First evidence of prickly shark, Echinorhinus cookei Pietschmann 1928, aggregation on seamounts in the eastern Pacific, Panama.

In May 2022, twelve prickly sharks, Echinorhinus cookei Pietschmann 1928, were sighted at 151-350 m depth in the Cordillera de Coiba seamounts, Pacific Panama. This discovery expands our knowledge of the distribution and habitat use of this rare deep-sea species. It underscores the potential significance of the Cordillera de Coiba seamounts, an offshore marine protected area, as a critical habitat for E. cookei, a species threatened by commercial fishing. Although unverified reports exist on its presence in the tropical eastern Pacific, this publication represents the first documented record of live specimens of E. cookei in Panama.

Genome Mining, Microbial Interactions, and Molecular Networking Reveals New Dibromoalterochromides from Strains of Pseudoalteromonas of Coiba National Park-Panama.

The marine bacterial genus Pseudoalteromonas is known for their ability to produce antimicrobial compounds. The metabolite-producing capacity of Pseudoalteromonas has been associated with strain pigmentation; however, the genomic basis of their antimicrobial capacity remains to be explained. In this study, we sequenced the whole genome of six Pseudoalteromonas strains (three pigmented and three non-pigmented), with the purpose of identifying biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) associated to compounds we detected via microbial interactions along through MS-based molecular networking. The genomes were assembled and annotated using the SPAdes and RAST pipelines and mined for the identification of gene clusters involved in secondary metabolism using the antiSMASH database. Nineteen BGCs were detected for each non-pigmented strain, while more than thirty BGCs were found for two of the pigmented strains. Among these, the groups of genes of nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) that code for bromoalterochromides stand out the most. Our results show that all strains possess BGCs for the production of secondary metabolites, and a considerable number of distinct polyketide synthases (PKS) and NRPS clusters are present in pigmented strains. Furthermore, the molecular networking analyses revealed two new molecules produced during microbial interactions: the dibromoalterochromides D/D' (11-12).

Preliminary checklist of spiders (Araneae) from Coiba National Park, Panama.

Background: Coiba National Park is an offshore region on the Pacific side of Panama, which hosts several endemic species of animals and plants. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. Despite the title awarded to the Park, knowledge about basic elements of its biodiversity are still lacking, which are of vital relevance for management and conservation policies. For instance, until now, no study had ever monitored the araneofauna diversity of the Park. New information: Here, we provide the first checklist of spider species in Coiba National Park, including the main island and several surrounding islands. We sampled during several field trips carried out from August 2021 to August 2023. We identified at least 152 species (98 genera and 30 families) and we report three new spiders species for Panama, namely Ctenusnigrolineatus Berland (1913), Chapodagitae Zhang & Maddison (2012) and Sarindanigra Peckham & Peckham (1892). We discuss the implications of our results and recommend future lines of work that include DNA barcoding, monitoring of population and community dynamics, plus linkage of climatic data from the newly-installed meteorological station on the Island.

Contribution of fungal and invertebrate communities to wood decay in tropical terrestrial and aquatic habitats.

Wood is a major carbon input into aquatic ecosystems and is thought to decay slowly, yet surprisingly little terrestrial carbon accumulates in marine sediments. A better mechanistic understanding of how habitat conditions and decomposer communities influence wood decay processes along the river-estuary-ocean continuum can address this seeming paradox. We measured mass loss, wood element, and polymer concentrations, quantified invertebrate-induced decay, and sequenced fungal communities associated with replicate sections of Guazuma branch wood submerged in freshwater, estuarine, and near-shore marine habitats and placed on the soil surface in nearby terrestrial habitats in three watersheds in the tropical eastern Pacific. Over 15 months, we found that wood decayed at similar rates in estuarine, marine, and terrestrial sites, reflecting the combined activity of invertebrate and microbial decomposers. In contrast, in the absence of shipworms (Teredinidae), which accounted for ~40% of wood mass loss in the estuarine habitats, decay proceeded more slowly in freshwater. Over the experiment, wood element chemistry diverged among freshwater, estuarine, and marine habitats, due to differences in both nutrient losses (e.g., potassium and phosphorus) and gains (e.g., calcium and aluminum) through decay. Similarly, we observed changes in wood polymer content, with the highest losses of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin moieties in the marine habitat. Aquatic fungal communities were strongly dominated by ascomycetes (88-99% of taxa), compared to terrestrial communities (55% ascomycetes). Large differences in fungal diversity were also observed across habitats with threefold higher richness in terrestrial than freshwater habitats and twofold higher diversity in freshwater than estuarine/marine habitats. Divergent decay trajectories across habitats were associated with widespread order-level differences in fungal composition, with distinct communities found in freshwater, estuarine and marine habitats. However, few individual taxa that were significantly associated with mass loss were broadly distributed, suggesting a high level of functional redundancy. The rapid processing of wood entering tropical rivers by microbes and invertebrates, comparable to that on land, indicates that estuaries and coastal oceans are hotspots not just for the processing of particulate and dissolved organic carbon, but also for woody debris and for the breakdown of lignin, the most recalcitrant polymer in plant tissue.

Habitual stone-tool-aided extractive foraging in white-faced capuchins, Cebus capucinus.

Habitual reliance on tool use is a marked behavioural difference between wild robust (genus Sapajus) and gracile (genus Cebus) capuchin monkeys. Despite being well studied and having a rich repertoire of social and extractive foraging traditions, Cebus sp. rarely use tools and have never been observed using stone tools. By contrast, habitual tool use by Sapajus is widespread. We review theory and discuss factors which might explain these differences in patterns of tool use between Cebus and Sapajus. We then report the first case of habitual stone tool use in a gracile capuchin: a population of white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus imitator) in Coiba National Park, Panama who habitually rely on hammerstone and anvil tool use to access structurally protected food items in coastal areas including Terminalia catappa seeds, hermit crabs, marine snails, terrestrial crabs and other items. This behaviour has persisted on one island in Coiba National Park since at least 2004. From 1 year of camera trapping, we found that stone tool use is strongly male-biased. Of the 205 camera trap days where tool use was recorded, adult females were never observed to use stone tools, although they were frequently recorded at the sites and engaged in scrounging behaviour. Stone tool use occurs year-round in this population; over half of all identifiable individuals were observed participating. At the most active tool use site, 83.2% of days where capuchins were sighted corresponded with tool use. Capuchins inhabiting the Coiba archipelago are highly terrestrial, under decreased predation pressure and potentially experience resource limitation compared to mainland populations-three conditions considered important for the evolution of stone tool use. White-faced capuchin tool use in Coiba National Park thus offers unique opportunities to explore the ecological drivers and evolutionary underpinnings of stone tool use in a comparative within- and between-species context.

The importance of beta diversity in local gall-inducing arthropod distribution

Many studies over the past twenty years have documented the richness of arthropod galling species around the world, and some have proposed hypotheses to explain local and global patterns of galling species richness. However, few studies have been directed toward understanding how the gall-inducing species are locally distributed. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of gall-inducing arthropods species at Coiba National Park, a tropical habitat on the Pacific coast of Panama. Our results suggest that more gall-inducing species had an aggregated distribution, and gall-inducing arthropod diversity shows a strong beta diversity component. Geographic distance was not correlated with similarity in gall-inducing species composition between the studied sites. This fact has important implications when trying to estimate gall-inducing arthropod richness and general patterns, and could cause contradictory results for hypotheses that attempt to explain the local and global patterns of galling species richness.

Richness and composition of gall-inducing arthropods at Coiba National Park, Panama

Interest in studying galls and their arthropods inducers has been growing rapidly in the last two decades. However, the Neotropical region is probably the least studied region for gall-inducing arthropods. A study of the richness and composition of gall-inducing arthropods was carried out at Coiba National Park in the Republic of Panama. Field data come from samples obtained between August 1997 and September 1999, with three (two-week long) more intensive samplings. Seventeen sites, representing the main land habitats of Coiba National Park were surveyed. 4942 galls of 50 insect and 9 mite species inducing galls on 50 vascular plants from 30 botanical families were colleted. 62.7% of the galls were induced by gall midges (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae), 15.3% by mites, Eriophyidae, 8.5% by Homoptera, Psyllidae, 6.8% by Coccidae and 5.1% by Phlaeothripidae (Tysanoptera). The host plant families with the most galls were Myrtaceae with seven, Bignoniaceae with five and Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae and Melastomataceae with four. Leaf galls accounted for about 93% of collected galls. Most leaf galls were pit/blister galls followed by covering and pouch galls. Gall richness per collecting site was between 1 and 19 species. Coiba’s gall diversity is discussed in relation to data available from other tropical sites from continental Panama and the Neotropical region. Our results support the idea that it may be premature to conclude that species richness of gall inducers declines near the equator. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56 (3): 1269-1286. Epub 2008 September 30.

El interés por el estudio de las agallas y los artrópodos que las inducen ha crecido en todo el mundo en los últimos veinte años. Sin embargo, los artrópodos que inducen agallas en la región Neotropical son probablemente los menos estudiados. Un estudio de la riqueza y composición de artrópodos que inducen agallas fue desarrollado en el Parque Nacional Coiba en la Republica de Panamá. Los datos provienen de muestreos intensivos de dos semanas, efectuados entre agosto de 1997 y septiembre de 1999, en 17 sitios del área insular del Parque Nacional Coiba. Un total de 4942 agallas, que corresponden a 50 especies de insectos y nueve de ácaros, fueron colectadas en 50 especies de plantas vasculares de 30 familias. El 62.7% de las agallas correspondieron a especies de la familia Cecidomyiidae (Diptera), el 15.3% a ácaros de la familia Eriophyidae, el 8.5% a Psyllidae (Homoptera), un 6.8% a Coccidae y el 5.1% a Phlaeothripidae (Tysanoptera). Las familias de plantas con más especies de inductores de agallas fueron Myrtaceae con siete, Bignoniaceae con cinco y Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae y Melastomataceae con cuatro. Las agallas formadas en hojas representaron el 93% del total. El número de inductores de agallas por sitio osciló entre uno y diecinueve. La riqueza de artrópodos inductores de agallas del Parque Nacional Coiba se discute con datos disponibles de la literatura para el área continental de Panamá y el Neotrópico. Nuestros resultados apoyan la idea de que es prematuro concluir que la riqueza de artrópodos que inducen agallas disminuye hacia el Ecuador.

Sílidos (Syllidae: Polychaeta) del Parque Nacional de Coiba (Pacífico, Panamá) / Syllids (Syllidae: Polychaeta) from Coiba National Park (Pacific of Panama)

During a study carried out on soft bottoms from Coiba National Park (Panama), 218 specimens of syllids (Annelida: Polychaeta) belonging to 19 interstitial species have been identified. Two species are new reports for the Pacific Ocean, Exogone (Exogone) arenosa Perkins, 1981 and Streptosyllis websteri Southern, 1914; five are new for Panama, E. (E.) dispar (Webster, 1879); E. (E.) longicornis Westheide, 1974; Salvatoria mediodentata (Westheide, 1974); Pionosyllis heterocirrata (Hartmann-Schrõder, 1959) and Syllis glarearia (Westheide, 1974). A characteristic not mentioned in the original description is herein reported for E. (E.) longicornis: the presence of triangular subterminal processes in the spiniger-like compound chaetae of chaetiger one. Specimens of the species Syllis botosaneanui Hartmann-Schrõder, 1973 harboring inside embryos of various stages of development have been found; this is the first report for this species as viviparous. Lastly, one specimen of the genus Syllis has been found that is mainly characterized by its long pharynx, two dorsal prostomial lobes, and compound chaetae with short blades and long spinulation. Because we consider that one specimen is not sufficient to describe a new species we refer it as Syllis sp.

Durante un estudio sobre la fauna marina del Parque Nacional de Coiba (Panamá) se identificaron 281 ejemplares de sílidos (Annelida: Polychaeta) intersticiales pertenecientes a 19 especies. Dos son nuevas citas para el Pacífico, Exogone (Exogone) arenosa Perkins, 1981 y Streptosyllis websteri Southern, 1914; cinco son nuevas citas para Panamá, E. (E.) dispar (Webster, 1879), E. (E.) longicornis Westheide, 1974, Salvatoria mediodentata (Westheide, 1974); Pionosyllis heterocirrata (Hartmann-Schröder, 1959) y Syllis glarearia (Westheide, 1974). Se describe un caracter no presente en la descripción original de E. Longicornis, la presencia de procesos triangulares subterminales en la primera pseudospinígera. Se describen ejemplares de la especie Syllis botosaneanui Hartmann-Schröder, 1973 con embriones en diverso estado de desarrollo en su interior, por lo que se trata de la primera referencia de esta especie como vivípara. Por último, se describe un ejemplar de Syllis sp., que se caracteriza fundamentalmente por la posesión de una larga faringe, dos lóbulos prostomiales dorsales y por sus sedas compuestas de artejos cortos y larga espinulación. Estas características diferencian a Syllis sp. de cualquier especie del género pero no se describe como especie nueva por disponerse únicamente de un solo ejemplar.