Intertidal Invertebrate Diversity of the Selvagens Islands: A Baseline Inventory

• Mar Humet ^[1] ; Rui Seabra ^[1] ; Fernando P. Lima ^[1] ; Catia Monteiro ^[1] ; João Canning-Clode ^[2] ; João Monteiro ^[2] ; Rocío Nieto-Vilela ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidade Do Porto

     Universidade Do Porto

     Santo Ildefonso, Portugal

     
  2. [2] Universidade da Madeira

     Universidade da Madeira

     São Roque, Portugal

     
• Localización: Thalassas: An international journal of marine sciences, ISSN 0212-5919, Vol. 42, Nº. 1, 2026
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Oceanic islands are recognized as biodiversity hotspots, yet their marine intertidal ecosystems remain understudied. The Selvagens Islands, part of the Portuguese municipality of Funchal, Madeira, represent one of the most pristine marine environments in the eastern Atlantic, benefiting from strict protection since 1978. Despite their ecological importance, comprehensive data on their intertidal invertebrate fauna are limited. This study presents a baseline inventory of intertidal marine invertebrates recorded during field surveys in May 2024 at four locations on Selvagem Grande and Selvagem Pequena. Using the SACFOR abundance scale, we documented 47 species across seven animal phyla. Species richness, and diversity varied substantially among locations, with the highest values observed at Selvagem grande, and the lowest at Selvagen Pequena. Mollusca showed the highest diversity (21 species), followed by Arthropoda (9 species) and Echinodermata (7 species). Seven species are newly recorded for the region: Pinctada imbricata (Röding 1798), Planocera pellucida (Mertens 1833) Aiptasia couchii (Gosse 1858), Telmatactis forskalii (Hemprich and Ehrenberg in Ehrenberg 1834), Xantho hydrophilus (Herbst 1790) and Palaemon elegans (Rathke 1836), and a member of the family Chalinidae (Porifera). Additionally, Phorcus atratus selvagiensis and Gibbula candei were observed exclusively in Selvagem Pequena. These findings contribute valuable data to the biodiversity knowledge of oceanic islands and support ongoing conservation efforts