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Pelagic Sargassum and some associated mobile fauna: new records for the archipelago of Madeira (subtropical eastern Atlantic)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 November 2024

S. J. Ferreira Open the ORCID record for S. J. Ferreira [Opens in a new window] ,
M. Kaufmann ,
P. Wirtz ,
L. Berimbau  and
R. Araújo
S. J. Ferreira*
Affiliation:
Museu de História Natural do Funchal, Rua da Mouraria, n◦ 31, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal and MARE Madeira – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre Madeira, Portugal
M. Kaufmann
Affiliation:
Marine Biology Station of Funchal, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Madeira, MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ARNET – Aquatic Research Network, Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation (ARDITI), Funchal, Portugal
P. Wirtz
Affiliation:
Centro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
L. Berimbau
Affiliation:
Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
R. Araújo
Affiliation:
Museu de História Natural do Funchal, Rua da Mouraria, n◦ 31, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal and MARE Madeira – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre Madeira, Portugal
*
Corresponding author: S. J. Ferreira; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Starting in the summer 2023 and peaking in late 2023, large amounts of Sargassum were observed floating off the coast of Madeira Islands, Portugal. The analysis of the samples revealed the presence of the three most common morphotypes of the two known species of pelagic Sargassum: S. natans I, S. natans VIII, and S. fluitans III. This is the first record for the subtropical eastern Atlantic Ocean for S. natans VIII and S. fluitans III. Both species were found entangled, and even though the main purpose of the study was to document the occurrence of pelagic Sargassum in the Madeira archipelago, some associated fauna were also recorded: the crab Planes minutus (Linnaeus, 1758), the amphi-Atlantic shrimps Latreutes fucorum (Fabricius, 1798) and Hippolyte coerulescens (Fabricius, 1775), and the nudibranch Scyllaea pelagica Linnaeus, 1758. The last two are new records for the Madeira archipelago.

Keywords

decapodaeastern Atlantic OceanMadeira archipelagonudibranchiapelagic Sargassum
Type
Marine Record
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 104 , 2024 , e104
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

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