Irene Azevedo Cardoso

Deep sea Caridea (Crustacea, Decapoda) from Campos Basin, RJ, Brazil

During the Campos Basin Deep Sea Environmental Project coordinated by CENPES/PETROBRAS two collecting campaigns were performed. Both used the N/RB Astrogaroupa and fishery nets to collect samples from the continental slope in Campos Basin, RJ (21o48S to 22o48S). Campaign Oceanprof I occurred in February, 2003 and collected 18 samples at depths between 1074 and 1649 m. Oceanprof II occurred in August, 2003 and collected 22 samples at depths between 1059 and 1640 m. A total of 14 caridean species were collected: Parapontophilus sp. (Crangonidae); Glyphocrangon longirostris (Smith, 1882) (Glyphocrangonidae); Lebbeus sp. (Hippolytidae); Nematocarcinus ensifer (Smith, 1882) (Nematocarcinidae); Acanthephyra eximia Smith, 1884; A. quadrispinosa Kemp, 1939; A. stylorostratis (Bate, 1888); Janicella spinicauda (A. Milne Edwards, 1883); Meningodora vesca (Smith, 1887); Notostomus elegans A. Milne Edwards, 1881; Oplophorus spinosus (Brulle, 1839); and Systellaspis debilis (A. Milne Edwards, 1881) (Oplophoridae); Heterocarpus inopinatus Tavares, 1999 and Plesionika sp. (Pandalidae). Three out of these 14 species, Parapontophilus sp., Lebbeus sp. and Plesionika sp. are still under investigation and were not included in the present study. From the 11 species identified Nematocarcinus ensifer is a new record for the Brazilian continental slope.

Deep-sea decapods sampled or observed with a manned submersible at the Rio Grande Rise (SW Atlantic), including the first record of four species from this region

The Rio Grande Rise (RGR) is a volcanic topographic structure of the Southwest Atlantic basin that rises over 3000xa0m from the seafloor and is located half way between the Brazilian continental margin (~xa030°S latitude) and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Previous records of decapods at the RGR are uncertain or non-existent. The observations and material examined here were collected by the manned submersible Shinkai 6500 during two dives to the plateau of the RGR main topographic feature, known as Alpha. Additional records were determined by analysing high-definition photos and videos obtained by the Shinkai 6500. Five species of deep-sea decapods were found: a Solenoceridae, Hymenopenaeus debilis Smith, 1882 previously sampled at the Brazilian slope; a Nematocarcinidae, Nematocarcinus parvus Burukovsky, 2000 previously unknown from the Atlantic Ocean; a Parapaguridae, Strobopagurus gracilipes (Milne-Edwards, 1891); a rare Palinuridae, Projasus parkeri (Stebbing, 1902); and the brachyuran Chaceon sanctaehelenae Manning & Holthuis, 1989 that were never sampled in the western Atlantic Ocean. The results show that the RGR decapod fauna is rare, unknown and, in its great majority, distinct, at the species level, from that found at the South American slope. At the genus and family levels, however, we can observe similarities between the RGR decapod fauna and that recorded on the South American slope. Unique exploration initiatives such as this can improve significantly the knowledge on western Atlantic deep-sea biodiversity and contribute to the understanding of deep-sea biogeography.

Lack of science support fails Brazil

On 10 September 2010, Science published the Report “Human SIRT6 promotes DNA end resection through CtIP deacetylation” by A. Kaidi, B. T. Weinert, C. Choudhary, and S. P. Jackson (1). On 19 August 2018, the Research Governance and Integrity Officer of the corresponding author’s institution, Cambridge University, together with the corresponding author, notified Science that the institution was launching a preliminary investigation under the Misconduct in Research policy. They have since notified us that the university has concluded that there is a prima facie case that requires formal investigation. Science is publishing this Editorial Expression of Concern to alert our readers while we await the outcome of the investigation.

The carcinofauna found in stomach contents of the flying gurnard (Dactylopterus volitans) on the continental shelf of the Campos Basin, Brazil

ABSTRACT A total of 3109 crustaceans belonging to 50 taxa distributed in 42 families were found in 117 analysed stomachs of flying gurnard (Dactylopterus volitans). Samples were obtained in April 2008 by the R/V Gyre using a bottom trawl towed in 12 stations at 14–100 m depth on the continental shelf of the Campos Basin, Brazil. The carcinofauna was analysed and the order Calanoida (Copepoda) found to be the most important item in terms of relative abundance and frequency of occurrence, followed by the order Amphipoda (Peracarida), the infraorder Brachyura (Decapoda), the order Stomatopoda and the subclass Myodocopa (Ostracoda). In the order Calanoida, the species Pontellopsis cf. villosa (Pontellidae) represented 98.04% of total crustacean abundance. The diet of Dactylopterus volitans varied according to fish size, with higher diversity of Crustacea at smaller size classes, decreasing in larger fishes. A similar pattern regarding depth was obtained, with greater diversity of taxa in gurnard stomachs caught at shallower depths. Flying gurnard is considered a generalized carnivore of invertebrates, eating mobile macrobenthic organisms, such as crustaceans, and its diet varies with its life stage, without any specific group as its main food source.

A new Munidopsis species (Galatheoidea, Munidopsidae) from the Southwestern Atlantic

Six Munidopsis species are recorded to the Southwestern Atlantic: M. barbarae; M. erinacea; M. nitida; M. sigsbei; M. riveroi and M. transtridens. Herein a new Munidopsis species from Southwestern Atlantic is described: Munidopsis trindadensis sp.nov., was sampled off Trindade Island (Espírito Santo, Brazil) at 360 m depth and differs from all six species previously recorded in this region by the telson with seven plates.