Littoral Tanaidacea (Crustacea: Peracarida) from Macaronesia: allopatry and provenance in recent habitats

Abstract

The Macaronesian Islands in the mid-Atlantic pose a number of questions relating to their colonization by littoral tanaidaceans, as these taxa have no obligate dispersive phase. Recent surveys of the four main archipelagos discovered twelve species of tanaidacean, four of which are new to science, in seven genera (one new to science). In addition, some taxa described by Vanhöffen at the beginning of the last century were rediscovered. All the taxa are described, and their zoogeography, likely origin, and possible means of colonization are discussed.