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Freshwater wildlife of Tenerife |
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Written by Steve Andrews
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 Although Tenerife has very little in the way of naturally occurring permanent sources of fresh water there is a surprising amount of aquatic and semi-aquatic wildlife that thrives on the island and that would be of interest to naturalists.
The reservoirs and water tanks for the irrigation of the farmland are the main places where freshwater animals and plants can live but also there are ponds and water gardens in parks as well as in private gardens that provide homes to wildlife. Golf courses often have pools as well.
 There are several species of water beetle and water bug that can be found in the freshwater of Tenerife. Whirligig Beetles (Gyrinus dejeanii) can often be spotted in small groups on standing water where, as their name suggests, they whirl around on the surface film. Pond-skaters (Gerris thoracicus) and Water-measurers (Hydrometra stagnorum) are two small water bugs that also can be seen walking on water by balancing on the surface film with their delicate bodies.
Underneath the water Lesser Water boatmen (Corixa affinis) and Greater Water-boatmen (Notonecta canariensis) can be found, sometimes in very great numbers.
 Mayflies (Chloeon dipterum) breed in the standing freshwater of Tenerife in many places as well. In the UK related species are mainly seen in adult form in may and late spring but on Tenerife they can be found all year round.
Dragonflies of several species can be seen all over the island of Tenerife and one species of damselfly. There are five types of dragonfly with the large Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator) being the most spectacular of these with the bright blue males and green-bodied females being often seen even in the built-up towns.
 The Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) is the other most commonly seen species of dragonfly seen on Tenerife and the males are a bright red as the name suggests. The females are less frequently seen and have bronze-yellow bodies.
The Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) is a much more slender and smaller insect than any of the dragonflies and as its name suggests it has a blue tail. This species can breed in brackish water as well as fresh and can be seen in the salty pools on the waste ground near the beach and road into Las Galletas in the south of Tenerife.
 A very common species of freshwater fish that can also live in brackish water and is found in the pools in Las Galletas as well as in countless reservoirs and water tanks around Tenerife is the Mosquito Fish (Gambusia holbrooki). This little fish gives birth to live young and survives in polluted waters and at high temperatures. The Mosquito Fish is a real carnivore and will eat any small creatures it finds including mosquito larvae, which it has been distributed around the world in sub-tropical areas to control.
 Female Mosquito Fish look a lot like female Guppies (Poecilia reticulata) and have smaller males. The Guppy is a popular tropical fish that is also found in pools, water tanks and reservoirs in Tenerife where it has been added, although the males seldom display the pretty colouring of the aquarium varieties.
 Carp are kept in some reservoirs and large ponds as well on Tenerife and carp fishing is a leisure activity that can be pursued on the island.
Two species of frog and their spawn and tadpoles can be found in Tenerife. The Iberian Water Frog (Rana perezii) is the much larger of these and often lives in ornamental ponds in parks and gardens like the lily pools in Parque García Sanabria in Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife.
The other species of frog is the Mediterranean or Stripeless Tree frog (Hyla meridionalis) and this amphibian is encountered on banana plantations and farmland where it breeds in the water tanks. It is also reported from barrancos, especially in the north of Tenerife, where streams and pools of water form that are semi-permanent.
 There are several water birds to be seen on Tenerife with the Heron (Ardea cinerea) being the largest of these. Herons live on frogs and fish and will “steal” these from garden ponds. The white–plumaged Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) can be seen where there is freshwater on Tenerife as well as often being encountered around the coast.
The Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) is a duck-like water bird that breeds on Tenerife and there is a colony living at the pools of Erjos in the northwest of the island.
In conclusion, it can be seen from this article that there are many more forms of freshwater wildlife present on Tenerife than you would perhaps think.
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Tenerife Island