The high biodiversity of benthic organisms in a coastal ecosystem revealed by an integrative approach / A alta biodiversidade de organismos bentônicos em um ecossistema costeiro revelada por uma abordagem integrativa

Abstract Increasing habitat modification and species loss demand consistent efforts to describe and understand biodiversity patterns. The BIOTA/FAPESP Program was created in this context and it has been a successful initiative to promote studies on biodiversity and conservation in Brazil. The BIOTA/Araçá is an interdisciplinary project that provided a detailed evaluation of the biodiversity of Araçá Bay, a coastal seascape located on the North coast of the state of São Paulo, Southeast Brazil. The bay encompasses multiple habitats, such as beaches, mangroves, rocky shores, and a tidal flat, and provides important ecosystem services. Unfortunately, the bay is the subject of complex social-environmental conflicts that oppose economic, social, and environmental demands (i.e., the expansion of neighboring harbor activities vs. small-scale artisanal fisheries and protection of biodiversity). The present study presents a survey of the benthic species occurring in the different habitats of Araçá Bay, including data obtained during the BIOTA/Araçá project and previous assessments of the area. The benthic species play an important role in marine environments and studying the diversity of these organisms that live associated with the bottom is indispensable for comprehending the environment's functioning. The macrofauna, meiofauna, and microorganisms associated with soft and hard bottom were listed, and additional information, such as the habitat and geographical distribution, were provided for each species. The checklist includes 826 species, almost 70% recorded during the BIOTA/Araçá project. The most speciose taxa were the annelids (225 spp.), mollusks (194 spp.), and crustaceans (177 spp.). Seven benthic species are endemic to Araçá Bay, 14 are considered threatened, and seven are economically exploited. Furthermore, the bay is the type locality of many taxa, and 11 new benthic species were described based on specimens sampled during the project. This project shows the importance of Araçá Bay as a unique biologically rich environment and highlights the need for conservation efforts in light of the current threats.

Resumo O aumento da modificação dos habitats e da perda de espécies demanda esforços consistentes para descrever e compreender os padrões de biodiversidade. O programa BIOTA/FAPESP foi criado nesse contexto e é uma iniciativa de sucesso para promover estudos em biodiversidade e conservação no Brasil. O BIOTA/Araçá é um projeto interdisciplinar que promoveu uma avaliação detalhada da biodiversidade da Baía do Araçá, um ecossistema costeiro localizado ao Norte do estado de São Paulo, Sudeste do Brasil. A baía engloba múltiplos habitats, tais como praias, manguezais, costões rochosos, e uma planície de maré, e também fornece importantes serviços ecossistêmicos. Infelizmente, a baía está sujeita à conflitos sócio-ambientais complexos que contrastam demandas econômicas, sociais e ambientais (i.e. a expansão das atividades do porto vizinho vs. a pesca artesanal de pequena escala e a proteção da biodiversidade). O presente estudo apresenta um levantamento das espécies bentônicas que ocorrem nos diferentes habitats da Baía do Araçá, incluindo dados obtidos durante o projeto BIOTA/Araçá e de investigações realizadas anteriormente na área. As espécies bentônicas desempenham um papel importante no ambiente marinho, e estudar a diversidade desses organismos que vivem associados ao fundo é indispensável para compreender o funcionamento do meio ambiente. A macrofauna, meiofauna, e microorganismos associados aos fundos consolidado e inconsolidado foram listados, e informações adicionais foram fornecidas para cada espécie, tais como a distribuição geográfica e nos habitats. O checklist inclui 826 espécies, quase 70% registradas durante o projeto BIOTA/Araçá. Os taxa mais especiosos foram os anelídeos (225 spp.), moluscos (194 spp.), e crustáceos (177 spp.). Entre as espécies bentônicas listadas, sete são endêmicas da Baía do Araçá, 14 são consideradas ameaçadas de extinção, e sete são exploradas economicamente. A baía é a localidade tipo de vários taxa, e 11 novas espécies bentônicas foram descritas com base em espécimes amostrados durante o projeto. Este projeto mostra a importância da Baía do Araçá como um ambiente de riqueza biológica única e demonstra a necessidade de esforços para a sua conservação considerando as atuais ameaças.

A morphology-based phylogenetic analysis of Fasciolariidae (Gastropoda: Buccinoidea).

Fasciolariids are buccinoid neogastropods and key predators in the tropics and subtropics, comprising more than 500 species in the subfamilies Fasciolariinae, Fusininae and Peristerniinae. Tulip shells, horse-conchs, spindles, etc., have been grouped into heterogeneous combinations of unrelated species, while several generic names have been used to group conchologically similar species. The latest molecular phylogenetic study conflicts with the current circumscription of many genera, and even more so, with the three currently recognized subfamilies. This work is the first morphological approach to the phylogeny of fasciolariids, using a parsimony analysis in TnT of 53 taxa based on 100 characters. This analysis reveals a monophyletic Fasciolariidae, with the genera Dolicholatirus and Teralatirus representing the most basal clade in the family, followed by three nodes that correspond to a fusinine grade, which includes the genus Pseudolatirus (Peristerniinae). A terminal clade groups the peristerniine genera Peristernia and Fusolatirus, fasciolariines and the remaining peristerniines. Although none of these clades correspond to currently accepted taxonomic groups, the latter two clades are corroborated in the most recent multilocus molecular phylogeny. This study supports the utility of morphological data in the recovery of groups, even in the molecular era.

Calliostomatidae, Colloniidae, Margaritidae, and Solariellidae (Gastropoda: Trochoidea) collected by the Marion Dufresne (MD55) expedition in southeastern Brazil, with description of a new species of Calliostoma.

The deep-water mollusks collected during the Marion Dufresne (MD55) expedition to the southeastern Brazilian coast in 1987 have been studied in several recent works. The present paper lists and diagnoses 19 species belonging to the vetigastropod families Calliostomatidae, Colloniidae, Margaritidae, and Solariellidae. A new species, Calliostoma valkuri sp. nov., is described. It is mainly characterized by a very short teleoconch I, with limits marked by conspicuous varices and sculpture consisting of 3 spiral threads; sculpture of the teleoconch II consisting of spiral cords with thorn-like projections; and the presence of two strongly marked cords on the median portion of the whorls. Based on the MD55 samples and complementary specimens from other expeditions, the following species have their geographical and/or bathymetrical range extended: Bathymophila euspira, Calliostoma gemmosum, Calliostoma rude, Callogaza watsoni, Gaza compta, Falsimargarita terespira, Homalopoma boffii, Lamellitrochus cancapae comb. nov., Lamellitrochus pourtalesi, Margarites imperialis, and Solariella quinni.

A new species of Calliostoma (Vetigastropoda: Calliostomatidae) from Canopus Bank, off northeastern Brazil.

In the present study, Calliostoma melliferum sp. nov. is described from Canopus Bank, a seamount located ~190 km off Fortaleza, Ceará, northeastern Brazil, at depths of 60-260 m. Shell morphology and anatomy of the soft parts are analyzed in detail with the aid of SEM and micro-computed tomography (CT-Scan) techniques. We take the opportunity to provide thorough conchological and anatomical comparisons with similar species from the Southwestern Atlantic.

Solariella quadricincta Quinn, 1992 and S. staminea Quinn, 1992 are synonyms of S. carvalhoi Lopes & Cardoso, 1958 from the SW Atlantic (Gastropoda: Solariellidae).

Solariellidae is a diverse family of small (5-20 mm) marine snails of worldwide distribution. They usually live on fine sediment to unconsolidated substrates in deep-waters of extra-tropical to tropical latitudes (Hickman 1998; Williams et al. 2013). Initially described as a subfamily of Trochidae, it has been recently raised to family level (Bouchet et al. 2005; Williams et al. 2008). The evolutionary relationships among solariellids have been extensively investigated in the light of morphological and molecular data, but the family still lacks a comprehensive taxonomic revision that reflects recent discoveries (Williams et al. 2010, 2013). The family's fossil record possibly dates back to the Campanian of Torallola, Spain (Kiel & Bandel 2001; Williams et al. 2013).

A multilocus molecular phylogeny of Fasciolariidae (Neogastropoda: Buccinoidea).

The neogastropod family Fasciolariidae Gray, 1853 - tulips, horse-conchs, spindles, etc., comprises important representatives of tropical and subtropical molluscan assemblages, with over 500 species in the subfamilies Fasciolariinae Gray, 1853, Fusininae Wrigley, 1927 and Peristerniinae Tryon, 1880. Fasciolariids have had a rather complicated taxonomical history, with several genus names for a long time used as waste baskets to group many unrelated species; based on shell characters, recent taxonomic revisions have, however, began to set some order in its taxonomy. The present work is the first molecular approach to the phylogeny of Fasciolariidae based on a multigene dataset, which provides support for fasciolariids, an old group with a fossil record dating back to the Cretaceous. Molecular markers used were the mitochondrial genes 16S rRNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, and the nuclear genes 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA and histone H3, sequenced for up to 116 ingroup taxa and 17 outgroups. Phylogenetic analyses revealed monophyly of Dolicholatirus Bellardi, 1884 and Teralatirus Coomans, 1965, however it was not possible to discern if the group is the sister clade to the remaining fasciolariids; the latter, on the other hand, proved monophyletic and contained highly supported groups. A first split grouped fusinines and Pseudolatirus Bellardi, 1884; a second split grouped the peristerniine genera Peristernia Mörch, 1852 and Fusolatirus Kuroda and Habe, 1971, while the last group comprised fasciolariines and the remaining peristerniines. None of these clades correspond to the present-day accepted circumscription of the three recognized subfamilies.

Seguenziidae (Gastropoda: Vetigastropoda) from SE Brazil collected by the Marion Dufresne (MD55) expedition .

The present work deals with the vetigastropods of the family Seguenziidae collected by the Marion Dufresne (MD55) expedition in SE Brazil, reporting the occurrence of eight species. The following species have their geographical range extended: Ancistrobasis costulata, Carenzia carinata, Carenzia trispinosa, Hadroconus altus, Seguenzia elegans and Seguenzia formosa. Two new species, Halystina umberlee sp. nov. and Seguenzia triteia sp. nov., are described.

Redescription and anatomy of Diplodonta portesiana (d'Orbigny, 1846) (Bivalvia, Ungulinidae) from Brazil.

The present redescription of Diplodonta portesiana (d'Orbigny, 1846) is the first part of the revision of this genus in the East Atlantic. This species, despite being common in the Atlantic coast, remains poorly known. A detailed shell and anatomical study was conducted based not only on specimens from the type locality's vicinities but also on samples from other regions. Diagnostic characters for Diplodonta portesiana includes: rounded shell with a small ligament; triangular, short and deep nymph; external micro ornamentation composed of small concavities in a concentric pattern; small adductor muscles; reduced pedal gape; pair of long hemipalps with a large area covered by folds; stomach with four ducts leading to digestive diverticula; and long intestine length. Our study suggests at least two new diagnostic characters to the genus: the two pair of muscles that controls the incurrent and excurrent openings and a residual ring-like tissue surrounding the anterior half of the posterior foot retractor muscle.