Atlantic snake pipefish (Entelurus aequoreus) extends its northward distribution range to Svalbard (Arctic Ocean)

Ecological forecasts predict the immigration of boreal species into Arctic waters as one consequence of rising sea temperatures. Here, we report the finding of Atlantic snake pipefish (Entelurus aequoreus) of the western coast of Spitsbergen at 79°N in August 2006. This syngnathid fish species, whic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Biology
Main Authors: Fleischer, D., Schaber, Matthias, Piepenburg, D.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0322-y
https://www.openagrar.de/receive/timport_mods_00016340
https://www.openagrar.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/timport_derivate_00048536/dn047176.pdf
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Summary:Ecological forecasts predict the immigration of boreal species into Arctic waters as one consequence of rising sea temperatures. Here, we report the finding of Atlantic snake pipefish (Entelurus aequoreus) of the western coast of Spitsbergen at 79°N in August 2006. This syngnathid fish species, which was presumed to be confined to waters south of Iceland, has dramatically increased in population size in its core distribution area in the northeastern Atlantic since 2002, probably in response to greater reproduction success due to higher water temperatures. We conclude that our finding is an indication of the predicted northward extension of the distribution range of boreal species.