Report | July 20, 2017

Current Status and distribution of the Madreporaria Dendrophyllia laboreli in the Canaries, South Portugal and Mediterranean Sea

New records of the Dendrophylliidae species Dendrophyllia laboreli in the Mediterranean Sea (Alboran basin), South Portugal and also in the Canaries are biogeographically relevant. The presence in the Mediterranean Sea and the recent wide distribution towards new locations in Canary Islands of such species is discussed in relation to the climatic fluctuations. In the Canaries several years of ecological searching have producing a high quantity of new data about the environment where the species occurs and its distribution along the islands. The population stability at the Mediterranean Sea and its characteristics are described, the habitats where the species occurs along the distribution area is also analyzed.

 

Learn more about Oceana’s 2009 Canary Islands Expedition.