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Working out the Old Libyco-Berber (LB) writings found on the Canary Islands (CI) is a long and painstaking task. Scholars have struggled with their provenance, meaning(s), common and different features with North African cognates, scribal communities, and the assumed time-span. In this review-paper, laying theoretical guiding lines for the understanding of the successive patterns and signs is considered an advantage. Nonetheless, high-staked claims as for the origin and the decipherment of the inscriptions are eluded, with plausible scenarios being offered. While corpus enlargement and qualitative and quantitative methods stand for the correct pursuit of the Libyco-Berber scholarship, multi-disciplinary and coordinated research should gain momentum too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the last century, the richness of the Canary Islands marine flora has attracted many botanists. Børgesen's seminal papers have been the main reference source for anyone interested in this flora. The first checklist of the marine macroalgae from the Canary Islands was published by Gil-Rodríguez and Afonso-Carrillo (1980a) with 434 macroalgal species being listed together with some dubious records. In recent years, the research efforts of local phycologists and the output of some scientific expeditions have yielded some new species and a large number of new records to the Canarian seaweed flora. The aim of this contribution is to compile an up-to-date catalogue of the marine plants for the Canary Islands (including cyanobacteria, macroalgae, seagrasses and fungi). The review of all published records of these marine plants takes into account the present taxonomic status and nomenclatural changes of the taxa concerned and rejects old and dubious records. After a careful review of the pertinent references and revision of live and preserved material, only valid records published before July 2001 are included in this checklist. Besides, each species is quoted for the islands in an east-west fashion to illustrate the distributional pattern of the species concerned. The marine flora of the Canary Islands is composed of 711 species, which are distributed as follows: 59 Cyanophycota, 385 Rhodophycota, 125 Chromophycota, 117 Chlorophycota, 3 seagrasses and 22 fungi. Compared to nearby regions, the Canarian archipelago comprises a much larger number of species. This high diversity appears to be the result of the combined effects of its geographic location, paleoclimatic events and the prevailing oceanographic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Populations inhabiting the periphery of a species' distribution suffer the immediate pressure of the environmental changes. Studying their physiology under stressful conditions is essential in the context of climate change. We characterized two morphotypes with measurements of length, thickness and width of the thallus of the macroalga Fucus guiryi in two localities (north and south) in Tenerife (Canary Islands), the southern limit of distribution of the species. We hypothesized that the individuals from the north locality, especially the large morphotype, would be more vulnerable to desiccation and high temperatures than those from the south. Tolerance to desiccation was tested through two long desiccation experiments and by comparing the vegetative and reproductive blades. Tolerance to high temperatures was tested by keeping the individuals in seawater (26–32 °C) for 24 h. The recovery of physiological functions after the stressful conditions was estimated through maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII. Results indicate that both of the two morphometrically differentiated morphotypes were tolerant to prolonged desiccation; however, the small one was more affected, particularly in the northern locality. The reproductive blades were hardly affected, indicating greater tolerance to desiccation than the vegetative blades. Fucus guiryi showed tolerance to high temperatures (32 °C) suggesting plasticity to future warming scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Canary Islands are home to a large variety of endemic fauna. The Canary shrew (Crocidura canariensis) has a distribution restricted to Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and the islets of Lobos and Montaña Clara. One of the main threats to the insular fauna is the arrival of exotic species. The greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) is an easily transportable animal and a potential competitor for C. canariensis. Therefore, C. russula should be taken into account in the management protocols for invasive species. One of the most easily applicable techniques for detecting shrews is the analysis of pellets. This study aims to assess which morphological characters are diagnostic and easy to use when identifying both species of shrews. For this purpose, a blind specific assignment has been made using seven previously described characters and another three added in the present study. The results show that the observer's experience did not improve the correct identification rate and that only three of the evaluated characters have a high discriminant capacity. Finally, it was found that the combined use of the maximum number of characters and the identification by two independent observers reduces the probability of making a mistake in the determination to minimum values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifteen attached macroalgae from the Madeira Archipelago, comprising three green, three red and nine brown algal species, as well as two beach-cast macroalgal samples, collected along the north shore of Gran Canaria, were assessed for their biochemical properties. The analysis included the determination of total minerals, total carbohydrates, protein, lipids, chlorophyll a, total carotenoids, total phenolic content, fucoxanthin and phycobilins (allophycocyanin, phycocyanin and phycoerythrin). The results showed a high variability of biochemical composition, allowing for the targetting of specific bioresources for particular purposes, including functional foods. This work provides the foundation for a biorefinery strategy implementation plan, for which specific macroalgae may be targeted for valuable and beneficial compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gelidium canariense and Gelidium arbusculum coexist in the upper sublittoral zone in the Canary Islands and are the only Gelidiales registered as vulnerable species. Spore germination and the formation of rhizoids are vital steps for the successful growth of new plants. We investigated the initial germination stages of tetraspores and the growth of the primary rhizoid in these two vulnerable species. Both Gelidiales exhibited Gelidium-type germination. However, liberated tetraspores of G. canariense and G. arbusculum germinated earlier than those of other species of the Gelidiales. The growth curves of primary rhizoids were similar in both species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed morphological and molecular studies of Laurencia catarinensis from the Canary Islands. This species has an entangled habit, cushion-like tuft formation, cortical cell walls, slightly to markedly projecting near the apex, and lacking lenticular thickenings in medullary cells. We inferred its phylogenetic position by analyzing the chloroplast-encoded rbc L gene sequences from 41 samples. The results demonstrate that specimens of L. catarinensis from the Canary Islands, where it is referred to as L. intricata, and those from Brazil (including specimens from the type locality in Santa Catarina) form a monophyletic clade with low genetic divergence (0-0.9%). In contrast, specimens of L. intricata from the type locality in Cuba, Mexico, and the USA were clearly distinct from L. catarinensis collected in Brazil and the Canary Islands, as shown by high genetic divergence values (4.9-5.7%). The type material of L. catarinensis from Brazil allowed us to identify all samples from the Canarian Archipelago as L. catarinensis. These findings expand the known geographical distribution of L. catarinensis to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and demonstrate an amphi-Atlantic distribution of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fossil and subfossil mammal scenario of the oceanic islands of Macaronesia - the Azores, Madeira, and the Savage Islands (Portugal), the Canary Islands (Spain) and Cape Verde - is disconcertingly scant, consisting almost exclusively of the same taxonomic groups characterised by a homogeneous composition of species. The very few endemites can be referred essentially to three species of chiroptera in addition to three murids, which became extinct on the Canaries in historical times, and one representative of the taxonomic group of the Soricomorpha, the Canarian shrew, Crocidura canariensis Hutterer, Lopez-Hurado and Vogle 1987. It is the sole non-volant mammal still dispersed on the Canary Islands, where its occurrence is reported from Fuerteventura, La Graciosa, Lanzarote, and possibly from the two islets of Lobos and Montaña Clara. Owing to its vicinity to continental Africa, the Canary archipelago is the only one in the Eastern Atlantic islands to have been characterised by a non-volant mammalian fauna, whereas such elements do not appear to have been diffused in either the Azores or Cape Verde throughout the entire recent Quaternary. The current mammalian composition of these islands is characterised by the presence of species of almost entirely continental and anthropochorous origin. Evidence shows that the extant occurrence of non-volant mammals appears to be almost exclusively a result of human introduction during the late Holocene. The timing of such processes and the biological success of certain introductions (i.e., naturalisation) raise questions about the proper use of terms such as 'natural' or 'artificial' when dealing with expansions of anthropochorous range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palisada flagellifera (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta) is recorded for the first time in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain. The specimens were collected in 2006–2009 growing from the lower intertidal to subtidal zones to 2 m depth at sites exposed to wave action. The species possesses a palisade-like arrangement of cortical cells in cross section, lacks secondary pit connections between them, and has tetrasporangia produced by three fertile pericentral cells (the third and the fourth additional and the second that becomes fertile), and a right-angled arrangement of tetrasporangia. Gametangia were not observed. The phylogenetic relationships were inferred by analyses of the chloroplast-encoded rbcL gene sequences from 46 taxa. The Canarian and Brazilian P. flagellifera specimens formed a highly supported clade with a low level of genetic variation in the rbcL sequences (0.02–0.04%), confirming that they are the same taxonomic entity. This study expands the geographical distribution of P. flagellifera to the eastern Atlantic Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marine red alga Lomentaria benahoarensis sp. nov. from the Canary Islands is described. Plants grow epiphytically on Corallina elongata forming turfs of creeping axes attached by lateral discoid holdfasts and erect axes up to 12 mm high. Erect axes are terete to slightly compressed, 200–300(–1000) μm broad, radially branched up to three orders, with laterals progressively thinner, constricted only at the bases of terminal axes. The cortex is three-layered with the outermost cortical cells arranged in a near-continuous surface layer. Medullary filaments form a loose network of narrow elongate cells, which bear secretory cells. Gametophytes are dioecious with spermatangia formed in continuous spermatangial sori; cystocarps are urceolate and ostiolate. Tetrasporangia are subspherical and formed in depressed rounded sori in slightly swollen regions in the middle of fertile terminal axes. The new species has no single unique feature, but differs from the other Lomentaria species by a distinctive combination of attributes. Closest related species to Lomentaria benahoarensis appear to be L. corallicola, L. gracillima, L. monochlamydea, L. orcadensis, L. rawitscheri, and L. tenerrima. Although all these species have a diminutive, decumbent habit and lack regular constrictions in axes, the number of cortical cell layers and the arrangement of outer cortical cells distinguish them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four species of marine algae are reported from the Canary Islands for the first time. Our report of the western Atlantic Gelidiella setacea (Gelidiales, Rhodophyta) is the first from the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Pseudotetraspora marina (Tetrasporales, Chlorophyta) previously known on the eastern side of the Atlantic Ocean from temperate saltmarshes only, is now reported growing in the shallow sublittoral zone, the habitat in which tropical western Atlantic populations also occur. The presence of Lomentaria chylocladiella (Rhodymeniales, Rhodophyta) represents the first report in the Atlantic Ocean of a species previously thought to be endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. The record of the widely distributed Acrochaetium hallandicum (Acrochaetiales, Rhodophyta) was not unexpected. Specimens of A. hallandicum have vegetative cells with a single lobate parietal chloroplast with a single pyrenoid, a feature that among acrochaetioid algae occurs exclusively in the genus Colaconema (Colaconematales), and consequently the species is transferred to this genus. Fertile sporophytes are described for Gelidiella setacea, a species previously known only in its vegetative condition. Cruciately to irregularly divided sporangia are regularly arranged in transverse rows in stichidia laterally formed on the axes. The species is transferred to the genus Parviphycus on the basis of the morphology of the stichidia and the distichous pattern of apical division exhibited by the axes, both exclusive features of this genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirteen species of benthic marine algae are reported new for the isolated mid-Atlantic Azores archipelago and five older records are confirmed. Seven ( Bangia atropurpurea, Codium fragile spp. tomentosoides, Ectocarpus fasciculatus, E. siliculosus, Porphyrostromium ciliare, Ulothrix flacca and Ulvaria oxysperma) are widespread amphi-Atlantic species some of which extend in distributional range south to the Canary Islands. Cryptonemia seminervis, Ctenosiphonia hypnoides and Phyllophora sicula are known from the northeastern Atlantic Ocean only and also occur in the Canary Islands. The Azores archipelago is the western limit of distribution of Codium fragile ssp. atlanticum, Bostrychia scorpioides, Bryopsis cupressina, Erythroglossum laciniatum, Haliptilon squamatum and Phyllophora sicula, and the southern limit of C. fragile ssp. atlanticum and E. laciniatum. The tropical species Phyllodictyon anastomosans, Valonia macrophysa and Wurdemannia miniata reach their northern limit of distribution there. Asparagopsis taxiformis is now less common possibly due to competition with the non-native A. armata; subspecies of the non-native C. fragile now occur widely in the Azores. The status of Fucus vesiculosus, Ulva ( Enteromorpha) clathrata and Rhizoclonium tortuosum is clarified and other species have been removed from the flora. The continuing addition of new species records for the Azores shows the archipelago to be floristically richer than other Atlantic islands except for the Canary Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenology and spatial-temporal variation patterns during an annual cycle of Sargassum orotavicum from the Canaries have been studied for the first time. Data on morphological variation of general habit, stipes, primary and secondary branches, primary and secondary blades, vesicles and receptacles are presented. Sargassum orotavicum is a pseudoperennial species showing a significant seasonality in most parameters that have been studied. This species has four phases within the year: (1) regeneration, from perennial stipes and holdfasts in late autumn; (2) growth, with the beginning of the development of thallus structures that renew every year, in winter; (3) reproductive, with a vegetative climax prior to the reproductive, in spring; and (4) senescence and degeneration, with detachment of thallus structures that renew yearly, in summer. Biomass of branches, blades, vesicles and receptacles showed a significant seasonal variation, with maximum values in spring and minimum in late summer and autumn. This warm-temperate species exhibited a phenological behaviour intermediate between tropical and cold-temperate species of Sargassum . Analysis of within- and between-individual stability of eleven continuous traits indicated that the highest variation occurred temporally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nine species of sublittoral and deep-water red and brown algae are reported from the Canary Islands for the first time. The reports of the Western Atlantic species Gloiocladia atlantica (Searles) R. E. Norris and Rosenvingea antillarum (P. et H. Crouan) M. J. Wynne are the first from the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. The presence of Feldmannophycus rayssiae (J. et G. Feldmann) Augier et Boudouresque, Fauchea repens (C. Agardh) Montagne et Bory and Halichrysis depressa (J. Agardh) F. Schmitz, previously known from the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent Atlantic coasts, place their southernmost known limit of distribution in the Canary Islands. Stypopodium schimperi (Buchinger ex Kützing) Verlaque et Boudouresque is reported for the first time in the Atlantic Ocean, although it is present in the Mediterranean Sea, probably as a Lessepsian species. The records of the widely distributed Stylonema cornu-cervi Reinsch, Acrochaetium infestans M. Howe et Hoyt and Spatoglossum schroederi (C. Agardh) Kützing were not unexpected. Data concerning morphology, habitat and geographical distribution of these species are presented. Observations on the scantly documented sublittoral species Schim-melmanniaschousboei (J. Agardh) J. Agardhand Dictyopteris plagiogramma (Montagne)Vickers are also given. In the dioecious Schimmelmannia schousboei, which has been formerly accepted as a doubtful record for the Canary Islands, the reproductive morphology is described including the previously unreported spermatangia. Dictyopteris plagiogramma was recently included in a checklist of Canarian species of Dictyopteris and is discussed in detail here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biomass and production of the epiphytic community on the leaves of Cymodocea nodosa were measured during an annual cycle, from June 1991 to May 1992. The biomass of the epiphytes always increased with the age of the leaf in each shoot throughout the year. The mean annual biomass of epiphytes was 52.6 g dw m−² of leaf, with a maximum of 109 g dw m−² of leaf in November and a minimum of 33 g dw m−² of leaf in March. The biomass of the epiphytes was always lower than the biomass of the leaves on which they were growing, except in November. The epiphytic biomass varied from 124.1 g dw m−² meadow area in winter to 29.7 g dw m−² in spring. The mean annual contribution of the epiphytes to the total epigean biomass of the meadows was 31%, with the highest contribution of 34–57 % in autumn-winter and the lowest one of 17–28 % in spring-summer. The annual production of the epiphytes by shoot area was 453 mg dw year−¹ and the annual production of this epiphytic community per m² of meadow was 625 g dw year−¹. The mean production of the epiphytes was also estimated over the year. Two maxima were detected, one in winter of 90 μg dw cm−² day−¹, mainly due to the longest life-time of the leaves in these months (up to 90 days), and the other in late spring-early summer of 86 ×μg dw cm−² day−¹ because of the high contribution of seasonal epiphytes as well as the highest accumulation of biomass of epiphytes per day. In March and April, the minimum value of 38 μg dw cm−² day−¹ is directly related to the shortest life-time of the leaves in these months (up to 45 days). In general, the epiphytic flora on the leaves of the warm temperate seagrass Cymodocea nodosa showed biomass and productivity tendencies comparable to those known for other temperate and tropical seagrasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual plants in the monotypic genus Ctenosiphonia Falkenberg and in two species of Polysiphonia Greville [P. subuhfera (C. Agardh) Harvey and P. flexella (C. Agardh) J. Agardh] are described for the first time in material collected from the Canary Islands. In Ctenosiphonia hypnoides (J. Agardh) Falkenberg cylindrical spermatangial axes replace both branches at the second dichotomy of fertile trichoblasts. The procarps arise on the second basal segment of a fertile trichoblast and consist of a 4-celled carpogonial branch, and two sterile-cell groups are borne on the supporting cell. Up to ten cystocarps are arranged in a series on the dorsal side of erect branches. Both Polysiphonia subulifera and P. flexella show spermatangial axes formed at the first dichotomy of fertile trichoblasts, replacing one branch and ending in 1--2 sterile terminal cells. Cystocarps are globose to pyriform in P. subulifera and spherical and flattened in P. flexella. Two species of Rhodomelaceae: Polysiphonia tepida Hollenberg and Wornersleyella setacea (Hollenberg) R. E. Norris, and Aiolocolax puichellus Pocock, related to Rhodomelaceae but of uncertain systematic position, are reported from the Canary Islands for the first time. Data concerning ecological conditions, geographical distribution, morphology and phenology are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]