Luiz Ricardo L. Simone

Revision of genus Crassostrea (Bivalvia: Ostreidae) of Brazil

The Ostreidae are well known for their high intra-specific variation, which makes identification problematic. The present paper aims to provide a morpho-anatomical and taxonomic review of the Brazilian species of Crassostrea , as well as some congeneric species from other relevant areas. The Brazilian species are Crassostrea mangle sp.nov. and Crassostrea brasiliana . The exotic species Crassostrea gigas , cultivated in the southern region of the country, is also included in this study. Additional species are: Crassostrea virginica , from the Atlantic coast of the USA, the type species, and Crassostrea rhizophorae , a south-eastern Caribbean species that is supposed to occur in Brazil, but is here understood as a different entity endemic to that region. Taking into account their economic importance, the differentiation between these species is critical, and is essential for a better planning of production and preservation strategies. We point out the differences in almost all structures amongst these species, which are formally redescribed herein. The occurrence of the African species Crassostrea gasar in Brazil is established as false. The voucher specimens of previous studies responsible for this assumption were examined, evidencing a misidentification for Crassostrea brasiliana from an estuarine environment. The geographical distribution of the studied species is recognized as follows: Crassostrea rhizophorae in the south-east Caribbean Sea; Crassostrea mangle sp. nov. from Para to the Santa Catarina, only in mangroves; Crassostrea brasiliana from Paraiba to Santa Catarina, both in rocky shores and mangroves; Crassostrea virginica ranges from the Atlantic coast of Canada to the Caribbean; and Crassostrea gigas originates from the Indo-Pacific, but has been introduced in southern Brazil. This paper also deals with conchological aspects of the endemic species Crassostrea praia , from south Lagoa dos Patos, Rio Grande do Sul; after a more detailed definition, and considering the deleterious effects of the nearby port and construction sites, it can be classified as an endangered species.

Comparative morphology among representatives of main taxa of Scaphopoda and basal protobranch Bivalvia (Mollusca)

Este estudo analisa a morfologia e anatomia detalhadas de 4 especies de Scaphopoda e 5 especies de bivalves protobrânquios. Ambas as classes sao tradicionalmente agrupadas no taxon Diasoma, o qual vem sendo questionado por diferentes metodologias, tais como molecular e de desenvolvimento. Este estudo e desenvolvido sob uma metodologia filogenetica, a qual a maior preocupacao e fornecer um procedimento inteligivel e testavel. As especies de Scaphopoda analisadas provieram da costa brasileira e pertencem a familia Dentaliidae [(1) Coccodentalium carduus; (2) Paradentalium disparile] e Gadilidae [(3) Polyschides noronhensis, n. sp. do Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha; (4) Gadila braziliensis]. Estas especies representam os ramos principais da classe Scaphopoda. Dos bivalves protobrânquios, representantes das familias Solemyidae [(5) Solemya occidentalis, da Florida; S. notialis, n. sp. do S.E. Brasil], Nuculanidae [(6) Propeleda carpentieri, da Florida] e Nuculidae [(7) Ennucula puelcha, do sul do Brasil] sao incluidos. Estas especies representam os principais ramos dos bivalves basais. As descricoes anatomicas de S. occidentalis e de P. carpentieri estao sendo publicadas em outro artigo, as das demais especies estao incluidas neste, o qual tambem inclui um completo tratamento taxonomico. Alem dessas especies, representantes de outros taxons sao operacionalmente incluidos como parte do ingroup (entao os indices sao compartilhados com eles), um procedimento visando testar a monofilia morfologica de Diasoma. Esses taxons sao 2 bivalves lamelibrânquios [(8) Barbatia - Arcidae; (9) Serratina - Tellinidae; ambos publicados em artigos a parte]; Propilidium (10) Patellogastropoda e (11) Nautilus, Cephalopoda basal, baseados em taxons basais. Os outgroups efetivos sao (12) Neopilina (Monoplacophora) e (13) Hanleya (Polyplacophora). A analise filogenetica baseada na morfologia revelou que o taxon Diasoma e suportado por 14 sinapomorfias, sendo separada de Cyrtosoma (Gastropoda + Cephalopoda). Embora nao sendo o principal enfoque do presente artigo, os taxons Scaphopoda e Bivalvia sao suportados por 8 e por 7 sinapomorfias respectivamente. O taxon Protobranchia resultou parafiletico. O cladograma obtido e: ((((Coccodentalium carduus - Paradentalium disparile) (Polyschides noronhensis - Gadila brasiliensis)) ((Solemya occidentalis - S. notialis) (Propeleda carpenteri (Ennucula puelcha (Barbatia cancellaria - Serratina capsoides))))) (Propilidium curumim - Nautilus pompilius - Lolliguncula brevis)).

Comparative morphological study and phylogeny of representatives of the superfamily Calyptraeoidea (including Hipponicoidea) (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda)

With the objective of testing the monophyly of the Calyptraeoidea and of searching for its ground plan, a detailed morpho-logical analysis was conducted for the following species: a) Family Calyptraeidae, 1) Bostrycapulus aculeatus (Gmelin) (formerly Crepidula); 2) Crepidula aff. plana Say; 3) C. protea Orbigny (these from Brazil); 4) C. aff. protea (from Argentina) (published elsewhere); 5) C. convexa Say (from Venezuela); 6) C. fornicata (L.) (from Europe); 7) Calyptraea centralis (Conrad) (from Brazil); 8) Crucibulum auricula (Gmelin) (from Venezuela); 9) Cr. quiriquinae (Lesson) (from Chile); 10) Trochita trochiformis (Born) (from Chile); 11) Sigapatella calyptraeformis (Lam.) (from New Zealand, formerly Calyptraea); b) Family Hipponicidae, 12) Hipponix costellatus Carpenter (formerly H. grayanus); 13) H. subrufus (Lam.); 14) H. incurvus (Gmelin) (formerly Capulus incurvatus) (these 3 from NE Brazil); 15) H. grayanus Menke (from Mexico and Ecuador); 16) H. leptus n. sp. (N.E. Brazil); 17) Sabia conica (Schumacher); 18) Malluvium devotus (Hedley) (both Australia); 19) Cheilea equestris (L.) (N.E. Brazil); c) Family Capulidae, 20) Capulus sycophanta Garrard (Australia); d) Family Trichotropidae, 21) Trichotropis cancellata Hinds (W. USA); 22) T. borealis Broderip & Sowerby (N. Atlantic); 23) T. sp. (Alaska); e) Family Vanikoridae, 24) Vanikoro sp. (Australia). A phylogenetic analysis of 112 characters (177 states) from morphology of all systems and organs results in the following single most parsimonious tree: ((Trichotropis cancellata - T. borealis) (Capulus sycophanta (Vanikoro sp ((Cheilea equestris (Sabia conica (Malluvium devotus ((Hipponix grayanus - H. leptus) (H. incurvus (H. costellatus - H. subrufus)))))) (Sigapatella calyptraeformis (Trochita trochiformis (Calyptraea centralis ((Crucibulum auricula - Cr. quiriquinae) (Bostrycapulus aculeatus (Crepidula argentina (C. convexa (C. fornicata (C. aff. plana - C. protea))))))))))))). Length: 267, CI: 67, RI: 88. Outgroups from other caenogastropod superfamilies were used as well as some archaeogastropod groups. The main result is the monophyly of Calyptraeoidea supported by 27 synapomorphies with basal Caenogastropoda used as the outgroup (Cerithioidea, Hydrobioidea), and 21 synapomorphies when Stromboidea and Cypraeoidea were used as outgroups. Calyptraeoidea includes, succes-sively along the tree, the following monophyletic families: Trichotropidae, Capulidae, Vanikoridae, Hipponicidae and Calyptraeidae. The hipponicid affinity of Cheilea is confirmed. Some taxonomic problems found in the sampled representatives (as mentioned above), were partially resolved.

Report of a human accident caused by Conus regius (Gastropoda, Conidae).

Conus regius is a venomous mollusc in the Conidae family, which includes species responsible for severe or even fatal accidents affecting human beings. This is the first report on a clinical case involving this species. It consisted a puncture in the right hand of a diver who presented paresthesia and movement difficulty in the whole limb. The manifestations disappeared after around twelve hours, without sequelae.

Taxonomical study on a sample of pulmonates from Santa Maria da Vitória, Bahia, Brazil, with description of a new genus and four new species (Mollusca: Orthalicidae and Megalobulimidae)

A sample of Pulmonata collected in Santa Maria da Vitoria, interior of Bahia, Brazil, in Caatinga semi-arid environment, is studied taxonomically. From the five species, four are revealed as new, including a new genus. The new taxa are the Bulimulidae (1) Kora corallina gen. et sp. n. characterized by the elongated shell with aperture somewhat dislocated from the shell axis, and an oblique tooth in middle level of inner lip; (2) Spixia coltrorum, mainly characterized by an uneven spire, delicate sculpture and peristome with 4 equidistant teeth; (3) Anostoma tessa, mainly characterized by a broad spire and well-developed anal canal; and the Megalobulimidae (4) Megalobulimus amandus, mainly characterized by pointed protoconch sculptured by dense quantity of axial cords. Rhinus suturalis is the only previously known species, but its geographic distribution is expanded southwards to Bahia state. A discussion with respect to necessity for improving the study on the malacofauna from the interior region of the Brazilian Northeast and the importance for preservation of the Caatinga biome is also provided.

A multilocus molecular phylogeny of Fasciolariidae (Neogastropoda: Buccinoidea).

The neogastropod family Fasciolariidae Gray, 1853 - tulips, horse-conchs, spindles, etc., comprises important representatives of tropical and subtropical molluscan assemblages, with over 500 species in the subfamilies Fasciolariinae Gray, 1853, Fusininae Wrigley, 1927 and Peristerniinae Tryon, 1880. Fasciolariids have had a rather complicated taxonomical history, with several genus names for a long time used as waste baskets to group many unrelated species; based on shell characters, recent taxonomic revisions have, however, began to set some order in its taxonomy. The present work is the first molecular approach to the phylogeny of Fasciolariidae based on a multigene dataset, which provides support for fasciolariids, an old group with a fossil record dating back to the Cretaceous. Molecular markers used were the mitochondrial genes 16S rRNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, and the nuclear genes 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA and histone H3, sequenced for up to 116 ingroup taxa and 17 outgroups. Phylogenetic analyses revealed monophyly of Dolicholatirus Bellardi, 1884 and Teralatirus Coomans, 1965, however it was not possible to discern if the group is the sister clade to the remaining fasciolariids; the latter, on the other hand, proved monophyletic and contained highly supported groups. A first split grouped fusinines and Pseudolatirus Bellardi, 1884; a second split grouped the peristerniine genera Peristernia Mörch, 1852 and Fusolatirus Kuroda and Habe, 1971, while the last group comprised fasciolariines and the remaining peristerniines. None of these clades correspond to the present-day accepted circumscription of the three recognized subfamilies.

A new species of the genus Crenilabium (Mollusca, Heterobranchia, Acteonidae) from Brazil

Crenilabium birmani, a new species of acteonid is conchologically described from the southwestern and southern coast of Brazil. The new species is the fist record of the genus for the South Western Atlantic and differ in details and proportions of the suture and aperture. Two variants of the suture were detected, some specimens have simple suture, while others possess a deep, scaled suture. Information about a possible specimen of Crenilabium figured by Abbott (1974) representing Rictaxis punctocaelatus is here discussed, and its holotype if figured.

The anatomy of Cochlespira Conrad (Gastropoda, Conoidea, Turridae) with a description of a new species from the Southeastern coast of Brazil

The anatomy of Cochlespira elongata, a new species from continental slope of Sao Paulo coast, Brazil, is described. This analysis shows some interesting characters in the foregut, with rhynchodeal walls muscular and free from the haemocoel and insertion of venom gland in mid region of the esophagus; in the osphradium, with bilobed right filaments; and in the penis, with a complex arrangement of structures in the tip. A complementary description of Cochlespira radiata (Dall, 1889a) from Florida, USA, is also given, for a better comparison between both species.

Morphological study on Littorina Flava (King & Broderip) from Brazil (Caenogastropoda, Littorinidae)

A detailed morphological study of the littorinid Littorina flava (King & Broderip), from Venezuelan and Brazilian coasts, is given and commented. a considerable degree of shell characters variation was found, mainly in color and sculpture. The pallial cavity presents normal fashion of mesogastropods, without any detectable morphological modification for the long air-exposure. The digestive system present odontophore muscles very similar to those of the cerithioideans and hydrobioideans; the radula, however, is enormously long; the stomach lacks differentiate style sac. The penis is characteristic in lacking annex glands. The pallial oviduct has no jelly gland, and has a well developed bursa copulatrix and vaginal tube.

The use of the terrestrial snails of the genera Megalobulimus and Thaumastus as representatives of the atmospheric carbon reservoir

In Brazilian archaeological shellmounds, many species of land snails are found abundantly distributed throughout the occupational layers, forming a contextualized set of samples within the sites and offering a potential alternative to the use of charcoal for radiocarbon dating analyses. In order to confirm the effectiveness of this alternative, one needs to prove that the mollusk shells reflect the atmospheric carbon isotopic concentration in the same way charcoal does. In this study, 18 terrestrial mollusk shells with known collection dates from 1948 to 2004 AD, around the nuclear bombs period, were radiocarbon dated. The obtained dates fit the SH1-2 bomb curve within less than 15 years range, showing that certain species from the Thaumastus and Megalobulimus genera are reliable representatives of the atmospheric carbon isotopic ratio and can, therefore, be used to date archaeological sites in South America.