Echinoderms of the Canary Islands, Spain

Abstract

The work presented here summarizes the studies on echinoderms in the Canary Islands, Spain. The geographical and geological contexts of the islands, as well as oceanographic and general characteristics of ecosystems and communities of the archipelago are discussed to better understand the composition of echinoderm species in the islands. A research section is divided into three subsections: ‘pioneering studies’, studies done ‘between 1980 and 1990’ when the first taxonomic, bionomical, biogeographical and ethological studies were done, and finally ‘the recent past’ where the latest studies on echinoderm ecology are described. The subsequent section deals with the diversity and biogeographic relationships of the echinoderm fauna present in the islands. The final two sections consider echinoderm ecology and fisheries, with special emphasis on the conservation of echinoderm populations and of the whole benthic ecosystem. We make recommendations for future research on the biology and ecology of echinoderms in the Canary Islands.