Atlantic snake pipefish (Entelurus aequoreus) extends its northward distribution range to Svalbard (Arctic Ocean)

摘要

Ecological forecasts predict the immigration of boreal species into Arctic waters as one consequence of ris-ing sea temperatures. Here, we report the finding of Atlan-tic snake pipefish {Entelurus aequoreus) off the western coast of Spitsbergen at 79°N in August 2006. This syngnat-hid fish species, which was presumed to be confined to waters south of Iceland, has dramatically increased in popu-lation size in its core distribution area in the northeastern Atlantic since 2002, probably in response to greater repro-duction success due to higher water temperatures. We con-clude that our finding is an indication of the predicted northward extension of the distribution range of boreal species.