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The essay analyzes the saga of Lohodann in relation to the idiosyncratic cultural and religious history of the African Atlantic island of Annobón. It does so by placing the history of the island in the context of the Portuguese expansion in Africa during the early modern era, and studies the folktale in connection to the dissemination of Iberian cultural elements in the region. It pays special attention to the role of confraternities, in the context of which the population of Annobón reinvented and reimagined Iberian culture from an African perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The BioSTP: DNA Barcoding of endemic birds from oceanic islands of the Gulf of Guinea dataset contains records of 155 bird specimens belonging to 56 species in 23 families, representing over 80% of the diversity of the breeding landbird community. All specimens were collected on Príncipe, São Tomé and Annobón Islands between 2002 and 2021 and morphologically identified to species or subspecies level by qualified ornithologists. The dataset includes all endemic species and 3/4 of the extant endemic subspecies of the islands. This dataset is the second release by BioSTP and it greatly increases the knowledge on the DNA barcodes of Gulf of Guinea birds. All DNA extractions are deposited at Associação BIOPOLIS - CIBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources.The dataset includes DNA barcodes for all 29 endemic bird species and for 11 of the 15 extant endemic bird subspecies from the oceanic islands of the Gulf of Guinea. This is the first major DNA barcode set of African birds. The three endemic subspecies of Crithagra rufobrunnea, an island endemic with three allopatric populations within the Archipelago, are also represented. Additionally, we obtained DNA barcodes for 16 of the 21 non-endemic landbirds and for one vagrant (Sylvia communis). In total, forty-one taxa were new additions to the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD), with another 11 corresponding to under-represented taxa in BOLD. Furthermore, the submitted sequences were found to cluster in 55 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs), 37 of which were new to BOLD. All specimens have their DNA barcodes publicly accessible through BOLD online database and GenBank.

Background The BioSTP: DNA Barcoding of endemic birds from oceanic islands of the Gulf of Guinea dataset contains records of 155 bird specimens belonging to 56 species in 23 families, representing over 80% of the diversity of the breeding landbird community. All specimens were collected on Príncipe, São Tomé and Annobón Islands between 2002 and 2021 and morphologically identified to species or subspecies level by qualified ornithologists. The dataset includes all endemic species and 3/4 of the extant endemic subspecies of the islands. This dataset is the second release by BioSTP and it greatly increases the knowledge on the DNA barcodes of Gulf of Guinea birds. All DNA extractions are deposited at Associação BIOPOLIS - CIBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources. New information The dataset includes DNA barcodes for all 29 endemic bird species and for 11 of the 15 extant endemic bird subspecies from the oceanic islands of the Gulf of Guinea. This is the first major DNA barcode set of African birds. The three endemic subspecies of Crithagra rufobrunnea, an island endemic with three allopatric populations within the Archipelago, are also represented. Additionally, we obtained DNA barcodes for 16 of the 21 non-endemic landbirds and for one vagrant (Sylvia communis). In total, forty-one taxa were new additions to the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD), with another 11 corresponding to under-represented taxa in BOLD. Furthermore, the submitted sequences were found to cluster in 55 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs), 37 of which were new to BOLD. All specimens have their DNA barcodes publicly accessible through BOLD online database and GenBank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A regular, though infrequent, artisanal whaling operation targeting humpback whales has been known to occur from the West African island of Annobón, Equatorial Guinea, since the late 18th century. Little has been known outside of Equatorial Guinea about this whaling operation since the mid-1970s. This paper presents a brief history of Annobon´´'s whaling, describes recently surfaced evidence of its continuation as recently as 2017 and considers the future of the operation.

Se presenta un catálogo actualizado de las especies y táxones infraespecíficos de la familia Orchidaceae en Guinea Ecuatorial, obtenido a partir de testimonios de herbario y revisión bibliográfica. Nuestros resultados indican la presencia de 225 táxones más 12 que requieren confirmación en el conjunto del territorio (Annobón, Bioko y Río Muni), incluidos en 43 géneros y 10 tribus pertenecientes a las subfamilias Vanilloideae, Orchidoideae y Epidendroideae. Se aportan 88 táxones más en el catálogo de Río Muni respecto a publicaciones precedentes. La tribu Vandeae es la más representada, con 118 táxones. Atendiendo al hábito, 53 táxones son terrestres, seis son trepadores y 166 son epífitos. La mayor riqueza de orquídeas se manifiesta en la isla de Bioko y en las provincias occidentales de Río Muni. De las 31 especies descritas sobre materiales ecuatoguineanos, seis son consideradas endemismos de Guinea Ecuatorial.

The article tries to present Las aventuras de un piloto en el golfo de Guinea, a story considered unanimously by the little scholars who have cited it so far to be the first colonial novel about the Spanish possessions in the Gulf of Guinea. We present a summary of the work and the historical circumstances surrounding it (history of the island of Annobon and its Spanish colonization) and a hypothesis about the author, who published under the pseudonym Donacuige.

The identification of 223 collections of the Lamiaceae family, from Bioko island, Rio Muni (Equatorial Guinea mainland) and Annobon, corresponding to 14 genera and 28 species, is presented. A key of genera and, in each genus, a key of species are included. The basionym and type material, a brief description, the known chromosomic numbers, the distribution area and some known popular uses from each species, also included are photographs of sheets and distribution maps. Some biogeographical aspects about the generic and specific distribution in the studied area are discussed. Calaminta pseudosimensis (Brenan) R. Morales, comb. nov. is proposed.

A chec klist of the Melastomataceae of Equatorial Guinea is presented with 57 taxa. Three species were accepted based only on literature records, their distribution área strongly suggests their presence in Equatorial Guinea. Six species are known from Annobón, 23 from Bioko and 49 from Río Muni. Best-represented genera are Memecylon (10), Calvoa (10) and Tristemma (7). Twenty-six taxa are newly recorded for the country. Heterotis obamae Lejoly & Lisowski is set in synonymy with the previously described Heterotis arenaria Jacq.-Fél.

Abstract: Partial sequences of three mitochondrial DNA genes, 12S rDNA, 16S rDNA and cytochrome b, and one nuclear gene, c-mos, were used to assess the phylogenetic relationships of species belonging to the genus Afroablepharus from the volcanic islands of the Gulf of Guinea (West Africa) and neighboring continental Africa. Additionally, partial sequences of cytochrome b were used to compare levels of sequence divergence within populations. The three forms from São Tomé, Príncipe and Annobon (one per island) are genetically distinct, with high levels of divergence, supporting the recognition of a distinct species in each island. Populations within each island contain very low levels of genetic diversity. These three forms form a monophyletic group suggesting a single initial colonization followed by radiation to the other islands, possibly from São Tomé to Príncipe and Annobon. This is contrary to what was found in other reptiles from these islands such as Mabuya (sensu lato) and Hemidactylus, which colonized the islands multiple times. Assuming a molecular clock for cytochrome b of about 2% divergence per million years (usually applied to Sauria), the lineage on Annobon island exceeds the age of the island, thus casting further doubt on this widely used divergence estimate. Partial sequences of c-mos showed no variation within islands. Five to seven sites were variable among islands, which is a high value further supporting the treatment of each island form as a distinct species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Mitochondrial DNA (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and cytochrome b) sequences and nuclear sequences (C-mos and α-Enolase) were analyzed within all known Hemidactylus species from all three volcanic islands in the Gulf of Guinea that have never been connected to the continent. These comprise both endemic and widespread species. Our aim was to determine if the widespread species was introduced anthropogenically, to determine the number of distinct genetic lineages within the islands, and to determine if the endemic forms constituted a monophyletic group. Our results suggest that a previously undescribed species on São Tomé is the sister taxon to Hemidactylus newtoni, endemic to Annobon. Genetic variation between populations of Hemidactylus greefii from São Tomé and Principe is very high based on mtDNA sequences, but the forms cannot be distinguished using the nuclear DNA sequences. Hemidactylus mabouia appears to have been anthropogenically introduced to all three islands. The island endemics do not form a monophyletic group, suggesting multiple independent colonizations of the islands. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]