rocks resemble scattered ants. The largest islet Formigão has a maximum altitude of above sea level. Generally the islets are useful for navigation and visible up to away on clear days, but during inclement weather a ship can run aground on the rocks without even seeing the lighthouse. Biome The Formigas Bank is essentially a submarine volcano inhabited by deep-dwelling marine species such as coral and sponges. The volcanic cone is delimited approximately by the Formigas islets of the northwest and Dollabarat Reef to the southeast. In the ancient crater there is a rich community of species common to the Azores. Among the species typical of the area are wrasse (Mediterranean rainbow wrasse and ornate wrasse), damselfish, sergeant fish (yellow and black), grouper, Mediterranean parrotfish, and the emblematic Atlantic goliath grouper, Serranidae and barred hogfish. Alongside these are African threadfish and longbill spearfish, pelagic predators that also reside in the bank, and migratory species like manta ray and whale shark . The base and surface of the volcano is covered in various types of black coral, soft corals, sponges, and other invertebrates, and various algae, forming a mosaic of micro-habitats. The geological differences of the Formigas Islets and Dollabarat Reef relative to the rest of the Azores are accentuated by the types of flora present there. The Formigas and Dollabarat both have an elevated biomass of brown algae considered unique to the Azores: the fields of kelp are situated between and below the crater at the Formigas, while at Dollabarat the brown algae is located along the reef's flanks. References Notes Sources Islets of the Azores Ramsar sites in Portugal Uninhabited islands of Portugal Archipelagoes of Portugal