EXTENSION OF THE RANGE OF CENTROPYGE DEBELIUS ENDEMIC OF THE SOUTHWEST INDIAN OCEAN
Previously only known to Western Mascarenes and Aldabra, Centropyge debelius (Pyle 1990) is first reported from the islands of Mayotte and Tromelin. These new records expand the geographical distribution of C. debelius in the southwest Indian Ocean, but also the depth range of the species, as the species was first observed at depths below 30 mr. It stresses the crucial importance of improving the prospecting effort in poorly studied areas and the "twilight zone" of reef habitats, in order to gain a better understanding of biodiversity and ecological functionality.
Extension of the distribution area of the pygmy angelfish Centropyge debelius (Pyle, 1990) (Teleostei: Pomacanthidae) endemic to the southwest Indian Ocean. The pygmy angelfish Centropyge debelius, already known only to western Mascarenes and the Aldabra group in Seychelles, is first reported from Mayotte and Tromelin islands, southwest Indian Ocean. These new signals widen the geographical distribution of the species but also its depth range because the species is detected for the first time at depths less than 30 m. These observations underline the importance of increasing the prospecting effort on poorly studied areas and reef habitats in the "twilight zone" in order to better understand their biodiversity and ecological functions.