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The authors carried out a survey of butterflies on 12 of the Cape Verde Islands from 29 October to 18 December 2013. During the survey records were also made of the few hawk-moths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) encountered during the day, or feeding at flowers at dusk and dawn. None was collected at light. Since several of our records are believed to be new island records, we present them here. The few voucher specimens collected have been deposited in the Natural History Museum, London.
A survey of butterfly species was carried out on 12 islands of the Cape Verde archipelago (Brava, Cima, Fogo, Santiago, Maio, Boa Vista, Sal, São Nicolau, Raso, Santa Luzia, São Vicente, Santo Antão) during almost eight weeks in 2013. Results include the discovery of six species not previously recorded from the islands: Vanessa atalanta, V. vulcania, Junonia oenone, Danaus plexippus, Eurema brigitta and Azanus ubaldus. Known island distribution of some resident species is extended. Status of some long-standing (and questionable) historical records and probable misidentifications are discussed in detail. Data are presented with regard to habitat, habits and host-plants of all taxa, together with a table of species, islands, status and probable original geographical source. Entomological data from Cambridge University ornithological research on Raso between 2006 and 2014 are also included. Comment is made with regard to whether butterfly studies support inclusion of the Cape Verde Islands in ‘Macaronesia’ sensu lato.
During August-September 2014 and 2015, yachtbased surveys were conducted in the Cape Verde archipelago with the main objective of trying to locate humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae during the late boreal summer (Berrow et al. 2014). Spring breeding humpbacks in Cape Verde waters are known to have their feeding grounds in the high Arctic (e.g. Wenzel et al. 2009). While these animals have generally left the breeding grounds by mid-May, a number of sightings during the summer months (June- August) have raised the possibility that animals from southern stocks may occasionally reach as far north as Cape Verde (Hazevoet et al. 2011).
The abundance of humpback whales occurring around Boa Vista, Cape Verde Islands, was estimated by markrecapture modelling. Photographs of markings on tail flukes of individual whales were collected during the breeding season. Sighting histories were constructed for each individual and an abundance of 171 animals was estimated using a Jolly-Seber mark-recapture model. Correcting for known biases arising due to sex-specific behaviour and temporary emigration insofar as possible, an estimate of 260 whales was obtained. This is significantly higher than the previous estimate of 99 humpback whales from this region. Due to limited survey effort it is not known how representative the study area is of the entire Cape Verde archipelago and this estimate may be considered to be biased low and serves as a minimum estimate. The high recapture probability (0.37) coupled with the low abundance is consistent with a small local population. The low survival rate (0.86) suggests possible emigration and further studies are needed to assess connectivity between humpback whales breeding in Cape Verde and other breeding locations. The amount of exchange between groups of whales breeding in Cape Verde and adjacent areas remains unknown. It is unclear whether the abundance estimate herein applies to part of an isolated population or part of a larger and continuous one.
Black-winged stilt Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus, 1758) has a wide geographical distribution, including France and southern Iberia to sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, and east to central Asia and northern central China, India, Sri Lanka, Indochina and Taiwan (Pierce 1996). On the African mainland, breeding sites nearest to the Cape Verde Islands are in Mauritania and Senegal (Isenmann et al. 2010, Borrow & Demey 2014).
Recent data on status and distribution of resident and migrant birds in the Cape Verde Islands are presented, including records of nine taxa new to the archipelago, viz. Ciconia nigra, Ciconia ciconia, Circus macrourus, Falco naumanni, Chlidonias hybrida, Chlidonias leucopterus, Apus affinis, Ptyonoprogne fuligula and Phylloscopus inornatus. Also presented are data on a number of breeding taxa, including the first record of the endemic Cape Verde purple heron Ardea bournei outside Santiago island. The alarming situation of the magnificent frigatebird Fregata magnificens, of which only three individuals remain in Cape Verde, constituting the entire population in the East Atlantic, remains of great concern. Several species of birds of prey are also highly threatened and have already become extinct in some islands. Following its expansion through Northwest Africa and the Canary Islands, Eurasian collared dove Streptopelia decaocto has now also become established in at least three of the Cape Verde Islands.
During an entomological survey in Santiago Island, Cape Verde Islands, in November-December 2011 in order to study the bio-ecology and susceptibility to insecticides of Anopheles arabiensis Patton, 1905, Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles, 1901 was found to be present in the Santa Cruz District. Both adult and immature specimens were collected and a description of both is given. Further confirmation of the taxonomic identity of the specimens was obtained from studying the male genitalia. This is the first known occurrence of Culex tritaeniorhynchus (a primary vector of Japanese encephalitis in eastern and southern Asia and a potential vector of West Nile Virus, Sindbis and Rift Valley Fever Virus) in the Cape Verde Islands.
In this paper, 47 specimens of dragonflies and damselflies collected by H. Lindberg and his assistant S. Panelius in the Cape Verde Islands in 1953-1954 and identified by K.J. Valle and K.F. Buchholz, are presented. The damselfly Agriocnemis exilis Selys, 1872, collected in Boa Vista Island in February 1954, is added to the list of Odonata known from the archipelago. The collection also includes specimens from another damselfly, Ischnura senegalensis (Rambur, 1842), which was previously recorded in Cape Verde on only two occasions, in 1898 and 2000.
On 15 May 2013, on the beach near Calheta de Baixo, Maio Island, Cape Verde Islands (15º13ʹ20ʺN, 23º13ʹ12ʺW), the remains of a stranded cetacean were found. The animal had been butchered by local inhabitants and most of the flesh and blubber, as well as the intestines, had been removed, while the tail fluke had been chopped off. However, with the skull still present, it was immediately clear that it concerned a beaked whale Mesoplodon sp. The single pair of teeth (one of which was broken) placed back from the apex in the lower jaw allowed the animal to be identified as a male Gervais' beaked whale M. europaeus (Gervais, 1855).
Arthropoda is the most diverse phylum of the animal kingdom. The majority of bloodsucking arthropods of public health concern are found in two classes, Arachnida and Insecta. Mosquitoes, ticks, cattle flies, horseflies and biting midges are the main hematophagous groups occurring in the Cape Verde Islands and whose role in infectious disease transmission has been established. In this literature review, the main morphological and biological characters and their role in the cycle of disease transmission are summarized.
Is community-based conservation a feasible option for sea turtles in Sal, Cape Verde Islands?
(2013)
Cape Verde is one of the most important nesting sites for loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta, with the island of Sal having the second biggest population in the country. Loggerheads in Sal face a number of threats, from poaching to coastal development. The non-profit organisation SOS Tartarugas was founded in 2008 to ensure the conservation of the species. Community-based conservation (CBC) is one of the most popular strategies for carrying out wildlife conservation in Africa and even though the organisation employs international staff and volunteers, involving Cape Verdeans in the project is one of its main objectives. The implementation of CBC in Sal has however been very difficult. This study employed two different methods, a Delphi survey and semi-structured interviews, to describe the desirability and feasibility of a CBC approach in Sal and assess what challenges its implementation faces. Results strongly confirm the desirability of CBC in Sal, but also point out a number of challenges, from lack of education to the need for stable jobs for the Cape Verdeans involved in conservation.
In the North Atlantic, the waters surrounding the Cape Verde Islands are a "potential hot spot" for cookiecutter shark Isistius spp. interactions with cetaceans. These occurrences were recently identified by the improved efforts of researchers to document cetacean strandings in the Cape Verde archipelago, as well as by the photo identification efforts of live whales and dolphins. The documentation of individual and mass stranding events confirmed that cookiecutter shark interactions with cetaceans in Cape Verde seas are remarkably common.
On 6 October 2012, the remains of a frigatebird were recovered at João Barrosa beach (16°01.387’N, 022°43.610’W), southeastern Boavista, Cape Verde Islands. The carcass had been found in mid September 2012, during a beach survey to monitor loggerhead turtle nesting activity in the area and was then buried in the sand. The field assistant of the Cabo Verde Natura 2000 turtle project who found the bird indicated the location of the corpse to the first author. His description of the bird allowed it to be identified as an adult female magnificent frigatebird Fregata magnificens Mathews, 1914. The remains consisted of numerous black and white feathers as well as several bones, including the skull, thorax and wing bones, which are preserved at the Cabo Verde Natura 2000 headquarters at Sal Rei, Boavista. Some feathers, together with remains of an egg and tissue of a mummified male found at Ilhéu de Baluarte in 2005 (see below), were deposited at the Centro de Análise Molecular, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CMA/CIBIO), Vairão, Portugal.
The diet of feral cats Felis catus on Santa Luzia, Cape Verde Islands, was studied. A total of 147 prey items were identified during the analysis of 26 scat groups collected during the summer of 2010. House mouse Mus musculus was the most important prey, both in percentage of biomass and number of preys consumed (89.7% and n= 117, respectively). Reptiles were the second most important prey, represented by one skink species (Chioninia stangeri) and an unidentified gecko species. The remainder of the identified prey consisted of one bird species (Passer iagoensis) and one undetermined Tettigoniidae species (Insecta). No endangered species were identified in scats of this introduced predator, but future surveys must be carried out to further avoid threats to the island's biodiversity.
On 10 February 2012, at 0845 UTC, a mass stranding involving seven (six adults and a juvenile) pygmy killer whales Feresa attenuata Gray, 1874 occurred at Praia de Boa Esperança (16º12’26”N, 22º52’00”W), along the northern coast of Boavista island, Cape Verde Islands. The event was witnessed by a group of kite-surfers, who managed to move three animals (two adults and a juvenile) back to the sea. No re-strandings were noted. At 1330 UTC, staff of the Protected Areas Department visited the site and recorded four specimens (two alive and two dead). At 1700 UTC, only two carcasses were found on the beach, the others apparently having been washed out to sea.
Recent data on status and distribution of resident and migrant birds in the Cape Verde Islands are presented, including records of nine taxa new to the archipelago, viz. Ixobrychus sturmii, Botaurus stellaris, Butorides striatus, Circus cyaneus, Porzana pusilla, Fulica atra, Chlidonias niger, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus and Hippolais polyglotta. Also presented are data on a number of breeding taxa, including the first record of the endemic Raso lark Alauda razae outside the islet of Raso. The alarming situation of the magnificent frigatebird Fregata magnificens, of which probably only two individuals remain in Cape Verde, constituting the entire population in the East Atlantic, is highlighted. During the past decade, breeding populations of common moorhen Gallinula chloropus appear to have become well-established on the islands of Santiago and Boavista. Following its expansion through Northwest Africa and the Canary Islands, Eurasian collared dove Streptopelia decaocto has now also colonized the Cape Verde Islands.
A bibliography (including an author index) of the literature on the land and freshwater molluscs of the Cape Verde Islands is presented, encompassing 81 entries, of which 61 are directly related to land and freshwater molluscs, while another 20 deal with marine Pulmonata and/or brackish and saltwater inhabiting Hydrobiidae. A historical synopsis of the exploration of the land and freshwater mollusc fauna of the Cape Verde archipelago is presented. An annotated check-list of the land-bound gastropods of the Cape Verde Islands is also included, differentiating between freshwater, land and marine species and completed by a list of taxa that have been erroneously mentioned for the archipelago due to misidentification or confusion about the location of origin.
Reproduction of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Santa Cruz, Santiago island, Cape Verde Islands
(2012)
Mosquitoes are dipterous insects with an important role in the transmission of diseases like malaria and dengue. During a dengue fever outbreak in the Cape Verde Islands in 2009, several studies were undertaken to support vector control. The present study was carried out in the district of Santa Cruz, Santiago island, to evaluate previous measures taken to control mosquito populations. Results show that mosquitoes use domestic water containers to breed. Barrels, drums and pots were all used. Of these, drums were most frequently found being infested with mosquito larvae or pupae. Morphological identification showed that Anopheles arabiensis and Aedes aegypti were present in the study area. Ae. aegypti was the commonest of the two and the only one found throughout the study area. Results show that socio-economic factors influence container positivity.
The olive ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea has been recorded in the Cape Verde Islands, but the most recent published data (1998-2000) are of stranded individuals and remains only. This article presents new data on olive ridleys recorded during the years 2001-2011 on Boavista and Sal islands. The presence of this species does not appear to be related to nesting activity. The possible geographical origin of these turtles is discussed. In addition, we propose some studies that could help to reinforce the conservation of sea turtles in West Africa.