Alexandra Fernandes Costa

Checklist of tidepool fishes from Jericoacoara National Park, southwestern Atlantic, with additional ecological information

Ichthyofauna from 29 tidepools in Jericoacoara National Park (Ceara State, Brazil) was sampled. A total of 733 fishes, comprising 16 species belonging to 12 families, was collected. The three most abundant species were the frillfin goby Bathygobius soporator, the sergeant-majorAbudefduf saxatilis and the molly miller Scartella cristata. An invasive species from the Indo-Pacific, the Muzzled blenny Omobranchus punctatus, was also recorded. The known geographic distribution of the blenny Hypleurochilus fissicornis was extended approximately 2,500 km northward. These findings highlight the lack of knowledge of the rocky intertidal ecosystems along the Brazilian coast, an area that needs more sampling effort and ecological data.

Evaluation of periotic–timpanic bone complex of Sotalia guianensis (Cetacea: Delphinidae) as tool in identification of geographic variations

Morphometric characteristics of the periotic–timpanic bone complex in the middle ear of cetaceans, are effective characteristics in evaluating systematics. However, they have not been used for studies of geographic variation regarding dolphins of the genus Sotalia . This study aimed to compare the periotic–timpanic of Sotalia guianensis from four distinct locations, considered here as different operational taxonomic units, Amapa/Para (AM/PA), Maranhao/Piaui (MA/PI), Ceara (CE), and Rio de Janeiro (RJ), using 21 morphometric measurements. Multivariate analysis showed significant distinction mainly between the units of northern (AM/PA and MA/PI) and south-eastern (RJ) Brazilian coast. The timpanic bone showed variation, reaching larger sizes in the Brazilian south coast unit, corroborating current molecular data on the geographic variation of S. guianensis .

Stranding survey as a framework to investigate rare cetacean records of the north and north-eastern Brazilian coasts

Abstract Marine mammal stranding events are used as an important tool for understanding cetacean biology worldwide. Nonetheless, there are vast gaps of knowledge to be filled in for a wide range of species. Reputable information is required regarding species from large baleen whales to sperm and beaked whales, as well as pelagic dolphins. This paper describes new cetacean records from north and north-eastern Brazil, which are both the least surveyed areas regarding aquatic mammals. Regular beach surveys were conducted to recover cetacean carcasses along the coast of Pará beginning November 2005. At the coasts of the Maranhão and Piauí states, the surveys were conducted between 2003 and 2013. From 2003 to 2014, 34 strandings of cetaceans were registered. The study provides four additional species records’ in the area based on strandings (Balaenoptera borealis, Balaenoptera physalus, Peponocephala electra, and Pseudorca crassidens). A mass stranding of Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis, N = 12), the most common species for the region, was reported for the first time. The records presented herein are of special concern, since they expand the knowledge on cetaceans from the Brazilian coast. In addition, this study conducted an analysis to verify the similarity between cetacean compositions described for north and north-eastern Brazil and the southern Caribbean region. The results showed a high similarity between these regions, proving the connection with the Caribbean cetacean fauna.

Herpesviral infection in a Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) from the northern coast of Brazil

We describe herein herpesvirus-associated genital lesions in a Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) from the northern Brazilian coast. Papillary lesions on the vulva, with epithelial hyperplasia, swollen keratinocytes, and intranuclear inclusions, were positive for a herpesvirus (Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily).

First abundance estimate of the Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) in Brazil by aerial survey – CORRIGENDUM

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0025315415000855. Published by Cambridge University Press: 4 August 2015