrotidal. The short-term processes affecting the beach/dune systems are strongly hinged on wind incidence and storm intensity, while sediment supply, modulated by marine processes, notably storms and tides, and by the regional wind directions, constitutes the primary control on long-term patterns of development. Beach morphology, notably the presence of bar/berm-trough systems, and water levels attained during storms, constitute key elements in the process of sand supply to the dune systems, which vary from low, poorly developed forms in the Mediterranean, to the well developed, but largely presently stable to erosive systems characterising the other three sectors. The comparative study of these systems shows that there is no linear relationship between storm intensity and the rate of dune erosion (except on Vougot site, English Channel), because of the influence of various parameters, notably the antecedent beach state.

First record of the gastropod Fusinus rostratus (Mollusca: Fasciolaridae) on the northern coast of Brittany (Western Channel, France)

The first record of the non-indigenous Fusinus rostratus in northern Brittany (north-west France) is reported. Seven specimens of this predatory gastropod were found on a muddy maerl matrix at about 10 m depth in the inner part of the bay of Morlaix. This is the first record for the Atlantic coast of France as the species originates from the warmer waters of the Mediterranean, Portugal and northern Spain, and was previously unrecorded in the English Channel. Some biometric measures are given.

Macrofaunal community responses to marina-related pollution on the south coast of England and west coast of France

This study evaluates the influence of man-made activities on the benthic environment at two different marinas: Southsea Marina on the south coast of England, and Minimes Marina on the Atlantic coast of France. We assessed the differences in: (1) sediment percentage organic matter, particle size and heavy metal concentration, using copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) as contamination indicators; (2) sediment elutriate toxicity (LC50) using algal (Fucus serratus) bioassay; and (3) benthic community characteristics (number of species, abundance, most contributing species (SIMPER) and biotic index (AMBI)). Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was performed to relate the abundance of species to the environmental variables. At both marinas, we observed an increasing gradient of contamination from outside to the innermost sites. At both marinas, the lowest macrofaunal abundance was recorded at the innermost sites and differences in benthic community structure were observed between sites. At Southsea Marina, the cirratulidsTharyx marioniandT. killariensisand the cossuridCossura pygodactylatadominated sites outside, while the opportunistic speciesCapitellides girardidominated the innermost sites. At Minimes Marina, the cirratulidStreblospio shrubsoliiwas abundant outside and at the middle sites but was almost absent at the innermost sites. The biotic index—AMBI—indicated that sediments in the innermost sites were heavily disturbed at Southsea Marina and slightly to moderately disturbed at Minimes Marina. In Southsea, the AMBI was positively correlated to the sediment metal concentrations (Cu, Zn and Cd) and elutriate toxicity (LC50), while in Minimes the AMBI was positively correlated to the % of sediment fine particle and elutriate toxicity (LC50).

ANTARES time calibration

The ANTARES Collaboration has recently completed the construction of an underwater neutrino telescope located at 2475 km depth, 40 km away from the Toulon coast in France. The final detector consists of 885 photomultipliers (PMTs) distributed along 12 lines. At present, the deployed detector is the largest neutrino telescope in the northern hemisphere. The aim of ANTARES is the detection of cosmic neutrinos. A good angular resolution, which relies on a good time resolution and positioning, is required to identify the neutrino sources. In this contribution, we review the ANTARES time calibration systems, namely: (1) the on-shore dark room calibration, which allows the measurement of the relative time offsets among PMTs, (2) the echo-based clock system, which enables the measurement of the time delay of the signal from the clock board located on each storey to the shore station, (3) the internal LED, which monitors the PMTs transit time, (4) the Optical Beacons (OBs), which send light pulses that enable the relative time calibration of PMTs, and (5) the K40 calibration which together with the OBs allow a determination of time differences among PMTs of the same storey. These systems have shown that the required time resolution is achieved. Moreover, they ensure that the relative time offsets among PMTs are properly computed and, therefore, enable an optimized track reconstruction. The experience gained with ANTARES in the issue of time calibration is of great value in the design of the corresponding system for a VLVNT in the Mediterranean Sea.

Genetically monomorphic invasive populations of the rapa whelk, Rapana venosa

Rapana venosa is a predatory marine gastropod native to the coastal waters of China, Korea, and Japan. Since the 1940s, R. venosa has been transported around the globe and introduced populations now exist in the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic and Aegean seas, off the coasts of France and The Netherlands, in Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, USA, and in the Rio de la Plata between Uruguay and Argentina. This study surveyed variation in two mitochondrial gene regions to investigate the invasion pathways of R. venosa, identify likely sources for introduced populations, and evaluate current hypotheses of potential transportation vectors. Sequence data were obtained for the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene regions of 178 individuals from eight native locations and 106 individuals from 12 introduced locations. Collections from within the native range displayed very high levels of genetic variation while collections from all introduced populations showed a complete lack of genetic diversity; a single haplotype was common to all introduced individuals. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that R. venosa was initially introduced into the Black Sea, and this Black Sea population then served as a source for the other secondary invasions by various introduction vectors including ballast water transport. Although non-native R. venosa populations currently appear to be thriving in their new environments, the lack of genetic variability raises questions regarding the evolutionary persistence of these populations.

Characteristics of Ambient Noise Cross Correlations in Northern Italy within the Frequency Range of 0.1-0.6 Hz

Abstract In this note, we investigate the characteristics of ambient noise cross correlations for station pairs in northern Italy, considering the secondary microseism bandwidth (0.1–0.6 Hz). The preliminary analysis that we performed exploiting the available continuous recording in the investigated area agrees with the recent results of Achauer et al. (2007): the directionality of the noise signal cannot be disregarded when the group velocity is estimated in the range 0.1–0.6 Hz, and the selection of the path orientation for tomography must be carefully performed. In particular, while the favorable directions with respect to microseisms generated along the Atlantic coasts of France, Norway, and the British Islands cover a quite wide azimuthal range (from about 270° N to 5° N), allowing us to reliably estimate the fundamental mode Rayleigh group velocity for paths in the Alps (about 2.7 km/sec), more care must be taken when the microseisms are generated in the Mediterranean Sea. In that case, different locations of the generating areas of microseisms could provide biased estimates of the group velocity due to differences between the true and the apparent velocity of propagation between the stations.

UNITED STATES NATIONAL RESPONSE TEAM GUIDELINES FOR PLACES OF REFUGE DECISION-MAKING FOR VESSELS NEEDING ASSISTANCE

ABSTRACT The major oil spills that resulted from the T/V ERIKA and M/V PRESTIGE breaking up and sinking off the coasts of France in December 1999 and Spain in November 2002, respectively, underscored the need for regulatory authorities, natural resource trustees, and other stakeholders to conduct pre-incident planning for vessels needing assistance. Both of these incidents provided the impetus for the development of places of refuge guidelines. By the end of 2003, both the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Australian Government had developed guidelines for places of refuges decision-making. By the end of 2006, places of refuge guidelines had also been developed and adopted by a number of entities in North America; including, the Alaska, Region 9, and Region 10 Regional Response Teams (RRTs) and the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force (Pacific States/BC Task Force). In August 2006, the United States (U.S.) National Response Team (NRT) created an NRT Places of Refuge Workgroup (NRT POR Workgroup) to develop nationwide places of refuge guidelines for use throughout the U.S. The resulting NRT Guidelines for Places of Refuge Decision-Making (NRT POR Guidelines), which were approved by the NRT in July 2007, were based on the places of refuge guidelines developed (and adopted) by the Alaska RRT in 2004. This paper provides an overview of the development of the NRT POR Guidelines, a brief overview of key elements of the document, and a discussion of the successful implementation of the concepts included in the NRT POR Guidelines in five incidents in Alaska.

The genera Parotoplana Meixner, 1938 and Parotoplanella Ax, 1956 (Platyhelminthes: Proseriata) in southern Spain

Collecting in southern Spain yielded five species of Parotoplana and one species of Parotoplanella (Proseriata: Otoplanidae). Four species of Paratoplana proved to be new to science. Parotoplana cucullata sp. n. is distinguished by the shape of the lateral spines in the copulatory organ and in the presence of a “glandular organ” around the distal portion of the female duct. Parotoplana fretigaditani sp. n. is similar to P. procerostyla Ax, 1956 in the general arrangement of spines, but their fine morphology is distinctive. Parotoplana varispinosa sp. n. differs from P. capitata Ax, 1956 in the shape and number of spines. Parotoplana mastigophora sp. n. has a unique morphology of the stylet, and the spines of the girdle markedly differ in size and shape. The karyotype of P. cucullata sp. n. (n = 6) is described. In addition, Parotoplana primitiva and Parotoplanella heterorhabditica, previously known from the Atlantic coast of France and north‐west Mediterranean, respectively, were found. The high proportion of new species demonstrates the present poor state of knowledge of interstial meiofauna.