The Dollabarat Reef is a shoal situated 5 km (3 nautical miles) south-southeast of the Formigas Islets on the Formigas Bank in the

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archipelago.

History

The reef is named after Pierre Dollabarats, Basque captain of the ship ''Maria de Sebourre'', who accidentally discovered the

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes—deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock ...

when his small boat wrecked on it on 7 March 1788. Since 16 June 2008, Dollabarat Reef and the neighboring Formigas Islets have been recognized as a

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It ...

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (Anoxic waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...

under the name ''Ilhéus das Formigas e Recife Dollabarat'' (reference number 1804).

Geography

The Dollabarat Reef is part of the Formigas Islets Nature Reserve which covers .Tomaz Dentinho, João Lima & Ana Tavares (2000), p.2 Around the Formigas Reserve, including the Dollabarat, sea cliffs fall rapidly between , although gently to the north and south. The gradient around the Dollabarat is less accentuated. The highest point is below sea level. Dollabarat Reef is one of the higher parts of the Formigas Bank, a seamount with similar volcanic origins as the Azores islands. The reef was formed from rocks emerging from volcanic activity in submarine volcanoes and deeper spaces composed of drained lava holes with an irregular morphology. The deeper parts of the Dollabarat are covered with large rocks and irregular plains covered with a carpet of seaweeds. Given the relatively shallow waters, the reef is a peril to navigation, similar to sandy shorelines.

Biome

The strong currents, deep waters, and presence of

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

s make diving difficult for those not familiar with open-ocean diving. The sub-tidal zone is a shelter for many fish species, and the abundance of black coral located about deep in the eastern part of the reef has resulted in a small reef habitat.Tomaz Dentinho, João Lima & Ana Tavares (2000), p.3 There is a large abundance of sea animals in the vicinity. In addition to species of sharks, other aquatic animals such as sea chub,

trigger fish Triggerfish are about 40 species of often brightly colored fish of the family Balistidae. Often marked by lines and spots, they inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world, with the greatest species richness in the Indo-Pacific. ...

manta Manta or mantas may refer to: * Manta ray, large fish belonging to the genus ''Manta'' Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * Manta (comics), a character in American Marvel Comics publications * Manta (''Uridium''), a spaceship in the Bri ...

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...

s and

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the b ...

s have been observed in the waters around Dollabarat, including the Atlantic goliath grouper (usually found in depths between 10–40 m). The floor of the seamount is generally covered by a dense layer of

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and '' Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

, dominated by the '' Cystoseira'' species, a seaweed found in deeper areas. In shallower depths less than from the surface there are populations of ''

Laminaria ''Laminaria'' is a genus of brown seaweed in the order Laminariales (kelp), comprising 31 species native to the north Atlantic and northern Pacific Oceans. This economically important genus is characterized by long, leathery laminae and relati ...

'' (large colonies of chestnut seaweeds). The Department of Oceanography and Fisheries at the University of the Azores ( Ponta Delgada) monitors and studies these species annually through scientific missions to the reef and surrounding islets.

References

;Notes ;Sources * * {{Azores Islands Volcanoes of Portugal Islands of the Azores Reefs of the Atlantic Ocean Ramsar sites in Portugal