Resumen de Check list and Account of the lophogastrida (Crustacea: Peracarida) of the Canary Islands, with notes of taxonomy and biogeography of the species

Karl J. Wittmann, Rodrigo Riera Elena

• español

  Las aguas que rodean el archipielago canario constituyen las de mayor riqueza de especies de lofogastridos en el Oceano Atlantico, con doce especies meso y batipelagicas de este grupo. Esta diversidad es debida a la elevada intensidad de nuestros conjuntamente con las favorables condiciones marinas. Todas las especies citadas son propias de esta zona, aunque el grado de endemicidad es muy bajo. Diez especies son consideradas cosmopolitas y dos presentan una distribucion restringida al area Atlantica, encontrandose limitada una de ellas al Atlantico Este. Ademas. se analizan a nivel biogeografico las areas de distribucion de las especies canarias de lofogastridos con zonas adyacentes (Macaronesia, Mediterraneo y Costa Atlantica Africana).

• English

  The species numbers of lophogastrids in open waters off E. Atlantic islands (Azores, Madeira. Canaries, and Cape Verdes) exceed those in waters off N.W. African continental coasts and in the Mediterranean Sea. With twelve currently known, mainly meso- to bathypelagic species, the waters off the Canary Islands appear to be the most species-rich in the Atlantic Ocean. This comparatively large number may reflect high sampling intensity in combination with favourable environmental conditions. All the here documented species appear to be indigenous, but the degree of endemism is very low: ten Canarian species are cos- mopolitans, two are endemic to the Atlantic, only one of the latter two is restricted to the E. Atlantic. Biogeographical data are provided for the lophogastrids from the Canary Islands and surrounding areas (Macaronesian region, Mediterranean and Atlantic African coasts).