A test of color-based taxonomy in nudibranchs: Molecular phylogeny and species delimitation of the Felimida clenchi (Mollusca: Chromodorididae) species complex.

Traditionally, species identification in nudibranch gastropods relies heavily on body color pattern. The Felimida clenchi species complex, a group of brightly colored Atlantic and Mediterranean species in the family Chromodorididae, has a history of exceptional controversy and discussion among taxonomists. The most widely accepted hypothesis is that the complex includes four species (Felimida clenchi, F. neona, F. binza and F. britoi), each with a characteristic body color pattern. In this study, we investigated the taxonomic value of coloration in the Felimida clenchi complex, using molecular phylogenetics, species-delimitation analyses (ABGD, GMYC, PTP), haplotype-network methods, and the anatomy of the reproductive system. None of our analyses recovered the traditional separation into four species. Our results indicated the existence of three species, a result inconsistent with previous taxonomic hypotheses. We distinguished an undescribed species of Felimida and redefined the concepts of F. clenchi and F. binza, both highly polychromatic species. For the first time, molecular data support the existence of extreme color polymorphism in chromatic nudibranch species, with direct implications for the taxonomy of the group and its diversity. The polychromatism observed in the F. clenchi complex apparently correlates with the regional occurrence of similar color patterns in congeneric species, suggesting different mimicry circles. This may represent a parallel in the marine environment to the mechanisms that play a major role in the diversification of color in terrestrial and fresh-water chromatic groups, such as heliconian butterflies.

Five new species of cotylean flatworms (Platyhelminthes: Polycladida: Cotylea) from Oaxaca, southern Mexican Pacific.

The flatworms of the suborder Cotylea live in diverse marine substrates such as rocks, seaweed and sand or in association with corals. In the Mexican Pacific, particularly on the coast of Oaxaca, knowledge about cotyleans is scarce, with only one record of the genus Pseudoceros. The aim of this work was to describe the cotylean species present in the area. A total of 48 specimens were collected, fixed, mounted in whole mounts or histological sagittal and frontal histological sections of the reproductive systems. These were examined for taxonomic identification, determining five new species of four genera: Boninia oaxaquensis sp. nov., Pericelis sigmeri sp. nov., Pericelis nazahui sp. nov., Pseudoceros bicuti sp. nov. and Thysanozoon estacahuitensis sp. nov. The present study establishes the first record of the genus Boninia and the family Boniniidae for the Tropical Eastern Pacific. It also confirms the presence of the genus Pseudoceros on the coast of Oaxaca, and break the disjunct distribution of this genus (from Gulf of California to Gulf of Tehuantepec), as well as the genus Pericelis (from Canada to Galapagos Islands) and Thysanozoon (from Chile to Gulf of California).

New genus, new species and new records of marine acotylean flatworms (Platyhelminthes: Polycladida: Acotylea) from Oaxaca, southern Mexican Pacific.

The acotylean polyclads are characterized by the absence of a ventral sucker located posteriorly to the female gonopore. These flatworms are mostly marine, benthic or pelagic, except by two species, one freshwater Limnostylochus borneensis and other semi-terrestrial Myoramyxa pardalota. Oaxaca is a state located in the southern Mexican Pacific, where only three acotyleans species have been formally recorded until now. After sampling littoral to sublittoral zones, a total of 34 specimens were collected and fixed in frozen formalin. Some specimens were stained with Mayer´s carmalum and hematoxylin and cleared in methyl salicylate for whole mounts; the portion containing the reproductive structures of other specimens were dissected and histologically processed in sagittal and frontal sections. Four species were identified as belonging to four genera and three families. The new genus Bisacculosuteri gen. nov. is established, close to the genus Itannia, but lacking double ventral suckers placed on both sides of the female gonopore. Two species are new to science: Bisacculosuteri marcelae sp. nov., characterized by a highly branched central pharynx, prominent seminal vesicle, a penis papilla with stylet, paired strongly muscularized uterine sac and uterine vesicles; and Paraplanocera oligoglenoides sp. nov., with translucent body, light brown pigmentation and black dots distributed in the pharyngeal and reproductive regions, and an oval cirrus sac with intramuscular surrounding hollow spaces and armored with spines and conspicuous teeth. The third species is Euplanoida cf. pacificola that could not be determined as the nominal species, due to ambiguity in its description. The fourth species, Bivesiculoplana lamothei, was previously described from the region and now is recorded in new localities and hosts from Oaxaca.

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.

Brazilian Polycladida (Rhabditophora: Platyhelminthes): Rediscovery of Marcus' type material and general revision.

Polyclads are a conspicuous group of marine invertebrates, the most charismatic members of the phylum Platyhelminthes. From Brazil, a total of 71 polyclad species were reported or described. Only three of them were recently described, five are recent records for the Brazilian coast, and 55 were described by Ernest and Eveline Marcus, who were by far the most productive workers. However, they quite often published in Portuguese or German, rather than English, and have not designated type material or specified material deposited in museum collections. Most of the polylcad material studied by the Marcus was found to be in the Swedish Museum of Natural History. Here we summarize the knowledge about Brazilian polyclad biodiversity, give information about deposited material in different museums for future reference, and designate type material for the species that did not have any. We examined 58 polyclad species reported from Brazil and designated type material and information available on type series of 52 species. Lectotypes (89 vouchers) were designated for 30 species and paralectotypes (73 specimens / 70 vouchers) were designated for 22 Brazilian species. Among the 261 type vouchers examined in this work, 22 species (77 vouchers) had material recognized as holotypes and 2 vouchers were recognized as paratypes. Of the total number of species reported from Brazil, 10 species remain without information about type material. In the present paper we also propose a new combination (Lurymare cynarium nov. comb.). Eleven species have their geographical distribution range broadened and 42 were photographed for the first time, five of those were photographed live as well. The number of Brazilian polyclad species is expected to rise when different regions and environments are surveyed.

Pseudobiceros wirtzi sp. nov. (Polycladida: Cotylea) from Senegal with revision of valid species of the genus.

The genus Pseudobiceros was established based on the presence of two male gonopores, duplicated male reproductive structures, smooth dorsal surface, complex folded pseudotentacles, and simple ruffled pharynx. We describe here a new species of Pseudobiceros from the African continent that has been repeatedly reported and photographed over the years, but lacked a formal description. Pseudobiceros wirtzi sp. nov. is described based on morphological and histological characters. Our bibliographical revision of the genus considers 39 species to be valid. We applied the diagnostic characters of Pseudobiceros to Pseudoceros species listed before the split between these genera, and to species listed as incertae sedis. Pseudobiceros punctatus (Laidlaw 1902) nov. comb. shows typical features of Pseudobiceros. We also discuss other species with historically conflictive generic placements or problematic synonymy and summarize distributions and species characteristics in a comparative table. Most Pseudobiceros species still need re-descriptions to fill gaps regarding internal and pharynx details. Further sampling on the Eastern Africa coast and on mid-Atlantic Islands should prove useful in getting a general view of polyclad biodiversity and biogeography in the Tropical and South Atlantic.

Taxonomy of Cotylea (Platyhelminthes: Polycladida) from Cabo Frio, southeastern Brazil, with the description of a new species.

Polyclads are free-living Platyhelminthes with a simple, dorsoventrally flattened body and a much ramified intestine. In Brazil, 66 species are reported; only three from Rio de Janeiro State (RJ). The main objective of this study is to describe and illustrate coloration pattern, external morphology, reproductive system morphology and, when possible, biological and ecological aspects of species of the suborder Cotylea found in Cabo Frio, RJ. Of the 13 cotylean polyclad species found, Pseudobiceros pardalis, Cycloporus variegatus and Eurylepta aurantiaca are new records from the Brazilian coast and one species is new to science, Pseudoceros juani sp. nov. Feeding observations were made of four species. It is the first time that Lurymare utarum, Cycloporus gabriellae, C. variegatus and E. aurantiaca are illustrated with digital photographs of live specimens and histological preparations. This study increases to 70 the number of Brazilian Polycladida and to 14 the number of species known from Rio de Janeiro State. However, the knowledge about Polycladida in Brazil still has gaps, with great parts of the coast remaining unsampled.