Liana de Figueiredo Mendes

História natural dos amborés e peixes-macaco (Actinopterygii, Blennioidei, Gobioidei) do Parque Nacional Marinho do Arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha, sob um enfoque comportamental

The gobis and blenis (Gobiidae and Bleniidae) are the most important group of small benthic littoral fishes in tropical reefs, representing most of the high number of small fish species found in Western Atlantic. The natural history of gobiid and bleniid fish from Fernando de Noronha was assessed by means observation sessions using both snorkelling and scuba diving. Most of these observations were aimed at social behaviour, such as intra and interespecific interactions, territorial and reproductive behaviour. In general, these fish from Fernando de Noronha occurs in intertidal zone, are gregarious, with small home ranges of near 2 x 2 m2, and show low agressivity towards other fish. Occasionally, some chasing was recorded between individuals of the same or distinct species. Low agressivity is probably associated to the occupation of small areas (e.g. tide pools), as a high degree of agressivity may represent an unnecessary [excessive] waste of energy. Most of the studied species presents cryptic coloration, associated to the avoidance of predators, but some males showed conspicuous coloration and intense aggressive behaviour, mainly during the reproductive season. It was only during this occasion that territorial behaviour, chasing and bites were recorded.

Fish fauna of Pratagi River coastal microbasin, extreme north Atlantic Forest, Rio Grande do Norte state, northeastern Brazil

The purpose of this study was to inventory the ichthyofauna of the coastal Pratagi River basin, located on the east coast of the state, region with intense tourist activities. A total of 2,181 specimens were collected, from August 2011 to August 2013, using sieves, trawls, cast nets, traps and gillnets. Additionally, two species ( Centropomus sp. and Lutjanus alexandrei ) have only been recorded through underwater observations, summing 22 species and genera, 18 families and nine orders. Along the Pratagi drainage some human impacts were identified, mainly related to tourist activities, such as removal of riparian vegetation and sedimentation caused by the passage of vehicles on dunes. Species richness was lower near the most visited places and greater in the lower portion of the basin, due to the presence of estuarine and marine species. Apparently, a set of small waterfalls act as a barrier to some fish species, both upstream and downstream.

Acyrtus pauciradiatus, a new species of clingfish (Teleostei: Gobiesocidae) from Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, Pernambuco state, Northeastern Brazil

Acyrtus pauciradiatus, new species, is described on the basis of three specimens collected at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, state of Pernambuco, Brazil. It differs from its congeners by having a reduced number of rays in the pectoral, dorsal, and anal fins and is more isolated geographically, than any other species in the genus.

Ophioblennius trinitatis (Pisces: Blenniidae) from the Oceanic Archipelagos of São Pedro e São Paulo, Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas

The Blenniidae are a marine family composed of 53 genera and 345 species. They commonly occur in intertidal habitats, being dominant elements amongst the small benthic faunal fish that inhabit tropical reefs. Popularly known in Brazil as “peixes-macaco” (literally “monkey-fish”) (Carvalho-Filho, 1999; Nelson, 1994), they are usually solitary in habit, hiding cryptically in burrows, corals and sponges, thus forming part of the invisible ichthyofauna which interacts with other resident organisms. The genus

Identifying fish diversity hot-spots in data-poor situations

One of the more challenging tasks in Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is identifying critical areas for management and conservation of fish stocks. However, this objective is difficult to achieve in data-poor situations with different sources of uncertainty. In the present study we propose a combination of hierarchical Bayesian spatial models and remotely sensed estimates of environmental variables to be used as flexible and reliable statistical tools to identify and map fish species richness and abundance hot-spots. Results show higher species aggregates in areas with higher sea floor rugosity and habitat complexity, and identify clear richness hot-spots. Our findings identify sensitive habitats through essential and easy-to-use interpretation tools, such as predictive maps, which can contribute to improving management and operability of the studied data-poor situations.

Identifying ecological barriers in marine environment: The case study of Dasyatis marianae

Ecological barriers are important determinants of the evolution and distributions marine organisms, and a challenge for evolutionary ecologists seeking to understand population structure in the sea. Dasyatis marianae is an endemic Brazilian species that indicates certain restrictions on its distribution probably due to marine barriers. In this study, Bayesian hierarchical spatial models, jointly with environmental and occurrence species data, are used to identify, which elements could generate these barriers on Dasyatis marianae distribution. Results show that salinity and temperature are the most important drivers that play an essential role to limit the distribution of this species. Indeed, low salinity values restrict Dasyatis marianae distribution in the north of the Brazilian coast, while in the south are colder temperatures. These results highlight the need to better define the distribution of marine species, especially for the ones affected by ecological barriers that are more sensitive to environmental changes.

The Seven-arm Octopus, Haliphron atlanticus Streenstrup, 1861 (Cephalopoda, Alloposidae), in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, Brazil

The rare deep-sea octopus, Haliphron atlanticus is the only known species recognized within the genus. A fragment of H. atlanticus was found in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, Brazil (South Atlantic). Both phylogenetic reconstruction and pairwise genetic divergence show that the specimen recorded in South Atlantic is closely related to individuals from North Pacific. However, there is a greater divergence among these specimens and a giant octopus from North Atlantic. This evidence suggests that Haliphron is not monospecific, with at least two species, both represented in the Atlantic Ocean.

Population Structure of the Rockpool Blenny Entomacrodus vomerinus Shows Source-Sink Dynamics among Ecoregions in the Tropical Southwestern Atlantic.

The Tropical Southwestern Atlantic is characterized by prominent ecosystems with large-scale oceanographic complexity. Yet, the evolutionary processes underlying genetic differentiation and connectivity in this region remain largely unknown. Entomacrodus vomerinus (Valenciennes, 1836) is a demersal fish with planktonic larvae endemic to this marine province, inhabiting shallow tidal pools in continental and oceanic reef environments. We evaluated the population structure, genetic diversity and gene flow of E. vomerinus using mitochondrial data (CYTB and COI) and nuclear (rhodopsin, RHO) DNA sequences. We sampled a total of 85 individuals, comprising 46 from three oceanic archipelagos with varying distance from the coast (São Pedro and São Paulo—SS, Fernando de Noronha—FE and Rocas Atoll—RA) and 39 from two localities in northeastern Brazilian coast (Rio Grande do Norte—RN and Bahia—BA). Multilocus analysis revealed the presence of three Evolutionarily Significant Units—ESUs (SS, FE+RA, and RN+BA), which are in accordance with distinct marine ecoregions. Coalescent analyses showed that the central ESU has a larger effective population size than the other two, suggesting strong asymmetries in the genetic diversity across the species range. Moreover, they showed that gene flow is highly asymmetric, suggesting a source-sink dynamics from the central ESU into the remaining ones, in agreement with oceanic currents. Together, these results provide insights in the evolutionary mechanisms facilitating diversification in this marine province.

First record of Scartella itajobi Rangel and Mendes, 2009 (Perciformes: Blenniidae) from São Pedro e São Paulo Archipelago, Brazil

This article presents the first record of the blenniid Scartella itajobi in the Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo Archipelago, located off the state of Rio Grande do Norte, northeastern Brazil. As a result, the species distribution is extended 610 km northeast. The number of species of Blenniidae known to occur in Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo Archipelago is three, whereas the number of endemic fish species shared by Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo, Fernando de Noronha, and Rocas Atoll now stands at two.