Ilhéu de Cima is an uninhabited island of Cape Verde. It is part of the Ilhéus do Rombo islet group, located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of Ilhéu Grande, the other main islet of the group, and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) northeast of the island Brava. They are administratively a part of the Brava municipality. Surrounding islets include Ilhéu Luiz Carneiro, Ilhéu Sapado, and Ilhéu do Rei. The island is part of the integral nature reserve Ilhéus do Rombo,[1] famous for its seabird colonies.[2]
The southern part of the islet is the highest, culminating at 77 metres (253 ft).[3] This is where the Ilhéu de Cima Lighthouse is situated,[4] the only building on the island. The islet was mentioned as "Ghuay" in the 1747 map by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin.[5]
Notable endemic fauna found on the island include the Iago sparrow. In the mid-1950s, W. R. P. Bourne observed females remaining in flocks while males began to take up locations on rocky slopes from which they could sing.[6] A species of spongeEsperiopsis cimensis was found in the deep waters surrounding the islet.[7]
^van Soest, Rob W. M., Elly J. Beglinger & Nicole J. De Voogd, 2012: Sponges of the family Esperiopsidae (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida) from northwest Africa. European journal of taxonomy, 18: 1–21.
