Elizabeth G. Neves

The Association of Two Gall Crabs (Brachyura: Cryptochiridae) with the Reef-building Coral Siderastrea stellata Verrill, 1868

The family Cryptochiridae includes a small group of cryptic crabs that inhabit cavities in scleractinian corals. They are represented in Brazil by two species. Troglocarcinus corallicola, found from Maranhão to Bahia states and that occurs in many species of the coral families Mussidae, Faviidae, Caryophillidae and Siderastreidae. Opecarcinus hypostegus, reported from the state of Pernambuco, is mainly associated with Agaricia fragilis. The range of O. hypostegus is extended to Rio Grande do Norte and Alagoas states. Males are usually smaller than females, and couples may be eventually found sharing cavities. Ovigerous females and males of O. hypostegus are recorded for the first time inhabiting adjoining cavities on colonies of Siderastrea stellata, an endemic reef coral widespread along the Brazilian littoral.

Cnidaria, Scleractinia, Siderastreidae, Siderastrea siderea (Ellis and Solander, 1786): Hartt Expedition and the first record of a Caribbean siderastreid in tropical Southwestern Atlantic

Samples of Siderastrea collected by the geologist C. F. Hartt during expedition to Brazil (19th century), and deposited at the National Museum of the Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, have been re-examined. Taxonomical analyses resulted in the identification of a colony of S. siderea from offshore northern Bahia state. Following recent studies, the occurrence of Caribbean siderastreids to western South Atlantic provides new criteria to assess intra- and interpopulational morphological variation of the endemic S. stellata , refuting historical trends of synonymizations possibly biased by long-term taxonomical misunderstandings.

Gastropoda, Caenogastropoda, Eulimidae, Annulobalcis aurisflamma Simone and Martins, 1995: first record to northeastern Brazil

The current article provides the first record of Annulobalcis aurisflamma Simone and Martins, 1995 outside Sao Paulo state, Brazil. Herein we extend its geographical distribution to northeastern Brazil.

Effects of habitat structure on the epifaunal community in Mussismilia corals: does coral morphology influence the richness and abundance of associated crustacean fauna?

AbstractCoral habitat structures increase abundance and richness of organisms by providing niches, easy access to resources and refuge from predators. Corals harbor a great variety of animals; the variation in coral species morphology contributes to the heterogeneity and complexity of habitat types. In this report, we studied the richness and abundance of crustaceans (Decapoda, Copepoda, Peracarida and Ostracoda) associated with three species of Mussismilia exhibiting different growth morphologies, in two different coral reefs of the Bahia state (Caramuanas and Boipeba-Moreré, Brazil). Mussismilia hispida is a massive coral; M. braziliensis also has a massive growth pattern, but forms a crevice in the basal area of the corallum; M. harttii has a meandroid pattern. PERMANOVA analysis suggests significant differences in associated fauna richness among Mussismilia species, with higher values for M. harttii, followed by M.braziliensis and later by M. hispida. The same trend was observed for density, except that the comparison of M. braziliensis and M. hispida did not show differences. Redundancy and canonical correspondence analysis indicated that almost all of the crustacean species were more associated with the M. harttii colonies that formed a group clearly separated from colonies of M. braziliensis and M. hispida. We also found that the internal volume of interpolyp space, only present in M. harttii, was the most important factor influencing richness and abundance of all analyzed orders of crustaceans.

Dissodactylus crinitichelis Moreira, 1901 and Leodia sexiesperforata (Leske, 1778): first record of this symbiosis in Brazil

The crabs of the genus Dissodactylus are well known as ectosymbionts of irregular echinoids belonging to Clypeasteroida and Spatangoida. Dissodactylus crinitichelis is the only species of the genus reported in Brazil. The pea crab species has been already recorded associated with four species of echinoids in Brazilian waters. This paper reviews the known hosts for D. crinitichelis and registers for the first time the association between the pea crab and the sand dollar Leodia sexiesperforata increasing to five the number of known hosts for the crab.

A new species of Troglocarcinus (Decapoda: Brachyura: Cryptochiridae) symbiotic with the Brazilian endemic coral Mussismilia (Anthozoa: Scleractinia: Mussidae)

Abstract Three species of cryptochirid crabs, obligatory symbionts of scleractinian corals, have so far been recorded from Brazil: Troglocarcinus corallicola, Opecarcinus hypostegus and Kroppcarcinus siderastreicola. All three genera are monospecific. Individuals belonging to an undescribed species of Troglocarcinus, here described as T. hirsutus sp. nov., were found associated with colonies of Mussismilia from Bahia State, northeastern region of Brazil. The new species is distinguished from its congener mainly by a carapace with several large spines delimiting the protogastric and mesogastric regions, sternite of first pereopod with setae and third pleopod of female being uniramous or biramous. An emendation to the diagnosis of the monospecific Troglocarcinus is proposed. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0FA03021-69A6-4F93-AA0A-6451BC6D2DE4

New records of nudibranchs (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from Bahia State, northeastern Brazil

Although around 3,000 species of nudibranchs are known worldwide, only nearly 100 species are reported from Brazil. From Bahia State, northeastern Brazil, only seven species are listed. The current article provides four new records of nudibranchs from this region: Geitodoris pusae (Marcus 1955); Felimida paulomarcioi (Dominguez, Garcia and Troncoso 2006); Felimida binza (Marcus and Marcus 1963) and Cadlina rumia Marcus 1955. The new records presented herein fill part of a historical gap in the species geographic distribution, and increase to eleven the number of nudibranch species known from Bahia.

Pericelis cata Marcus and Marcus, 1968 (Platyhelminthes: Polycladida): first record from northeast of Brazil

The polyclad Pericelis cata has been reported in two distinct localities along the North Atlantic: Curacao and the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Recently identified from the Southwestern Atlantic, the species was first described from the Cabo Frio region (23°S) (Rio de Janeiro State), a transitional zone between warm and cold water species located southeastern Brazil. The second location is in the northeastern coast in warm waters, in the entrance of the Todos-os-Santos Bay, a geographic area within the Brazilian Biotic Province, an important center of marine biodiversity of the Tropical Atlantic.

A new species of Petalobrissus Lambert 1916 (Echinoidea: Faujasiidae) from the Jandaíra Formation, Potiguar Basin (Brazil)

A new Late Cretaceous species of Petalobrissus, Petalobrissus lehugueurae sp. nov., is described from the Jandaíra Formation, Potiguar Basin, state of Rio Grande do Norte. To date, this genus comprises a total of 20 species, only two of which, Petalobrissus setifensis and Petalobrissus cubensis have so far been recorded from the Jandaíra Formation. Petalobrissus lehugeurae sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners in that gonopores occupy only a small portion of the genital plates, in having a slit-like periproct and a unique abrupt depression of the test that forms a pronounced keel below the periproct. In addition, an identification key to species of Petalobrissus is presented.

A new asterocherid genus (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida) associated with Callyspongia Duchassaing & Michelotti and reassessment of six species of Asterocheres Boeck

The family Asterocheridae Giesbrecht has several genera associated with sponges including Asterocheres Boeck, 1859. The type genus is commonly found in sponges but it is also recorded in echinoderms, bryozoans, and corals. A revision of the diagnosis of Asterocheres conducted in 2010 was the beginning of a reorganization process, culminating in the present status of 63 valid species. This study describes a new species and genus of the Asterocheridae. Neoasterocheres gen. nov. shares many characteristics with Asterocheres sensu stricto, except for the antennule segmentation which shows ancestral segments IX-XII fused to segment XIII. The new species of Neoasterocheres gen. nov. was found in association with the sponge Callyspongia sp. sampled at the Yatch Club Bay, located in Todos-os-Santos Bay, Salvador city, Bahia State, Brazil. A revision of the Asterocheres sensu stricto indicates that A. enewetakensis Humes, 1997, A. dysideae Humes, 1996b, A. humesi Varela, 2012, A. rotundus Malt, 1991, A. scutatus Stock, 1966, and A. serrulatus (Humes, 1996a) share this fusion and therefore should be transferred to the new genus. A redescription of Neoasterocheres serrulatus n. comb. is also provided, based on the examination of type specimens.