New records of isopod Crustacea from the Caribbean, the Florida Keys, and the Bahamas

2018 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 442-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaya Gnanalingam ◽  
Mark J Butler ◽  
Thomas R Matthews ◽  
Emily Hutchinson ◽  
Raouf Kilada

Abstract In crustaceans, ecdysis was long believed to result in the loss and replacement of all calcified structures, precluding the use of conventional ageing methods. However, the discovery of bands in the gastric ossicles of several crustaceans with some correlation with age suggests that direct age estimation may be possible. We applied this method to a tropical spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, one of the most iconic and economically valuable species in the Caribbean. The presence of growth bands was investigated using wild lobsters of unknown age and was validated with captive reared lobsters of known age (1.5–10 years) from the Florida Keys, Florida (USA). Bands were consistently identified in ptero- and zygo-cardiac ossicles of the gastric mill and did not appear to be associated with moulting. Validation with known age animals confirms that bands form annually. Counts between independent readers were reproducible with coefficients of variation ranging from 11% to 26% depending on reader experience and the structure used. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that direct age determination of P. argus is possible.


2001 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 513-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth G. Johnson

Caribbean coral reef communities were restructured by episodes of accelerated biotic change during the late Oligocene/early Miocene and the late Pliocene/early Pleistocene. However, rigorous description of the effects of rapid biotic change is problematic because preservation and exposure of coral-bearing deposits is not consistent in all stratigraphic intervals. In the Caribbean, early and middle Miocene exposures are more rare than late Miocene and Pliocene exposures. One exception is the late early to early middle Miocene Tamana Formation of Trinidad, and old and new collections from this unit were studied to determine the timing of recovery after the Oligocene/Miocene transition. A total of 41 species of zooxanthellate corals were recovered from the unit, including 21 new records. Within these assemblages, species first occurrences outnumber species last occurrences by a factor of four (31 first occurrences and eight last occurrences). The extension of the stratigraphic ranges of species previously first recorded in Pliocene sediments has reduced an apparent Pliocene pulse of origination, indicating that the Pliocene/Pleistocene transition was largely a result of accelerated extinction against a background of near-constant origination. The fact that few species last occur in the Tamana fauna indicates that the Oligocene/Miocene transition was complete by the end of the early Miocene.


Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4446 (1) ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
SARAH C. CREWS

Two new species of Selenops, S. anacaona sp. nov. (♀) and S. caonabo sp. nov. (♀), are described from the Dominican Republic on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. These two new species increase the number of endemic Selenops on Hispaniola to 13, surpassing Cuba, which currently has 11 endemic species. Additionally, the male of S. pensilis Muma, 1953 from Hispaniola is described, as well as the male of S. petrunkevitchi Alayón, 2003 from Jamaica. Full distribution records are given for the new species and the newly described males, and new records are provided for the following species: S. aequalis Franganillo, 1935, S. bocacandensis Crews, 2011, S. candidus Muma, 1953, S. micropalpus Muma, 1953, S. morro Crews, 2011, S. simius Muma, 1953, S. souliga Crews, 2011, and S. submaculosus Bryant, 1940. 


Check List ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 767-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Polanco F. ◽  
Luisa F. Dueñas ◽  
Jorge Leon ◽  
Vladimir Puentes

Acanthonus armatus Günther, 1878 is reported for the first time in the southwestern Caribbean region, off Colombia. Remote Operate Vehicle videos and towed camera still photographs captured 13 images of A. armatus between 2215 and 2564 m. These are the first records of the species in the Caribbean continental coast of Colombia, representing a range extension to the southwestern Caribbean region, since previous records are from the northeastern Caribbean. Some photos of the specimens and the current distribution of the species in the Caribbean region are provided and reviewed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 774 ◽  
pp. 155-177
Author(s):  
Hossein Ashrafi ◽  
J. Antonio Baeza ◽  
Zdeněk Ďuriš

The present study focuses on shrimps belonging to the genus Lysmata Risso, 1816, collected from Madagascar during the Atimo Vatae expedition carried out in 2010. Lysmata malagasy sp. nov. is a new species belonging to the clade named “long accessory ramous” or “cosmopolitan” in previous phylogenetic studies. The new species can be distinguished from the only two other representatives of this group in the Indo-west Pacific, L. ternatensis De Man, 1902, and L. trisetacea (Heller, 1861), by the accessory ramus of the lateral antennular flagellum consisting of four elongated articles. Lysmata lipkei Okuno & Fiedler, 2010 is reported here from Madagascar with a remarkable extension of its known range after its original description from Japan. This species has also been reported from Singapore and, as alien species, from Brazil. Lastly, L. kuekenthali De Man, 1902 known from numerous localities in the Indo-West Pacific biogeographic area, is reported for the first time from Madagascar. Results of the present morphological and molecular analyses suggest that L. hochi Baeza & Anker, 2008 from the Caribbean Sea is a synonym of the Indo-West Pacific L. kuekenthali, and thus the latter species is alien in the western Atlantic.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danilo T Perez-Rivera ◽  
Alexis Josué Martínez ◽  
Adriana Pons ◽  
Alejandro Rodríguez-Natal ◽  
Sergio Andrés Davila-Santana

Climate change has led to rising sea levels and warmer sea surface temperatures. These factors contribute greatly to the intensity of hurricanes and floods they provoke. Projections estimate there will be an increase of 45% to 87% in the frequency of Category >4 hurricanes originating in the Atlantic Basin, which typically impact the Caribbean and Continental United States of America. During the 2019 Hurricane Season, there were 20 depressions, 18 storms, 6 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes. Through this work, we explored the response on Social Media to these natural phenomena as a function of their trajectory, intensity, and previous exposure of the population to intense natural disasters. Data was collected through the Twitter API. The influences of hurricane proximity and intensity on volume of Social Media production was explored. Hurricane Dorian, with its trajectory strongly threatening the previously exposed Puerto Rico, and eventually causing widespread damage in the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas, presented the strongest case for the evaluation of the dichotomy of responses between populations with differences in previous history of exposure. The landscape of historic hurricane exposure Caribbean has radically changed in recent years. Taking advantage of Big Data to help elucidate these dynamics could be instrumental in the tailoring of emergency preparedness plans and the effective design of mental health first aid strategies.


2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F Bruno

Mumby et al. (2011) tested the biotic resistance hypothesis by comparing the biomass of invasive lionfish (introduced from the Indo-Pacific) and native grouper (Serranidae) at 12 sites within and adjacent to the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, The Bahamas. They reported that mean lionfish biomass was slightly lower within the reserve, compared to adjacent fished sites, and that there was a negative relationship between the biomass of lionfish and grouper. However, their study has a number of limitations and does not constitute sufficient evidence of a level of biotic resistance that would be ecologically meaningful. For example, the study design is pseudoreplicated and the biomass of lionfish is extremely low relative to observed values across the Caribbean. Furthermore, the effect size (assuming that there is an effect of native grouper) is very small compared to the natural range of lionfish biomass. Given the problems with Mumby et al. (2011) and evidence from other studies (e.g., Hackerott et al. 2013) that the biomass of lionfish and grouper is unrelated, it seems clear that managers cannot rely on native grouper populations to control the lionfish invasion.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 241
Author(s):  
Wojciech Niedbala ◽  
Sergey G. Ermilov

A list of identified oribatid ptyctimous mites from Lesser Antilles and Bahamas, including 18 species, six genera and three families, is provided. Of these, three species are new records for the Caribbean, and three species are new to science. Oribotritia grossa Niedbała sp. nov. differs from other neotropical Oribotritia by the presence of relatively short, thick, distally blunt sensilli. Arphthiracarus alienus Niedbała sp. nov. differs from other Arphthiracarus species by the presence of uniquely shaped sensilli, short spiniform setae, the median sigillar field long and narrow with an incision between the rostral setae, four pairs of notogastral lyrifissures and the location of vestigial setae f1 anterior to h1. Arphthiracarus strictus Niedbała sp. nov. differs from A. brasiliensis Niedbała, 1988, A. iubatus Niedbała, 2003, A. latebrosus (Niedbała, 1982) and A. pervalidus Niedbała, 2003 by the presence of a unique tight location of genital setae g4-6 and bifurcated setae d of femora I. In addition, descriptions of three tritonymphs are presented.


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