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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The Selvagens Islands are located in the northeastern Atlantic between the Canary Islands and Madeira Island. As a result
of their small size, remote location and harsh sea conditions only a few studies have been conducted to describe their marine
species diversity. We were able to identify 29 new coastal fish species, an increase of 33% in the ichthyofauna described for
these islands (n = 88). There is a prevalence of species with tropical affinities and only 2.3% (n = 2) are endemic to
Macaronesia. Considered a stepping-stone colonization vector from the nearest continental shore, as proposed by other
authors for this region, the Selvagens Islands host 34.1% of the ichthyofauna described for the much larger Canary Islands
(nspecies = 258, submerged area nSelvagensIs. = 2.3%) and 47.3% of the ichthyofauna described for the more distantly located
Madeira Island (nspecies = 186, submerged area nSelvagensIs. = 17.9%). Interestingly, 6.8% (n = 6) of the species failed to
bridge the gap between the Selvagens Islands and Madeira Island. Data collected so far showed no trend toward an
increasing number of species with high dispersal capability. The Selvagens Islands are an example of a high coastal species
diversity occurring even in very small areas of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean.
Description
Keywords
Biogeography Dispersal capability Ichthyofauna Macaronesia Selvagens Island
Citation
Marine Biology Research, 11, 49-61
Publisher
Taylor & Francis