Fauna de equinodermos (Echinodermata) de los fondos rocosos infralitorales del archipiélago de Cabo Verde

Abstract

The echinoderm infralittoral rocky bottom fauna from the Cape Verde archipelago has been surveyed using scuba diving techniques. 23 echinoderm species has been recorded: 10 Asteroidea, 1 Ophiuroidea, 5 Echinoidea y 6 Holothuroidea (including two subspecies). No one Crinoidea has been observed. Ten of such species are the first register for the archipelago. Two species, Luidia alternata alternata (Say, 1825) and Holothuria (Semperothuria) surinamensis Ludwig, 1875, and a subespecie, Holothuria (Vaneyothuria) lentiginosa enodis Miller y Pawson, 1978, have been first registered for the east Atlantic. The main faunistic component, which include the 56% of the recorded species and subespecies, is constituted by western Atlantic elements. Only 6 species (22%) belong to the Atlantic-Mediterranean region and 4 (17%) are characteristic from the Guinea Gulf.