Checklist and account of the Lophogastrida (Crustacea: Peracarida) of the Canary Islands, with notes on taxonomy and biogeography of the species

Abstract

The species numbers of lophogastrids in open waters off E. Atlantic islands (Azores, Madeira, Canaries, and Cape Verdes) exceed those in waters off N.W. African continental coasts and in the Mediterranean Sea. With twelve currently known, mainly meso- to bathy-pelagic species, the waters off the Canary Islands appear to be the most specierich in the Atlantic Ocean. This comparatively large number may reflect high sampling intensity in combination with favourable environmental conditions. All the here documented species appear to be indigenous, but the degree of endemism is very low: ten Canarian species are cosmopolitans, two are endemic to the Atlantic, only one of the latter two is restricted to the E. Atlantic. Biogeographical data are provided for the lophogastrids from the Canary Islands and surrounding areas (Macaronesian region, Mediterranean and Atlantic African coasts).