NERITIDAE (GASTROPODA, NERITIMORPHA) FROM THE MALACOLOGICAL COLLECTION PROF. HENRY RAMOS MATTHEWS OF THE UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO CEARÁ, BRAZIL

The basic information obtained from scientific collections help us to understanding of Earth’s diverse biota and its biological processes. The Malacological Collection Prof. Henry Ramos Matthews (CMPHRM) of the Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Brazil, is a reference about the biodiversity, mainly marine, of northeastern Brazil. In this collection, the gastropod molluscs of the family Neritidae were among the most representative in number of lots. Since an accurate geographical distribution knowledge is one of the fundamental factors to the study of biodiversity, the present study aimed to describe the composition and spatially analyse the neritids deposited in the CMPHRM/UFC. There is a total of 314 lots of the Neritidae deposited at CMPHRM, belonging to eight species (Nerita chamaeleon, Nerita chlorostoma, Nerita fulgurans, Nerita tessellata, Neritina virginea, Neritina meleagris, Neritina zebra, and Smaragdia viridis). The Malacological Collection Prof. Henry Ramos Matthews of the Universidade Federal do Ceará has representatives of all species of Neritidae recorded in the Brazilian Province, which are important for confirming previous records or establishing new occurrence records. Keywords: Neritina, Nerita, Smaragdia, Brazilian Province

MOLLUSCS FROM THE UPPER MESOPHOTIC ZONE IN A SCARCELY KNOWN REEF OF THE WESTERN EQUATORIAL ATLANTIC

Despite the increasing focus on biodiversity of mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) on a global scale, some biological groups, such as molluscs, are still poorly investigated. The taxonomic diversity of the molluscan fauna of a scarcely known MCE of the Western Equatorial Atlantic, Northeastern Brazil, was surveyed. Samples were collected along the shallower strata of the upper mesophotic zone (between 33-36 m depth). Twenty-one taxa (nine species of gastropods, ten species of bivalves, and two taxa of chitons) were listed, two of which (Novastoa sp. and Thylaeodus sp.) are potential endemic species. A new northern limit of distribution of Persicula moscatellii was established and seven species had new bathymetric records for living specimens (Barbatia domingensis, Barbatia cancellaria, Lamychaena hians, Leiosolenus bisulcatus, Pinctada imbricata, Hipponix incurvus, and Persicula moscatellii). Hipponix costellatus are the most representative species with 49 individuals, followed by Lima caribaea with six individuals. The present work is the first contribution to the knowledge of the molluscan fauna associated with consolidated substrates from this little-known MCE. Keywords: mesophotic coral ecosystems, tropical reef, molluscan diversity, Brazilian Province, conventional SCUBA.

Integrating Oceanographic Data and Benthic Community Structure Temporal Series to Assess the Dynamics of a Marginal Reef

Reefs are the richest marine ecosystems. Their benthic communities generate structural complexity and participate in nutrient cycles, providing habitat and food for many marine species. These ecosystems have been threatened by local and global anthropogenic impacts and changes in community structure have led to loss of biodiversity, ecosystem function and services worldwide. Most studies about these structural changes have been conducted in Caribbean and Indo-Pacific coral reefs. In the Southwestern Atlantic, where reefs are naturally algae-dominated, these efforts are incipient, especially at oceanic islands where local anthropic impacts tend to be lower, and natural and climate-induced fluctuations might be easily detected. We conducted the first temporal assessment of benthic communities and the influence of oceanographic parameters between 2013 and 2019 in Fernando de Noronha (FNA), the largest Brazilian oceanic archipelago. We annually sampled benthic communities in FNA’s shallow reefs (2–21 m) using photoquadrats, quantified and gathered organisms in major groups according to their functional roles. We also characterized and tested “sea surface temperature,” “marine heatwaves,” “diffuse attenuation coefficient,” and “wave energy” influence for the same period. The most abundant groups were epilithic algal matrix (EAM; mean annual coverage: 23–60%), macroalgae (15–35%) and calcifiers (15–29%), followed by cyanobacteria (1–37%), suspension/filter-feeders (<2%), zoanthids (<1%) and other invertebrates (<0.1%). EAM was negatively correlated with “marine heatwaves” and positively correlated with “wave energy,” while macroalgae and calcifiers showed opposite responses to “marine heatwaves” and “wave energy,” respectively. Cyanobacteria was positively correlated with “marine heatwaves.” The dominance of EAM and macroalgae was already described for reefs along the Brazilian Province and we demonstrated the persistence of this structure over the years in FNA, with the exception of 2019 when there was a substantial increase of cyanobacteria after a strong marine heatwave. Our results suggest a flickering dynamic between EAM and macroalgae, which vary according to the oceanographic conditions, reinforcing its distinct dynamics from most tropical coral reefs. However, the increase of cyanobacteria added to projections of more frequent and stronger marine heatwaves worldwide indicate possible structural changes in this community. Continued monitoring of community and oceanographic drivers is key for better understanding and predicting changes in important marginal reefs.

Nature conservation, indigenous rights, and settler colonialism: the politics of payments for ecosystem services in Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil)

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) are strongly criticized by political ecology scholars. Predominantly, their critique is rooted in notions of distributive justice, as they focus on the negative impact (e.g. land rights distribution) of PES for indigenous and other local communities. Many liberal supporters of PES do not deny that these problems are real. However, they put more emphasis on procedural justice and claim that PES may trigger an institutionalization of more inclusive dialogic procedures. As of yet, both strands of literature underestimate the impact of the postcolonial conditions in which many Pes projects are situated. This is where our article steps in. We investigate initial PES politics in Mato Grosso do Sul, a Brazilian province dominated by ongoing settler colonialism. Our research results indicate that the implementation of inclusive procedures in PES projects may partially mitigate the consequences of ongoing settler colonialism but that this more frequently fails because of its being embedded into the structures of a colonially shaped political economy. Although PES occasionally empower indigenous actors to confront local elites more effectively and strengthen the rights of indigenous women, the resulting transformations within the communities themselves are likely to weaken their political self-organization.

Molecular evidences confirm the taxonomic separation of two sympatric congeneric species (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Neritidae, Neritina)

A reliable taxonomy, together with more accurate knowledge of the geographical distribution of species, is a fundamental element for the study of biodiversity. Multiple studies on the gastropod family Neritidae record three species of the genus Neritina in the Brazilian Province: Neritina zebra (Bruguière, 1792), Neritina virginea (Linnaeus, 1758), and Neritina meleagris Lamarck, 1822. While N. zebra has a well-established taxonomic status and geographical distribution, the same cannot be said regarding its congeners. A widely cited reference for the group in Brazil considers N. meleagris a junior synonym of N. virginea. Using a molecular approach (phylogenetic, species delimitation, and statistical parsimony network analyses), based on two mitochondrial markers (COI and 16S), this study investigated if N. virginea and N. meleagris are distinct species. The molecular results confirmed the existence of two strongly supported distinct taxonomic entities in the Brazilian Province, which is consistent with the morphological descriptions previously proposed for N. virginea and N. meleagris. These species occur in sympatry in the intertidal sandstone formations of Northeastern Brazil. Despite the great variation in the colour patterns of the shells, the present study reinforced previous observations that allowed the differentiation of these two species based on these patterns. It also emphasized the importance of the separation of these two clades in future studies, especially those conducted in the Brazilian Province, since these species may cohabit.

Marine ichthyofauna of Santa Catarina Island, Southern Brazil: checklist with comments on the species

This study aimed to present a checklist of marine fishes from coastal environments of the Island of Santa Catarina, including comments on the zoogeographic affinities, conservation status of each species, and functional groups. A total of 169 fish species belonging to 30 orders and 58 families were recorded. The most speciose families were Sciaenidae, Carangidae and, Engraulidae, representing 26,62% of the recorded species. Anchoa was the richest genus, followed by Sphoeroides and Cynoscion. Most of the species have their distribution limited to the western Atlantic, and two groups of fish were distinguished according to the species distributions: 1) species occurring in the Caribbean and in the Brazilian Province; and 2) Transatlantic species. Thirteen species are critically threatened, 10 are overexploited on the Brazilian coast, and 2 are threatened by extinction. Most of the species are either marine stragglers or marine migrants, and most of them are zoobenthivores, piscivores, or both.

Review of Brazilian jawfishes of the genus Opistognathus with descriptions of two new species (Teleostei, Opistognathidae)

A new species of jawfish,Opistognathusthionyisp. n., is described from the Vitória-Trindade Chain and Fernando de Noronha Archipelago off Brazil, a disjunct distribution of ca. 1,800 km.Opistognathusthionyiand its allopatric Caribbean sister-species,Opistognathusmaxillosus, both have a wide, fan-like upper margin of the subopercular flap and mostly over-lapping meristic data. The new species differs fromO.maxillosusin having the darkest spot on the spinous dorsal fin, when present, between spines 2–5, versus always present between spines 6–9, the buccal area surrounding the esophageal opening pale versus very dark and fewer oblique scale rows in longitudinal series (45–52 vs. 69–85). A second new species,Opistognathusvicinussp. n., known from Brazil’s mainland, has completely over-lapping meristic values with its allopatric Caribbean sister-speciesO.whitehursti, but differs in lacking vomerine teeth and a supramaxilla and retaining the juvenile color pattern of the latter species in adults. Diagnoses, photographs, an identification key, and distributional maps are given for all Brazilian species ofOpistognathus.Molecular phylogenetic analysis of partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit-I sequences indicates that specimens of the two allopatric pairs,O.thionyi–O.maxillosusandO.vicinus–O.whitehursti, form reciprocally monophyletic groups that differ from each other on average by 9 to 11%, with less than 1% average pair-wise genetic distance within-species. Similar patterns of phylogenetic structure were observed between reciprocally monophyletic (predominately allopatric) groups within nominal species ofOpistognathusaurifrons, suggesting the possibility of at least two additional undescribed species from the Brazilian Province.