Branchiosyllis, Haplosyllis, Opisthosyllis and Trypanosyllis (Annelida: Syllidae) from Brazil, with the Description of Two New Species

Proxies to detect hotspots of invertebrate biodiversity on rhodolith beds across the Southwestern Atlantic

Rhodolith beds are known worldwide to host high biodiversity to several taxa. Despite their importance, few ecological data explored the influence of rhodolith features and environmental variables on associated biodiversity, a gap that has been hampering the mapping of diversity hotspots and priority areas for conservation. In this study, we investigated large-scale spatial variations of rhodolith beds and their associated fauna, using annelid polychaetes as a biological model. We aimed to identify proxies, based on rhodolith features and environmental variables, to detect biodiversity hotspots across Southwestern Atlantic beds, laying the groundwork for mapping priority areas for conservation. With this goal, we sampled a total of 136 rhodolith nodules across seven sites with beds under distinct latitudes, depths, distances from the mainland coast of Brazil, and rhodolith densities. For each nodule sampled, we measured the volume, diameter, and mass of sediment trapped, as well as the attributes of the associated polychaetes (abundance, richness, diversity, and composition). Our results revealed a complex network of collinearities and synergisms between the rhodolith features and the majority of the polychaetes attributes (i.e., abundance, diversity, and composition). Polychaete richness, in contrast, can be explained by the combination of two proxies: (1) rhodolith nodule diameter and (2) distance of the rhodolith bed from the mainland coast. Nearshore rhodolith beds and larger nodules were associated with higher values of richness. Additionally, rhodoliths with a hollow morphology were also associated with higher values of polychaete richness. These results suggest that nearshore rhodolith beds with large and hollow nodules could be priority areas for conservation. However, further multi-taxa studies using our framework are still needed to explore other regions and scales, delineating more comprehensive proxies for predicting ecological patterns of the rhodoliths associated fauna and to identify priorities for conservation across Southwestern Atlantic beds.

Polychaetes of Greece: an updated and annotated checklist

BACKGROUND

The last annotated checklist of marine polychaetes in Greece was published in 2001. Since then, global taxonomic progress, combined with many new species records for Greece, required a thorough review of the taxonomic, nomenclatural and biogeographic status of the national species list. This checklist revises the status of all extant polychaete species reported from the Greek Exclusive Economic Zone since 1832. The work was undertaken as part of the efforts on compiling a national species inventory (Greek Taxon Information System initiative) in the framework of the LifeWatchGreece Research Infrastructure.

NEW INFORMATION

This checklist comprises an updated and annotated inventory of polychaete species in Greek waters, compiled from literature reports, online databases, museum collections and unpublished datasets. The list provides information on 836 species-level taxa from Greece, of which 142 are considered questionable. An additional 84 species reported in the past are currently considered absent from Greece; reasons for the exclusion of each species are given. Fourteen species are reported here for the first time from Greek waters. At least 52 species in the present list constitute in fact a complex of cryptic or pseudo-cryptic species. Forty-seven species are considered non-native to the area. In addition to the species-level taxa reported in this checklist, eleven genera have been recorded from Greece with no representatives identified to species level. One replacement name is introduced. For each species, a comprehensive bibliographic list of occurrence records in Greece and the synonyms used in these publications are provided as supplementary material. Where necessary, the taxonomic, nomenclatural or biogeographic status is discussed. Finally, the findings are discussed in the wider context of Mediterranean polychaete biogeography, taxonomic practice and worldwide research progress.

Inventory of mollusks from the estuary of the Paraíba River in northeastern Brazil

Abstract: Coastal ecosystems of northeastern Brazil have important biodiversity with regard to marine mollusks, which are insufficiently studied. Here we provide an inventory of mollusks from two sites in the estuary of the Paraíba River. Mollusks were collected in 2014 and 2016 on the coast and sandbanks located on the properties of Treze de Maio and Costinha de Santo Antônio. The malacofaunal survey identified 12 families, 20 genera and 21 species of bivalves, 17 families, 19 genera and 20 species of gastropods and one species of cephalopod. Bivalves of the family Veneridae Rafinesque, 1815 were the most representative, with a total of five species. Gastropods of the family Littorinidae Children, 1834 had the greatest species richness. The most abundant species were: Neritina virginea (Linnaeus, 1758), Brachidontes exustus (Linnaeus, 1758), Crassostrea brasiliana (Lamarck, 1819), Cerithium atratum (Born, 1778), Anomalocardia brasiliana (Gmelin, 1791), Parvanachis obesa (C. B. Adams, 1845), Phrontis polygonata (Lamarck, 1822), Littoraria angulifera (Lamarck, 1822), L. flava (King, 1832), Tagelus plebeius (Lightfoot, 1786), Echinolittorina lineolata (d'Orbigny, 1840) and Iphigenia brasiliensis (Lamarck, 1818). The results show that the study area has considerable species richness of Mollusca, requiring environmental monitoring in the region mainly due to the economic importance of some species to the local population.