Distribution and diversity of cyanobacteria in the Azores Archipelago: An annotated checklist

BACKGROUND: Knowledge about cyanobacteria diversity in the Azores is spread over several publications, dating from 1874, with some of them not generally available to the scientific community due to their restricted access. The dispersion and sometimes inaccessibility of this information hinder a deeper analysis and a better understanding of the biodiversity of the Azores Islands and more general ecological processes in oceanic islands. Here we present the first checklist of cyanobacteria for the Azores Archipelago with updated taxonomy of all recorded taxa. NEW INFORMATION: This work provides a compiled and annotated checklist of all known cyanobacteria from the Azores Archipelago with morphological identification from preserved samples and cultures, based on published literature. All records of taxa known to occur in the Azores were taxonomically updated. The present checklist comprises 225 taxa distributed by six orders (Chroococcales, Nostocales, Oscillatoriales, Pleurocapsales, Spirulinales and Synechococcales). Our literature review reveals that the Azores Archipelago hosts a high diversity of cyanobacteria, despite several overlooked habitats that may present great potential regarding cyanobacteria diversity. Increasing efforts to study these neglected habitats could contribute to the knowledge of cyanobacteria taxonomy. This checklist provides the basis for future works on the taxonomy and taxa richness of cyanobacteria in the Azores and the Atlantic Islands, as also for understanding and monitoring non-indigenous and invasive species.