Benthic cyanobacterial diversity of Iles Eparses (Scattered Islands) in the Mozambique Channel

• We assess the marine cyanobacterial diversity of the Scattered Islands for the first time.
• We list a total of 39 species including 16 new records for the Southwest Indian Ocean.
• We discuss species diversity in relation to habitat type and geographical distribution.

The marine benthic cyanobacteria of the Iles Eparses, Mozambique Channel, were surveyed for the first time. A total of 39 species are reported: 29 from Europa, 17 from Glorioso and 23 from Juan de Nova Islands. The higher biodiversity in Europa is explained by greater habitat diversity on this Island with unique ecosystems (mangroves, fossil reefs, pools). Average species richness varied between the geomorphological habitat types with higher diversity in shallow environments (fossil reef pools, mangroves, reef flats), which are characterized by high temperatures and high irradiances. The most common species observed on the three islands were Hydrocoleum coccineum, Hydrocoleum glutinosum, Hydrocoleum lyngbyaceum, Phormidium laysanense, Lyngbya sordida, and Symploca hydnoides; which are also the dominant species observed in the Southwest Indian Ocean region. The most frequent species was Phormidium laysanense with extensive cover observed in the northwest of Juan de Nova Island. Our study provided a comparison between the cyanobacterial flora of Iles Eparses and the recorded surveys in the Southwest Indian Ocean region. The low similarity observed between these species lists could be explained by differences in sampling strategies and efforts, as well as by different taxonomic approaches employed in past regional studies.