Middle Atlas Research Articles

Large-scale ethnomedicinal inventory and therapeutic applications of medicinal and aromatic plants used extensively in folk medicine by the local population in the middle atlas and the plain of Saiss, Morocco

Background: In this work, we carried out a thorough ethnomedicinal investigation of the aromatic and therapeutic plants used in several Middle Atlas and the plain of Saiss provinces (central Morocco). Our goal was to gather data on the variety of plants used, their therapeutic applications, and the portions utilized by local inhabitants. Methods: In eight provinces, including Azrou, Ifrane, Elhajeb, Immouzar, Sefrou, Fez, Meknes, and Mrirt, interviews were done during the 2018-2019 season. Descriptive and multivariate statistics were used to analyze the collected data. To assess the value of medicinal plant resources, we estimated the Family Use Value (FUV), Medicinal Use Value (MUV), and Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC). We next sought consensus among the participants on the reported cures for each category of disorders using the ICF. Results: A total of 154 different kinds of aromatic and medicinal plants from 56 different families were discovered, and local people used them for therapeutic purposes. The most recorded family was Lamiaceae, with 14 species and FUV=0.47. Urtica pilulifera L, was the most frequently utilized species and had the highest RFC equal to 0.425. The most frequently utilized preparation techniques were decoction and brewing, and the most frequently administered portions were the leaves and leafy stems. Additionally, the ICF values per use category ranged from 0.53 to 0.97. Cancer was the category with the highest ICF value (0.97). Conclusions: By advancing knowledge of the medicinal flora and preserving ancestors’ wisdom in Morocco's Middle Atlas and the plain of Saiss, the current study could be of tremendous service. Keywords: Ethnomedicinal, medicinal plants, Middle Atlas, Plain of Saiss, Morocco, traditional medicine.

Analyzing Spatial Trends of Precipitation Using Gridded Data in the Fez-Meknes Region, Morocco

The aim of this paper was to present a precipitation trend analysis using gridded data at annual, seasonal and monthly time scales over the Fez-Meknes region (northern Morocco) for the period 1961–2019. Our results showed a general decreasing trend at an annual scale, especially over the mountain and the wetter parts of the region, which was statistically significant in 72% of the grid points, ranging down to −30 mm per decade. A general upward trend during autumn, but still non-significant in 95% of the grid points, was detected, while during winter, significant negative trends were observed in the southwest (−10 to −20 mm per decade) and northeast areas (more than −20 mm per decade) of the region. Spring rainfall significantly decreased in 86% of the grid points, with values of this trend ranging between 0 and −5 mm per decade in the upper Moulouya and −5 to −10 mm per decade over the rest of the region (except the northwest). At a monthly time scale, significant negative trends were recorded during December, February, March and April, primarily over the northeast Middle Atlas and the northwest tip of the region, while a significant upward trend was observed during the month of August, especially in the Middle Atlas. These results could help decision makers understand rainfall variability within the region and work out proper plans while taking into account the effects of climate change.

Description of the Gap between Local Agricultural Practices and Agroecological Soil Management Tools in Zerhoun and in the Middle Atlas Areas of Morocco

Agroecology is an agricultural, holistic, and innovative approach, which aims to increase the effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of agricultural systems. This approach is very rewarding for agriculture in developing countries, mainly in arid zones where water resources are in sharp decline. In this study, we examined farmers’ knowledge by studying existing agricultural production systems and agricultural practices in Moulay Driss Zerhoun (S1) and the Middle Atlas (S2) in central Morocco, to assess the gap between them and the principles and recommendations of agroecology. Data were collected through a survey of 64 farmers, and through field trips and observations. Collected data were analyzed with Chi-square tests and canonical correspondence analysis. Most farms (63.3% in S1 and 52.9% in S2) have an area between 0 and 5 ha. Both areas frequently opt for agroforestry. Olive trees and annual crops (85%), olive trees and fodder crops (10%), and olive trees and market garden crops (5%) are the most recorded associations. Olive trees were used frequently in association with other fruit trees, such as almond trees (15%), carob trees (13%), and fig trees (5%). Of farmers practicing agroforestry, 70% use only organic fertilizers. Thus, 53% of the farmers interviewed at the level of the S2 zone cultivate vegetable crops, against 17% at the level of S1, and only 40% of the farmers of S1 use irrigation, while 60% depend on rainfall. On the other hand, 83.3% of farmers in S1 adopted a two-year rotation—cereals and legumes—against 30% in S2. Tillage or plowing is considered by farmers a necessary procedure before sowing, and, only in S2, 71% of farmers opt for annual tillage of their land for agroforestry. Based on multivariate analysis, the choice of crops was significantly influenced by region and type of organization. However, it was not influenced by topography or farmland size, and the land and area played an important role in the selection of crop types. Raising awareness and introducing agroecological practices in the two study areas based on local knowledge seems essential, with the aim of strengthening the resilience of agroecosystems, respecting the environment, and guaranteeing the sustainability of small farmers through the diversification of their productions. The obtained results from this work are the first in this field of study and constitute a basis for comparative investigations.

Assessment of heavy metal and organic pollution of a salmonid ecosystem: Case of the Oued Guigou River, Middle Atlas (Morocco)

AbstractThe present study focused on evaluating the quality of the Oued Guigou River located in Middle Atlas (Morocco) by studying relevant physicochemical and metallic parameters. Samples for determining the organic matter and trace metal elements trapped in water samples were collected at upstream of Oued Guigou between December 2020 and April 2021. The samples were analysed for physicochemical quality, while the trace metal elements (lead, zinc, copper, chromium, iron, nickel, calcium and magnesium) were determined using ICP‐AES analysis. The results indicated significant organic pollution, as well as standard deviation and average changes in the values of the studied metals, most likely attributable to domestic effluents. The metal content in particular exhibited high values exceeding the recommended Moroccan standard limits, suggesting domestic and agricultural pollution is a potential threat to both the receiving rivers and their associated lakes and reservoirs.

First Mention of Cannibalism in Salamandra Algira (Caudata, Salamandridae) Larvae in Algeria with Some Ecological Notes.

Animal cannibalism is a practice well known to scientists, it consists of partially or entirely eating a living individual of the same species by necessity or by instinct. Although originally thought to be abnormal behavior, it has now been recorded in over 1300 species across a diverse group of taxa, ranging from protists and invertebrates to humans. This type of behavior exists in amphibians in different forms and it is observed in 12 families of toads, 7 families of salamanders and 1 family of gymnophionas (Lissamphibians) and this phenomenon is known in natural populations of Salamandridae larvae. The only representative of this family and genus Salamandra in North Africa is Salamandra algira with five subspecies, of which only one is reported for Algeria (Salamandra algira algira) and cannibalism among Salamandra algira larvae has been described for Morocco at Jbel Tazzeka in the Middle Atlas where gigantism has also been observed in certain larvae whose size can vary from 25 to 74 mm. In this study we report for the first time the practice of cannibalism in Algeria in S.A. algira and we also observed gigantism in some larvae. Regarding salamanders, there is still a lot to do because their distribution and ecology are not well known.

Geometric morphometrics of three species of the genus Dociostaurus (Orthoptera: Acrididae) from the Middle Atlas of Morocco

The genus Dociostaurus includes at least five species in the Mediterranean Basin. Some of them can damage agricultural fields and pastures. However, these species are almost not characterised by quantitative traits. To fill this gap, we used the geometric morphometrics method to characterise different morphological structures and flying organs of the most observed species of the genus Dociostaurus, namely D. maroccanus (Thunb, 1815), D. dantini (Bolivar, 1914), and D. genei (Ocskay, 1832), in Morocco. Results revealed that D. maroccanus has greater dispersal structures and other body organs, which are suggested to play a direct role in flying performance. On the contrary, D. dantini and D. genei, known as wandering species, have tiny structures, principally the tegmina and wings used for limited flights. In addition to their importance in the characterisation of studied species, these measurements could be used as a practical tool in their identification, particularly where the use of genetic approaches is not possible. Similarly, these results could serve as the first data for the implementation of potential comparative studies and population management of these pest species, especially D. maroccanus. Finally, further morphometric studies will be needed to create a database for taxonomic identification.

Facies architecture of the Plio-Quaternary alluvial fan deposits from south-eastern margin of the Saïss foreland basin (Morocco): Paleoclimatic and neotectonic implications

Eight Plio-Quaternary alluvial fans from south-eastern margin of the Saïss foreland basin were the subject of a thorough sedimentological study based upon detailed facies analysis. This study allowed distinguishing 16 sedimentary facies. The typology of the latter, their spatial distribution and sedimentary organization afforded the classification of the studied fans into three groups. Group 1 is dominated by non-cohesive debris flow and cohesive to very poorly-sorted blocky conglomerate deposits that are associated with silt-clayey and calcrete. The setting up of the deposits of this group occurred in a tectono-karstic depression whereby a WNW progradation of the deposits and an important incision into the previous consolidated deposits would have been controlled. Group 2 is characterized by a predominance of the muddy fraction, presumably linked to the large surface area of the watershed and the river activity. Group 3 is dominated by coarse deposits with rare mudflows interpreted to be the direct consequence of an important neotectonic activity which is expressed by localized incremental pulses of the Agourai-El Hajeb-Ain Cheggag faults system and Middle Atlas directional faults (i.e., NE-SW) along toe fan during the Plio-Quaternary period. Groups 2 and 3 are also characterized by deposits whose the related processes are dominated by cohesive and non-cohesive debris flows, mud-rich debris, channelized debris flows and non-cohesive flows, hyper-concentrated flows and sheet-flood flows. The morphogenesis of these alluvial fans and the emplacement of their deposits are neotectonic- and climate-controlled. Tectonics have played a major role in the rejuvenation of the Middle Atlas relief and, through controlling the base-level, created the space available for the establishment and development of alluvial fans onto the south-eastern margin of the Saïss basin. This extensive tectonics has resulted in normal faultings and layer tiltings. The climate played an important role in the formation of facies by controlling (i) the mechanical properties of paleoflows, (ii) sedimentary dynamics and (iii) the formation of paleosols and calcrete.

Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) Technique to Map Potential Aquifers of the Guigou Plain (Middle Atlas, Morocco): Hydrogeological Implications

Vertical electrical sounding (VES) as a geoelectrical method has proven its effectiveness throughout the history of groundwater geophysical investigation. In this sense, VES was carried out 47 in the study area with the aim of determining the geometry and limits of Quaternary basaltic aquifer formations and, above all, the location of electrical discontinuities in the area located in the north of Morocco, between the center of Almis Guigou and the city of Timahdite. This area is experiencing an overexploitation of the groundwater due to excessive pumping and the development of intensive agriculture activities, resulting in a continuous decrease in piezometric levels. The processing of the diagrams by WINSEV software showed the presence of an electrically resistant surface level, attributed to basaltic formations, of the Quaternary age, whose thicknesses reach at least 150 m to the SW of the area. This level is superimposed on a moderately conductive horizon which, according to local geology, corresponds to Pliocene marl and limestone alternations. The correlation of VES interpretation models allowed us to elaborate thematic maps and geoelectrical sections which illustrate the vertical and lateral extension of the basaltic reservoir as well as its thickness, which decreases in general from the south-west to the north-east; however, the main electrical discontinuities also correspond to faults and fractures, and they show a NE–SW direction sub-parallel to the major accidents of the Middle Atlas. A prospectivity map of the local aquifer was generated, coinciding with regional fault lines and confirmed by the alignment of very good flowing water boreholes. This geophysical study by electrical sounding shed light on the geometry and extension of the aquifer and opened avenues to draw further conclusions on its physical and hydrodynamic characteristics, as well as to optimize the future siting of groundwater exploitation boreholes through the elaboration of the local aquifer prospectivity map.

Hydrogeochemical Processes of the Azigza Lake System (Middle Atlas, Morocco) Inferred from Monthly Monitoring

Hydrogeochemical Processes of the Azigza Lake System (Middle Atlas, Morocco) Inferred from Monthly Monitoring

Anthropogenic Actions on Population Density of the Barbary Macaques in Eastern Middle Atlas, Morocco

Anthropogenic Actions on Population Density of the Barbary Macaques in Eastern Middle Atlas, Morocco

Monthly Precipitation over Northern Middle Atlas, Eastern Morocco: Homogenization and Trends

The lack of a complete and reliable data series often represents the main difficulty in carrying out climate studies. Diverse causes, such as human and instrumental errors, false and incomplete records, and the use of obsolete equipment in some meteorological stations, give rise to inhomogeneities that do not represent climatic reality. This work in the northern part of the Moroccan Middle Atlas used 22 meteorological stations with sometimes-incomplete monthly precipitation data from 1970 to 2019. The homogenization and estimation of the missing data were carried out with the R software package Climatol version 3.1.1. The trends in the series were quantified by the Mann–Kendall nonparametric test. The results obtained show a low root mean square error (RMSE), between the original and homogenized data, of between 0.5 and 38.7 mm per month, with an average of 8.5 mm. Rainfall trends for the months of December through June are generally downward. These negative trends are significantly stronger in the southern and eastern parts of the study area, especially during the month of April (the wettest month). On the other hand, July shows positive trends, with 71% of stations having an increasing precipitation tendency, although only five (or 1/3) of these are statistically significant. From August to November, generally positive trends were also observed. For these months, the percentage of series with a positive and significant trend varied between 55 and 77%.

Ethnoveterinary practices of medicinal plants among the Zemmour and Zayane tribes, Middle Atlas, Morocco

The widespread usage of medicinal plants in native nations' healthcare practices is a foundation for creating natural drugs. The current study sought to establish thorough ethnoveterinary knowledge of medicinal plants utilized for therapeutic reasons. The field investigation was carried out from January 2016 to December 2020 in the Zemmour and Zayane tribes (Middle Atlas). Three hundred local informants were interviewed, using open-ended and semi-structured interviews. The advantages, coverage, and significance of ethnoveterinary were quantified using a variety of parameters such as informant consensus factor, fidelity level, relative popularity level, rank-order priority, and Jaccard index. A total of 150 species and subspecies belonging to 129 genera and 56 families were employed in ethnoveterinary preparations. The study area's most commonly used ethnoveterinary plant species was Allium sativum L. (16.7%). Leaves are the most frequent plant part used (46.5%). The highest factor informant consensus value was 0.9 for digestive diseases. Artemisia herba-alba Asso and Asparagus officinalis L. Both show a 100% fidelity level for diarrhea and rabies, respectively. Eucalyptus globulus Labill. (rank-order priority = 74) was shown to be the most preferred plant species for fever remedies. The present study demonstrates that local communities in the Middle Atlas have consistent knowledge of ethnoveterinary plants. In this inquiry, we invite the attention of chemists and pharmacologists to further phytochemical and pharmacological studies of medicinal plants having high rank-order priority, fidelity level, and factor informant consensus significance. • Traditional veterinary medicine refers to the collective knowledge of an indigenous community about relationships between people and nature. • The field study was carried out from January 2016 to December 2020 in the Zemmour and Zayane tribes. • A total of 150 plant species belonging to 129 genera and 56 families were found to be used in ethno-veterinary practices • The present study showed that local communities in the Middle Atlas have consistent knowledge of ethno-veterinary plants.

Environmental Transmission by the Mountain Dwellers: Case of the Moroccan Middle-Atlas Women

The role of indigenous people in the preservation and transmission of local knowhow and wisdom is well documented. In its different aspects, storytelling is the most important form of expression reflecting the essence of the Amazigh (native) population in the Middle Atlas. Amazigh storytelling displays several social indicators and modes of capturing the world and its resources, crystallizing representations that highlight a shared culture transmitted from one generation to another. Spoken language is an omnipresent instrument for concluding acts, establishing pacts, and preserving natural heritage through the likes of proverbs, tales, myths, focusing on central societal activities such as: harvesting, plowing, threshing, sheep mowing, wool work, milk processing, weaving, wedding ceremonies, etc. Amazigh women more often than not tend to act as the living repositories of this culture. Their strong ties with their close environment, the sustainability knowledge that they pass from one generation to another, and their strong resilience capacity has been observed, studied, and recognized in other environments. Based on conversations, life stories, and testimonies of men and women, and observation of different practices and rituals led by women, we managed to closely examine a feminine faunal and floral knowledge and showcase this homogeneous and solid structure labeled “woman knowledge”. This article thus aims to report the transmission within this environment and the role of Amazigh women in the sustainability of local knowledge. Keywords: Environment; Local; Transmission; Amazigh-women eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i22.4178

Ethnobotanical knowledge of wild food plants in Khenifra, a province in the Middle Atlas region of Morocco

Ethnobotanical knowledge of wild food plants in Khenifra, a province in the Middle Atlas region of Morocco

Ethnobotanical knowledge of wild food plants in Khenifra, a province in the Middle Atlas region of Morocco

The protection of plant food resources contributes to safeguarding their nutritional value, the culinary heritage as well as the sustainability of the traditional food that uses them. To contribute to the knowledge of wild edible plants (WEPs) used in traditional diet among the population of 7 communes in Khenifra province in a mountainous region of Morocco, an ethnobotanical survey was conducted on 206 local adult respondents, of both sexes, in rural (70%) and urban (30%) areas using a questionnaire and focus groups. Information on sociodemography, knowledge of WEPs and their current and past indigenous food and medicinal uses, culinary knowledge, recipes for their preparation as well as their toxic effects were collected. The results show a great food variety of more than 90 WEPs belonging to 40 families and that the local population still often uses different WEPs on a daily basis as food, in therapy or other uses in the study area. Over 50 traditional recipes were recorded, consumed presently and in the past with recipes consumed during times of food shortage. The study also reports that the local population has ethnobotanical information and knowledge of traditional cooking techniques allowing the safe use of WEPs. Dietary diversity linked to knowledge of biodiversity, traditions and culinary culture to use WEPs is observed in the study population. However, this knowledge is in decline, especially among younger generations, which draws attention to the importance of documenting and safeguarding this wealth.

Discovery of the teleosauroid crocodylomorph from the early Jurassic of Chaara cave, Middle Atlas of Morocco

The Chaara cave is a natural karst cavity, located in the Middle Atlas of Morocco, shaped by water over millions of years. It is an active underground river, containing several galleries spread over two floors. The exploration of this cave led to the discovery of a teleosauroid crocodylomorph at the level of the dolomitic limestone of the earliest Jurassic (Hettangian-Sinemurian).A detailed paleontological study of the specimen's skull and nested mandible was carried out based on combinations of key morphological characteristics, but to the material does not allow an advanced assignment the Moroccan specimen to a genus level.A geological, topographical, and photogrammetric study was also carried out for the development of this discovery, which is a first in the region. A 3D model of the findings was made to reconstruct this finding. The extraction of the fossil is not possible, a molding was made to keep its imprint and allow its development as a paleontological heritage.Most known teleosauroids have been recovered from Europe, and they are particularly rare outside of Europe. In Africa, they are known from several localities in Tunisia, Ethiopia, Morocco and Madagascar. Most of the remains are fragmentary and only three species have been named, Machimosaurus rex, Machimosaurus nowackianus and Steneosaurus baroni. The temporal and geographical appearance of the first thalattosuchian in Africa remains highly discussed and not well understood thus, the discovery of new remains in Morocco in the dolomitic limestone of the earliest Jurassic is of great interest, as it represents the oldest known African thalattosuchian. It demonstrates that the geographical origin of thalattosuchians cannot currently be assessed because they were widely distributed as soon as the earliest Jurassic.

Exploring factors driving macrophytes in rivers—A case study in Middle Atlas Morocco

AbstractMacrophytes represent a functional compartment that plays multiple and fundamental ecological roles in aquatic environments. They are linked with the other compartments of hydrosystems, both abiotic and biotic, which gives them the ability to integrate environmental conditions and reflect the trophic state of watercourses. Nevertheless, macrophytes in Moroccan rivers have been rarely studied. Thus, the main objective of the present work is to study these plants by determining the environmental factors that control their presence and distribution in the watercourses of the upper Oum Er‐rbia basin (Middle Atlas Morocco). From June 2018 to June 2019, 14 sites spread over five rivers were monitored monthly to describe macrophytic communities and investigate their ecological determinism. We used a principal component analysis to establish each river's typology and a detrended correspondence analysis to explore macrophyte assemblages. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to determine the hydrochemical parameters of water that govern the development and distribution of macrophyte species in the upper Oum Er‐rbia basin. The Amengous river stands out from the other surveyed rivers for its exceptional richness of macrophytic species. This richness is often associated with the enrichment of the aquatic environment by nitrogen and phosphate inputs. Furthermore, in some rivers, such as Oum Er‐rbia, nutrient enrichment plays a secondary function in comparison to the hydromorphological descriptors that tend to be more important for macrophyte composition and distribution.

Integrated remote sensing data and field investigations for geological mapping and structural analysis. The case of SW Tichoukt ridge (Middle Atlas, Morocco)

Boulemane area is one of the important key sectors to understand the evolution of the central Middle Atlas of Morocco. It is a junction area of three Cretaceous/Paleogene unconformable sedimentary basins on the Triassic-Jurassic deposits.This work is a combination of remote sensing results (optical and radar data) supported by field observations to accurate a high-precision geological map of the study area. For this purpose, we used two types of images that are the radar image (Sentinel-1 data) and the optical multispectral images: Landsat 8 OLI (Optical Land Imager) and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER). The two multispectral images have been spatially enhanced using the panchromatic band of the HRG-2 (High Geometric Resolution) sensor of SPOT 5, allowing the production of high spatial resolution images (5m).The colored compositions that were chosen using OIF (Optimum Index Factor), and PCA (Principal Component Analysis) allowed good discrimination of the main rock. Moreover, ASTER thermal bands have allowed the delimitation of large outcrops of yellow sandstone, conglomerate, phosphate and gypsum based on their thermal emissivity.Structural lineaments are manually extracted from Sentinel-1 radar images after applying directional filters, analyzing Landsat 8 OLI, ASTER high-resolution multispectral images, and interpreting the spatial juxtaposition of lithological features after digitizing the final lithological map.The extracted structural lineaments are grouped into major systems mainly oriented NE-SW, and NW-SE. The NE-SW system is constituted by faults inherited from the Paleozoic basement. The NW-SE transverse system is constituted by faults newly developed during the Middle Liassic.

Contribution of Remote Sensing and GIS to the Inventory and Analysis of Factors influencing on the Development of Karst Features in the Middle Atlas, Morocco

The development of karst features is a complex and interactive process of many factors with varying influence over time. The following main factors seem to have influenced the occurrence and development of karst features in the Middle Atlas in Morocco: Precipitations after extreme weather events depending on the precipitation pattern modified by orographic effects and exposition of the terrain towards the main rain-bearing clouds are determining surface water input and infiltration as well as the outline of morphologic watersheds and drainage basins. The lithologic conditions such as the outcrops of lower Jurassic limestones, the geomorphologic disposition, the volcanic activity within limestones combined with hydrothermal dissolution processes, and the structural conditions influencing water permeability in fault and fracture zones and, thus, the dissolution intensity, are further factors. Ongoing aseismic vertical and horizontal neotectonic movements due to plate tectonic activities and shallow earthquake activities are causing the development and reactivation of fault zones and as consequence modifying groundwater flow conditions in the karst hydrologic systems. Seismic activity can lead as well to the development of sinkholes and the collapse of caves. The development of a systematic Karst-Geo Information System (GIS) is recommended that should be updated regularly.

Distribution of black fungus gnats (Diptera, Sciaridae) in Morocco, with an updated list of species and an emphasis on Moroccan crop pest species

The present work deals with the spatial distribution of the sciarid species (black fungus gnats) recorded from Morocco throughout the major biogeographical regions: Rif, Eastern Morocco, Atlantic Plain, Middle Atlas, High Atlas, and Anti-Atlas, providing for the first time an atlas of the distribution of Moroccan sciarid fauna. The analysis of the species distribution showed differences between the regions, revealing that the High Atlas and the Rif hosted the greatest specific richness. Of the surveyed sites, forests, crop fields, and aquatic habitats seem to be the most favourable for supporting many sciarid species. Ecological preferences for each species are discussed, indicating a clear preference for medium altitudes ranging from 500 to 1000 m. Alongside the study on the distribution of species, a review of the species recorded in Morocco and gathered from the literature has enabled us to update the checklist of sciarid species, which comprises 65 so far in Morocco. Particular emphasis focused on black fungus gnats considered potentially harmful, with the aim of assessing their distribution in the country, has revealed that Bradysia transitata, B. trivittata, B. xenoreflexa, Lycoriella sativae, Scatopsciara subarmata were collected from strawberry greenhouses (Rosaceae: strawberries), Bradysia placida, B. santorina, B. scabricornis, B. tilicola, B. trivittata and Camptochaeta jeskei were collected from fruit trees (Rosaceae: almond trees), Bradysia santorina, Corynoptera saccata and C. semipedestris were found on palms (Arecaceae: date palms), Scatopsciara atomaria and S. curvilinea were captured in crop fields (Poaceae, Fabaceae), Bradysia scabricornis, Bradysiopsis vittata were collected from Liliaceae, Scatopsciara atomaria was also found on Asteraceae and Solanaceae, and Corynoptera praeparvula was exclusively reported from Solanaceae.