The distribution of trees and shrubs, ferns, land birds, beetles, and butterflies on the Canary Islands were analysed according to the null hypothesis approach Deviations from the expected number of species were found in the species groups trees and shrubs and Tenebrionid beetles This was interpreted as the result of deterministic processes influencing the colonisation of the archipelago In an other analysis the relationship between species similarity and geographical distance between the islands was investigated It showed that species similarity between the island decreased with distance The decrease was steepest for Tenebrionid beetles and trees and shrubs so it was concluded that their dispersal ability was lower than in the other species groups.
