Refine
Year of publication
- 2014 (1)
Document Type
- Article (1)
Language
- English (1)
Has Fulltext
- yes (1)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (1)
Keywords
- zoogeography (1) (remove)
The zoogeographic composition of the coastal ichthyofauna of the Cape Verde archipelago shows a predominance of Guinean species, followed by tropical-subtropical (amphi-Atlantic) fishes and several endemic species. Recent taxonomic revisions, new species descriptions, new fish records in the area and recent ecological surveys of intra-specific fish interaction as well as emergent research on seamounts in national waters warrant an up-to-date review of research on the ichthyofauna of Cape Verde. An updated percentage of endemic coastal reef fish of 10.2% attest significant speciation in Cape Verde waters. Almost half of the total cryptobenthic fish species richness in Cape Verde comprises endemic species, some of them newly discovered. Examples of endemism are discussed, notably white seabream Diplodus sargus lineatus, bulldog dentex Dentex (Virididentex) acromegalus, blackfish drummer Girella stuebeli, Lubbock's chromis Chromis lubbocki, Cape Verde damselfish Similiparma hermani and Guinean parrotfish Scarus hoefleri. Cape Verde diverges considerably from the other Macaronesian island groups in terms of its ichthyofauna and its uniqueness warrants special attention by governmental agencies and conservation organizations.