Fire ! The spread of a Caribbean fire coral in the Eastern Atlantic

The Western Atlantic fire coral Millepora alcicornis is recorded from Madeira Island in the Eastern Atlantic. A large colony of this species has apparently been present at a very exposed site at the northern shore of Madeira Island for more than 15 years. Genetic analyses suggest that the colonies of this tropical fire coral at a mid-Atlantic location (Ascension Island) and at each of three Eastern Atlantic locations (Cape Verde Island, Canary Island, Madeira Island) originated from independent long distance dispersal events from the Caribbean area