Hilda Helena Sovierzoski

Inventory of the Echinodermata collection from the Universidade Federal de Alagoas

Collections and inventories provide important and essential information for understanding the composition and distribution of biodiversity. This contribution presents an inventory of the species held in the Echinodermata collection in the Setor de Comunidades Bentonicas (LABMAR/ICBS), Universidade Federal de Alagoas. The collections were made over a period of more than 20 years, at several localities of coastal Alagoas. This collection now includes 16,201 catalogued individual specimens, with 50 species in the five extant classes Crinoidea, Asteroidea, Ophiuroidea, Echinoidea and Holothuroidea, based on 640 records; the class Ophiuroidea is best represented. The results of this inventory contribute significantly to knowledge of marine benthic diversity from the state of Alagoas, and the information presented here expands the data for Echinodermata from the northeastern coast of Brazil.

New records of Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) from shallow waters off Maceió, State of Alagoas, Brazil

maria lilian f. lima, monica d. correia, hilda h. sovierzoski and cynthia l.c. manso Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Pós-Graduação em Diversidade Biológica e Conservação nos Trópicos, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Setor de Comunidades Bentônicas (LABMAR/ICBS), Rua Aristeu de Andrade, 452, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Núcleo de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Invertebrados Marinhos (LABIMAR), Campus Prof. Alberto Carvalho, Itabaiana, Sergipe, Brazil

First records of the order Polycladida (Platyhelminthes, Rhabditophora) from reef ecosystems of Alagoas State, north-eastern Brazil, with the description of Thysanozoon alagoensis sp. nov.

The 230 km long coast of Alagoas State, in north-eastern Brazil, has diverse reef ecosystems, made from corals and of sandstone, that harbour a wide range of marine invertebrate fauna. Little is known about turbellarians of the order Polycladida in most parts of the Brazilian coast, with no record from Alagoas up to date. To fill this gap expeditions were conducted on the reefs from the central coast of Alagoas, where 11 Polycladida species were found: Pericelis cata, Enchiridium evelinae, Pseudoceros bicolor and a possible new colour variation of this species, Pseudoceros rawlinsonae, Pseudobiceros pardalis, Thysanozoon brocchii, Thysanozoon alagoensis sp. nov., Armatoplana leptalea, Adenoplana evelinae, Latocestus brasiliensis, Phaenocelis medvedica. The species are described in detail through photos of live specimens and histological sections. The present work adds six species to the north-eastern Brazilian coast, one of them a new species, and all 11 species are for the first time reported from Alagoas State. Also, it is the first time that Phaenocelis medvedica, Adenoplana evelinae, Latocestus brasiliensis and Armatoplana leptalea are illustrated by full colour photos of live specimens and histological sections.

Isopoda (Crustacea) do complexo estuarino-lagunar Mundaú/Manguaba, Alagoas, Brasil

Qualilative and quantitative studies of Isopoda species were made at Mundau/Manguaba Estuary-Lagoon Complex on the Coast of Alagoas State. Six points were established in order to carry out methodical collections of animals. These collections were made monthly, without interruption, from April, 1990 to March, 1991, in which three families, five genera and seven species of Isopoda were identified. A special key for identification of Isopoda and also diagnosis for each species are presented. Sphaeromatidae Family was the most significant and Cassidinidea fluminensis (Mane-Garzon, 1944), was the species with numerical dominance. Space/time distribution of the species of Isopoda was related to the variation of salinity.

Polyplacophora (Mollusca) from reef ecosystems and associations with macroalgae on the Coast of Alagoas, Northeastern Brazil

Brazilian marine molluscs, especially Gastropoda and Bivalvia, are relatively well studied. However, information on the class Polyplacophora is more scarce, particularly on reef-dwelling forms. This study aimed to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze aspects of polyplacophorans from reef ecosystems and their associations with macroalgae on the coast of Maceio (state of Alagoas, Brazilian Northeast). The study area included five coral reefs at Ipioca, Ponta do Prego, Ponta do Meirim, Riacho Doce and Ponta Verde, as well as two sandstone reefs, located in Guaxuma and Sereia. The samples were obtained by snorkelling along the intertidal and subtidal reef zones to a depth of up to five meters during low tides, between 2009 and 2011. In addition, the chitons associated with three macroalgae of the Ponta Verde coral reef were studied based on collections made over 12 years (from the summer of 1998 to the winter of 2009). Three replicates with an area of 25 cm2 were collected from each of the following species of macroalgal phytals: Amphiroa fragilissima (Rhodophyta), Caulerpa racemosa (Chlorophyta) and Dictyota cervicornis (Phaeophyta). A total of 715 individuals (110 juveniles and 605 adults) were identified, including Acanthochitona terezae Guerra, 1983, Ischnochiton striolatus (Gray, 1828) and Ischnoplax pectinata (Sowerby II, 1840). Acanthochitona terezae was found for the first time in the area. Ischnochiton striolatus was the most abundant species in the reef ecosystem and in association with macroalgae. The greatest number of individuals of all three polyplacophorans identified (adults and juveniles) was found on the phytal A. fragilissima.