Alvar Carranza

Stellifer rastrifer (Pisces: Sciaenidae): first Uruguayan records and a 1200 km range extension

Stellifer rastrifer, a coastal fish species that inhabits the tropical and south-western Atlantic Ocean is reported for the first time from the Uruguayan coast. Its geographic distribution range is extended southward more than 1200 km. Population descriptors such as a length frequency distribution (LFD) and a length-weight relationship are presented. Some warm circulation events are suggested as a putative factor explaining the occurrence of the fish in the area.

Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) from La Coronilla-Cerro Verde (Uruguay): a new record for the Uruguayan coast

Carranza, A., Borges, M., Rodriguez, M. & Borthagaray, A.I. Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) from La Coronilla-Cerro Verde (Uruguay): a new record for the Uruguayan coast. Biota Neotrop. Sep/Dez 2007 vol. 7, no. 3 http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v7n3/pt/abstract?article+bn01607032007. ISSN 1676-0603. La Coronilla-Cerro verde has been proposed as the first marine protected area in Uruguay. As part of a detailed benthic biodiversity assessment at the reserve, we analyzed the ophiuroid fauna collected in the intertidal and shallow subtidal during 2005 and 2006. Three species of ophiuroids were identified: Amphioplus lucyae, Amphipholis squamata and Amphiodia sp. Only two species belonging to the genus Amphiodia (A. pulchella and A. planispina) have been previously mentioned for Uruguayan waters, indicating that the unidentified species found in this study constitutes a previously unreported species.

The brown mussel Perna perna in the native mussel beds of Cerro Verde (Uruguay)

*Investigacion & Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias, Igua 4225, C.P.11.400, Montevideo, Uruguay. †UNDECIMAR, Facultad de Ciencias, Igua 4225, C.P.11.400. ‡Departamento de Ecologia and Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Ecologia y Biodiversidad (CASEB), Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Casilla 114-D, Santiago, Chile. ∫Instituto de Ecologia y Biodiversidad (IEB), Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile. *Equal authorship. §Corresponding author: e-mail: alvardoc@fcien.edu.uy

Pesquisas e manejo de descartes plásticos em sistemas aquáticos uruguaios: atualização e perspectivas

Synthetic plastics have become an indispensable component of modern life, and the amount of plastics disposal has increased dramatically as a result. With human population increasing, it is expected that the prevalence of plastic debris in the environment will also increase, unless sustainable daily habits are incorporated, waste management improved, and new alternative materials are discovered and popularized. To date, several reports show negative effects of plastic debris on marine and freshwater fauna (e.g. invertebrates, birds, turtles, marine mammals). Plastic are ubiquitous in the water column, deposited