Rodrigo Antunes Caires

DNA barcodes identify marine fishes of São Paulo State, Brazil

Anthropogenic impacts are an increasing threat to the diversity of fishes, especially in areas around large urban centres, and many effective conservation actions depend on accurate species identification. Considering the utility of DNA barcoding as a global system for species identification and discovery, this study aims to assemble a DNA barcode reference sequence library for marine fishes from the coastal region of São Paulo State, Brazil. The standard 652 bp ‘barcode’ fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene was PCR amplified and bidirectionally sequenced from 678 individuals belonging to 135 species. A neighbour‐joining analysis revealed that this approach can unambiguously discriminate 97% of the species surveyed. Most species exhibited low intraspecific genetic distances (0.31%), about 43‐fold less than the distance among species within a genus. Four species showed higher intraspecific divergences ranging from 2.2% to 7.6%, suggesting overlooked diversity. Notably, just one species‐pair exhibited barcode divergences of <1%. This library is a first step to better know the molecular diversity of marine fish species from São Paulo, providing a basis for further studies of this fauna – extending the ability to identify these species from all life stages and even fragmentary remains, setting the stage for a better understanding of interactions among species, calibrating the estimations about species composition and richness in an ecosystem, and providing tools for authenticating bioproducts and monitoring illegal species exploitation.

Hunting Tactics in a Cobweb Spider (Araneae-Theridiidae) and the Evolution of Behavioral Plasticity

Although behavior is being gradually incorporated into phylogenetic studies, the understanding of the evolution of one of its main characteristics, plasticity or adjustment to environmental features, is still a challenge, mainly due to the lack of comparative data. In this paper we focus on the plasticity of the predatory repertoire of Achaearanea digitus, analyzing its responses to two prey types, and discuss the evolution of behavioral plasticity based on a comparison to the foraging repertoire of other araneoid sheetweavers and on a review of hunting tactics among the larger group of orbweavers. Contrasting with what was observed for other families, spiders of the family Theridiidae (among them A. digitus) show a small set of attack tactics, and a quite stereotyped predatory performance. These spiders regularly attack their prey with a typical sticky silk wrapping tactic, but fail to use other tactics such as bite–wrap or bite–pull out prey, which are commonly used in other spider families. We show that this stereotypy is typical of the foraging repertoire of araneoid sheetweavers. Plotting the mean size of the attack tactics repertoire on the phylogeny of Orbiculariae shows that high predatory stereotypy is a plesiomorphy of the whole araneoidea group, and that evolutionary increases in plasticity occur independently two times in the group, among Araneidae and Nephilidae. The maintenance of a plesiomorphic, stereotyped predatory behavior among theridiids is probably due to the evolution of a special behavioral technique, which includes the simultaneous use of the fourth legs during wrapping attacks. Since the individuals in the species of this group of sheetweavers face less variable environments than do orbweavers, they should indeed evolve more stereotyped phenotypes, but nevertheless their evolved predatory stereotypy contrasts with plasticity in other aspects of their foraging behavior (web building). Since, in this case, both stereotypy and plasticity result from a simplification in the mechanisms underlying behavioral expression, we suggest that less variable environments select not exactly for behavioral stereotypy, but rather to the simplification of these information processing mechanisms.

Opsanus brasiliensis Rotundo, Spinelli & Zavalla-Camin, 2005 (Teleostei: Batrachoidiformes: Batrachoididae), sinônimo- júnior de Opsanus beta (Goode & Bean, 1880), com notas sobre a ocorrência da espécie na costa brasileira

Caires, R.A., Pichler, H.A., Spach, H. L. & Ignacio, J.M. Opsanus brasiliensis Rotundo, Spinelli & ZavallaCamin, 2005 (Teleostei: Batrachoidiformes: Batrachoididae), a junior synonym of Opsanus beta (Goode & Bean, 1880), with notes on its occurrence in the Brazilian coast. Biota Neotrop. May/Aug 2007 vol. 7, no. 2. http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v7n2/pt/abstract?article+bn02307022007. ISSN 1676-0603. In this paper, two individuals of Opsanus caught in the coast of Parana (the first records of this genus in the southern Brazil) were identified as Opsanus beta (Goode & Bean, 1880). Such speciemens were compared with the type series of Opsanus brasiliensis Rotundo, Spinelli & Zavalla-Camin, 2005 (originally described from the coast of Santos, Sao Paulo), and with the literature data. As a result, Opsanus brasiliensis is herein regarded as a junior synonym of O. beta, and so the exemplars of Opsanus found at the Brazilian coast are exotic. It is herein postulated that O. beta would have invaded the Brazilian coast through ballast water released by vessels that sailed from the natural areas of occurrence of such species.

Registros novos e adicionais de teleósteos marinhos na costa brasileira

Sao apresentadas novas informacoes sobre a distribuicao geografica de algumas especies de peixes teleosteos que ocorrem na costa brasileira, incluindo duas especies que nunca haviam sido registradas em nossas aguas. Os serranideos Pseudogramma gregoryi (assinalado da Florida a Venezuela) e Plectranthias garrupellus (registrado da Carolina do Norte ao Caribe) foram encontrados, respectivamente, na costa do Ceara e na costa sudeste-sul do Brasil. Sao aqui mencionados e discutidos os dois primeiros registros do genero Caristius (Caristiidae) no Brasil, bem como os primeiros registros na costa sudeste-sul do Brasil das especies Enchelycore carychroa (Muraenidae), e Chilomycterus antillarum (Diodontidae), e da especie Neobythites brasiliensis(Bythitidae) no nordeste do Brasil. E tambem assinalada a ocorrencia mais setentrional do pargo Calamus mu (Sparidae), uma especie ate entao circunscrita a regiao entre o Espirito Santo e Sao Paulo, e sao discutidos os registros adicionais de Bascanichthys paulensis (Ophichthidae), Nezumia aequalis (Macrouridae), Antigonia combatia (Caproidae) e Notolycodes schmidti (Zoarcidae) na costa brasileira.

Conhecimento e conservação dos peixes marinhos e estuarinos (Chondrichthyes e Teleostei) da costa norte do Brasil

The tropical western South Atlantic, which includes a substantial portion of the Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone, is a region of endemism broadly recognized as being of prime importance for the conservation of the marine biodiversity. The north coast of Brazil, which comprises the states of Amapa, Para and Maranhao from the mouth of the rio Oiapoque to the mouth of the rio Parnaiba, harbors the largest continuous mangrove in the world, with approximately 8,900 km2. The high discharge of freshwater and continental sediments in the delta of the Amazonas affects the regime of tides, ocean currents, and several oceanographic processes of the north coast, with direct impact on the composition of the biota found in the region. Despite its economic value and intrinsic biological relevance, several aspects of the diversity of the marine and estuarine fishes of the region are poorly known. This situation results mainly from a historical imbalance in terms of the number of studies devoted to increasing the knowledge of the marine biota along the Brazilian coast, such as those dealing with species inventory and taxonomic revisions, which are typically concentrated in the south and southwestern portions of the country. The scientific production focused on marine organisms of the north coast is also imbalanced, and reflects the relatively small number of taxonomists and research groups working on that subject. The insufficient knowledge of the biodiversity of the marine and estuarine fishes of the north coast is an impediment to the implementation of adequate public policies aimed at the management of natural resources in the region. In the long term, that situation is potentially harmful in terms of conservation of a still poorly known biota. A better understanding of the marine fish fauna of the north coast of Brazil will be achieved only through the investment in scientific research and personnel training in systematics and biogeography, coupled with the modernization of the current infrastructure and expansion of scientific collections of the region.

Review of the harvestfishes, genus Peprilus (Perciformes: Stromateidae), of the Atlantic coast of South America

Currently, seven valid species are recognized in the genus Peprilus. Found from United States to Argentina, Peprilus paru has a complex nomenclatural history, with seven junior synonyms, three from North America and four from South America. As there has been no recent research, it remains unclear whether species representatives in the north-south axis represent different populations of a single species or distinct species. By comparison of type specimens as well as a comprehensive collection of non-type specimens, this paper aims to clarify the taxonomic status of the nominal species listed as junior synonyms of Peprilus paru in the Atlantic side of South America. Based on morphological data and DNA barcoding, Peprilus crenulatus Cuvier, 1829 and P. xanthurus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) are resurrected, while Rhombus argentipinnis Cuvier, 1833 and Rhombus orbicularis Guichenot, 1866, are considered to be junior synonyms of P. crenulatus.

First records of the Redfin Brotula, Petrotyx sanguineus (Meek & Hildebrand, 1928) (Ophidiiformes, Bythitidae), in the western South Atlantic

The present study reports on the first records of the bythitid Redfin Brotula, Petrotyx sanguineus (Meek & Hildebrand, 1928), in the western South Atlantic, based on 7 specimens (50.8–152.8 mm SL) from 5 localities along the northeastern coast of Brazil: (1) Praia de Maracaípe, Ipojuca and (2) Praia de Tamandaré, Tamandaré, in Pernambuco state; and (3) Praia do Forte, Mata de São João, (4) Praia de Busca Vida, Camaçari, and (5) Barra do Pote, Vera Cruz, in Bahia state. This species was previously known only in the western Central Atlantic, from Bahamas to Trinidad and Tobago, including the Caribbean Sea. In addition to the new distributional information, morphological data are provided based on the specimens examined.

Record of Electrona paucirastra Bolin, 1962 (Pisces: Myctophiformes: Myctophidae) in Brazilian waters, with comments on the occurrence of Electrona risso (Cocco, 1829) in the western South Atlantic

Electrona risso , a warm circumtropical lanternfish species distributed in all oceans, has been reported in the western Atlantic from Suriname to Southern Brazil. Re-examination of specimens attributed to this species which presumably supported the southernmost record in the western South Atlantic and are available at Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil, revealed that they were misidentified and are really Electrona paucirastra. As a result, E. paucirastra is reported for the first time in southern Brazil and the distribution of E. risso in the western Atlantic is discussed.

Range extension of Scorpaena inermis (Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae) in the southwestern Atlantic

Scorpaena inermis is recorded for the third time in the southwestern Atlantic. The known previous records of the species from Brazilian coast was collected Alagoas and Rio Grande do Norte states, prior of which the species was supposed to occur only in the northwestern Atlantic, from Georgia, USA, to Suriname and French Guiana. Here we report on two specimens that were collected in the northeastern Brazil and were deposited in Brazilian institutions. These new reports of S. inermis in Brazilian waters extend the geographic distribution of this species in the western Atlantic and the interval of three morphometric features.