Amanda Ferreira Cunha

Relation of group size and daily activity patterns to southern lapwing ( Vanellus chilensis ) behaviour

Behavioural patterns of birds commonly vary according to flock size and daily activity pattern. Southern lapwing behaviours and their relation with flock size were studied, as well as the relationship between the frequency of behaviours and the period of the day. Results showed that the proportion of time spent in foraging and vigilance was higher during the morning, when small groups were more common, and decreased from midday on, when group size increased. Maintenance and inactivity (sleeping) behaviours presented the opposite pattern. Correlation between flock size and period of the day, and their similar effects on bird behaviour may be evidence that groups of different sizes could have different functions throughout the day. Our results show that southern lapwings seem to form smaller flocks for feeding in the beginning of the day and larger flocks later for different activities (e.g., maintenance and sleeping). In this sense, it is possible that group size variation throughout the day is related to different demands for specific behaviours (functions) of groups, according to the daily activity patterns of the birds.

Reassessment of Morphological Diagnostic Characters and Species Boundaries Requires Taxonomical Changes for the Genus Orthopyxis L. Agassiz, 1862 (Campanulariidae, Hydrozoa) and Some Related Campanulariids

The genus Orthopyxis is widely known for its morphological variability, making species identification particularly difficult. A number of nominal species have been recorded in the southwestern Atlantic, although most of these records are doubtful. The goal of this study was to infer species boundaries in the genus Orthopyxis from the southwestern Atlantic using an integrative approach. Intergeneric limits were also tested using comparisons with specimens of the genus Campanularia. We performed DNA analyses using the mitochondrial genes 16S and COI and the nuclear ITS1 and ITS2 regions. Orthopyxis was monophyletic in maximum likelihood analyses using the combined dataset and in analyses with 16S alone. Four lineages of Orthopyxis were retrieved for all analyses, corresponding morphologically to the species Orthopyxis sargassicola (previously known in the area), Orthopyxis crenata (first recorded for the southwestern Atlantic), Orthopyxis caliculata (= Orthopyxis minuta Vannucci, 1949 and considered a synonym of O. integra by some authors), and Orthopyxis mianzani sp. nov. A re-evaluation of the traditional morphological diagnostic characters, guided by our molecular analyses, revealed that O. integra does not occur in the study area, and O. caliculata is the correct identification of one of the lineages occurring in this region, corroborating the validity of that species. Orthopyxis mianzani sp. nov. resembles O. caliculata with respect to gonothecae morphology and a smooth hydrothecae rim, although it shows significant differences for other characters, such as perisarc thickness, which has traditionally been thought to have wide intraspecific variation. The species O. sargassicola is morphologically similar to O. crenata, although they differ in gonothecae morphology, and these species can only be reliably identified when this structure is present.

Seasonal variation of epiphytic hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) associated to a subtropical Sargassum cymosum (Phaeophyta: Fucales) bed

Hydroids are broadly reported in epiphytic associations from different localities showing marked seasonal cycles. Studies have shown that the factors behind these seasonal differences in hydroid richness and abundance may vary significantly according to the area of study. Seasonal differences in epiphytic hydroid cover and richness were evaluated in a Sargassum cymosum C. Agardh bed from Lazaro beach, at Ubatuba, Brazil. Significant seasonal differences were found in total hydroid cover, but not in species richness. Hydroid cover increased from March (early fall) to February (summer). Most of this pattern was caused by two of the most abundant species: Aglaophenia latecarinata Allman, 1877 and Orthopyxis sargassicola (Nutting, 1915). Hydroid richness seems to be related to S. cymosum size but not directly to its biomass. The seasonal differences in hydroid richness and algal cover are shown to be similar to other works in the study region and in the Mediterranean. Seasonal recruitment of hydroid species larvae may be responsible for their seasonal differences in algal cover, although other factors such as grazing activity of gammarid amphipods on S. cymosum must be taken into account.

Phylogenetic relationships of Proboscoida Broch, 1910 (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa): Are traditional morphological diagnostic characters relevant for the delimitation of lineages at the species, genus, and family levels?

Overlapping variation of morphological characters can lead to misinterpretation in taxonomic diagnoses and the delimitation of different lineages. This is the case for hydrozoans that have traditionally been united in the family Campanulariidae, a group known for its wide morphological variation and complicated taxonomic history. In a recently proposed phylogenetic classification of leptothecate hydrozoans, this family was restricted to a more narrow sense while a larger clade containing most species traditionally classified in Campanulariidae, along with members of Bonneviellidae, was established as the suborder Proboscoida. We used molecular data to infer the phylogenetic relationships among campanulariids and assess the traditional classification of the family, as well as the new classification scheme for the group. The congruity and relevance of diagnostic characters were also evaluated. While mostly consistent with the new phylogenetic classification of Proboscoida, our increased taxon sampling resulted in some conflicts at the family level, specially regarding the monophyly of Clytiidae and Obeliidae. Considering the traditional classification, only Obeliidae is close to its original scope (as subfamily Obeliinae). At the genus level, Campanularia and Clytia are not monophyletic. Species with Obelia-like medusae do not form a monophyletic group, nor do species with fixed gonophores, indicating that these characters do not readily diagnose different genera. Finally, the species Orthopyxis integra, Clytia gracilis, and Obelia dichotoma are not monophyletic, suggesting that most of their current diagnostic characters are not informative for their delimitation. Several diagnostic characters in this group need to be reassessed, with emphasis on their variation, in order to have a consistent taxonomic and phylogenetic framework for the classification of campanulariid hydrozoans.

Variability on microevolutionary and macroevolutionary scales: a review on patterns of morphological variation in Cnidaria Medusozoa

Members of Cnidaria Medusozoa are known for their wide morphological variation, which is expressed on many different levels, especially in different phases of the life cycle. Difficulties in interpreting morphological variations have posed many taxonomic problems, since intraspecific morphological variations are often misinterpreted as interspecific variations and vice-versa, hampering species delimitation. This study reviews the patterns of morphological variation in the Medusozoa, to evaluate how different interpretations of the levels of variation may influence the understanding of the patterns of diversification in the group. Additionally, we provide an estimate of the cryptic diversity in the Hydrozoa, based on COI sequences deposited in GenBank. Morphological variations frequently overlap between microevolutionary and macroevolutionary scales, contributing to misinterpretations of the different levels of variation. In addition, most of the cryptic diversity described so far for the Medusozoa is a result of previously overlooked morphological differences, and there is still great potential for discovering cryptic lineages in the Hydrozoa. We provide evidence that the number of species in the Medusozoa is misestimated and emphasize the necessity of examining different levels of morphological variations when studying species boundaries, in order to avoid generalizations and misinterpretations of morphological characters.

Epiphytic hydroids (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) contribute to a higher abundance of caprellid amphipods (Crustacea, Peracarida) on macroalgae

Habitat complexity is an important factor structuring macroinvertebrate communities on macrophytes, and epiphytic hydroids may offer additional habitats for the epifauna. Caprellids are known to benefit from the association with hydroids, but it is unclear if epiphytic hydroids affect their abundance. In this study, we investigated if caprellid abundance is related to epiphytic hydroid abundance on Sargassum cymosum, and whether this is related to caprellids’ clinging behavior. We found that hydroid abundance had a positive effect on caprellid abundance, irrespective of species, sex, developmental and reproductive stages of caprellids, with the exception of Caprella scaura that present maternal care behavior. Experiments also showed that caprellids are more abundant on fronds of Sargassum with hydroids. Moreover, juvenile caprellids prefer to cling directly to hydroids and also prefer portions of the alga with hydroids attached. Our results indicate that epiphytic hydroids add structural complexity to macroalgae, favoring the occurrence of caprellids. However, this effect may be conditioned by the reproductive behavior of caprellid species, since hydroids are particularly important for juveniles by offering suitable structures for their small pereopods to grasp. This, in turn, may indirectly benefit adult caprellids, contributing to their choice of habitats that favor the performance of their juveniles.

Status of the names of some hydroid species (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa), described from the Atlantic coast of Patagonia

Thirty new species of benthic leptothecate hydroids were described and named from Patagonia in a 1991 PhD dissertation by Mohamed El Beshbeeshy. Although constituting nomina nuda under provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), the names of some species were used in several scientific publications between 1991 and 2011. In 2011, the dissertation of El Beshbeeshy was published in accordance with Article 8 of the ICZN. Several species-group names appearing in that work nevertheless fail to fully comply with certain articles of the code. The goal of this contribution is to review the nomenclatural availability of the names of those 30 new taxa, and to clearly establish the current status of El Beshbeeshys material. Two of them were made available in 1999 as part of studies other than those of El Beshbeeshy, and correct authorship and date is here noted. Twenty-one of the nomina nuda were made available in a work published by El Beshbeeshy in 2011, although some constitute junior synonyms. Six of the new species-group names appearing in both the 1991 and 2011 works, established following a literature review of Patagonian species, were proposed without re-description, or designation of name-bearing types, or locations of such types. Most of them do not meet criteria of availability and remain nomina nuda. The status of each is discussed to avoid additional nomenclatural errors and continued taxonomic confusion.