Parcéis do Boqueirão

The Parcéis do Boqueirão form a submerged island running parallel to Ilha Rasa de Fora, separated from it by 40 m of sand, and two more reefs follow in sequence, like ribs, also separated by sand. The Ilhas Rasas are two rocky islets 2 m high, about 4.5 miles southeast of Ponta de Setiba, and there are submerged rocks up to 0.3 mile southeast of them. At the Ilhas Rasas, the bottom has rock formations covered in sponges, anemones, several kinds of corals, gorgonians and hydroids. The parrotfish species Sparisoma tuiupiranga was described in 2003 from a specimen collected at Ilha Rasa de Fora on 24 January 1998. The islands were once used as a target for naval artillery firing practice by the Navy; the practice ended and only the munitions remain, now covered in marine life.