Expanding north: first record of the beaded sea cucumber Euapta lappa at Madeira Island

Abstract This study provides the first record of the beaded sea cucumber Euapta lappa at Madeira Island. A single individual was observed during a nocturnal scuba dive at 17 m depth, presumably feeding. After having its previous northern limit in the North-east Atlantic at the Selvagens Islands, thi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
Main Author: Schäfer, Susanne
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s002531542300019x
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S002531542300019X
Description
Summary:Abstract This study provides the first record of the beaded sea cucumber Euapta lappa at Madeira Island. A single individual was observed during a nocturnal scuba dive at 17 m depth, presumably feeding. After having its previous northern limit in the North-east Atlantic at the Selvagens Islands, this record expands the known distribution and northern limit of this tropical species by about 300 km. This new record of yet another tropical species expanding its range northwards can be seen as another indication of the ongoing tropicalization in the marine environment of Macaronesia in the North-east Atlantic.