Diving into the unknown: fourteen new species of haplosclerid sponges (Demospongiae: Haplosclerida) revealed along the Peruvian coast (Southeastern Pacific)

The Peruvian coast is certainly one of the poorest studied areas in the world for marine sponges biodiversity, with only 20 species registered so far from over 2,400 km coastline. In spite of its great species richness worldwide, there is not a single record of Haplosclerida in Peru. Accordingly, in this study we aimed to describe the species belonging to this order present in the relatively recent collections undertaken along the Peruvian coast by two of us (PhW, EH). Here, we describe fourteen new species, provisionally endemic to the Peruvian coast. This finding represents a major addition to the knowledge of the biodiversity of sponges along the Peruvian coast, increasing the list of species known to occur in this area by about 68%. This is also the largest single proposal of new Haplosclerida in over 37 years of sponge taxonomy worldwide. Niphates is for the first time recorded in the Southeastern Pacific, and an identification key to the Haplosclerida from the Peruvian coast is provided. Regarding the distribution of the described species, most of them—except for Chalinula chelysa sp. nov.—have a narrow geographic range, which might indicate their rarity or that the haplosclerid fauna in Peru is still poorly known.

Chaetogastra cogniauxiana (Melastomataceae), a new Brazilian species from the Chaetogastra gracilis complex

Eleven varieties of Tibouchina gracilis were indicated as synonyms of Chaetogastra gracilis in the most recent work on the taxonomy of the genus. However, field observations and a more detailed analysis of herbarium specimens, including the types, led us to the conclusion that two of these varieties represent a single new species. Chaetogastra cogniauxiana is endemic to Brazil, and differs from C. gracilis by the smaller size, 10–70 cm tall (versus 30–120 cm tall in C. gracilis), dendritic-setose to dendritic-strigose hypanthium and bracteoles (vs. dendritic-sericeous hypanthium and bracteoles), and smaller petals, 9.8–13.4 × 8.8–9.1 mm (vs. larger petals, 16.5–21.6 × 11.2–14.8 mm). In this article, we provide a complete description of C. cogniauxiana, and indicate the main morphological differences between C. cogniauxiana and the most closely related species. We also provide comments on taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of this species, photos, illustrations, and a distribution map. This work is part of a monograph of the genus Chaetogastra in Brazil, which showed a great species richness and also the necessity of several taxonomic adjustments.

The spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) community of an agroecosystem

The agricultural areas, especialy the orchards, of more ancient cultivation, are characterized by having plant and animal communities of great interest. Plant and vertebrate communities are well studied in theese agroecosystems, but the same cannot be said for invertebrates. Among these are generally known taxonomic groups of agricultural interest, including also beetles (Coleoptera) and moths (Lepidoptera). Little known are other arthropods such as those belonging to the Arachnida. In a historic orchard of the Conca d'Oro, the plain around Palermo city, systematic observations and catches of Arachnidae have been conducted, with particular interest in spiders (Araneae) but also involving other orders such as Opiliones and Pseudoscorpionida. The surveys showed a great species richness. It is in fact a historic orchard characterized by the presence of numerous species of fruit trees (Citrus spp., Loquat Eriobotrya japonica, etc.) interspersed with small vegetable garden surfaces. Many of the individuals found are in the process of being determined, but it is so far the community is exceeding sixty species. The research is ongoing and will further aim to clarify the ecological relationships between the different species and the other components of the agro-ecosystem.