Marine Biodiversity最新文献

Samples of bryozoans collected from two localities in the Bay of Cádiz with different levels of anthropogenic impact are studied. A total of 25 species was identified, of which 8 are considered non-indigenous (NIS), 12 as native and 5 cryptogenic. A new species of Hippopodina, Hippopodina similis sp. nov., is here described, and corrections to the diagnosis of the genus are proposed. The species appears to be a recent immigrant in Cádiz, although it could also be present in the eastern Mediterranean. Aeverrilla setigera and the genus Hippopodina itself are recorded for the first time in the eastern Atlantic. Anguinella palmata is recorded for the first time in Spanish waters. Amathia vidovici was already recorded in the Iberian Peninsula, but previous records should be confirmed. Other species, such as Amathia verticillata, Biflustra tenuis, Watersipora subatra and Schizoporella errata, were already recorded in the Bay of Cádiz very recently.

The clown wedgefish Rhynchobatus cooki (Last, Kyne & Compagno, 2016) is a recently described and threatened species whose geographic range is solely known from six records reported in 2020. An emerging and cost-effective methodology to locate range records of cryptic and data-poor animal taxa is iEcology, wherein social media posts and other online content are searched to locate sightings of target species. The authors employed regular iEcology searches over a period of 18 months to locate additional range records, with such effort yielding 11 new records for the clown wedgefish, with four landings in Dabo, Singkep Island, five landings in Merbau, Merbau Island, and two landings in Bengkalis, Bengkalis Island. Seven of these new records extend the identified geographic range for the species to islands of the Meranti and Bengkalis Regencies in the Riau Province of Sumatra, Indonesia. Such results affirm the utility of social media and other online searches to locate range records for cryptic and data-poor taxa.

The hydrozoan Blackfordia virginica Mayer (1910), recognized as a successful invader, has been identified in brackish waters globally, posing a growing threat to ocean biodiversity. The species was discovered at Sihwa Lake in the western region of Korea in 2013, where the jellyfish blooms almost every year. However, there was a sudden bloom in 2021 at the Seomjin River estuary in the southern region of Korea. This study investigated the population genetic structure of B. virginica using mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) from the samples collected from Sihwa Lake (SWL) and Seomjin River Estuary (SRE). We found high COI haplotype diversity within the Korean population, comprising 16 unique haplotypes that were highly differentiated based on geographical locations. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicates significant genetic variation (F_ST = 0.6), which suggests multiple introduction events. Furthermore, a comparison of B. virginica COI data from Korea with GenBank records from the USA, China, India, and the Baltic Sea uncovers a global genetic structure within the species. Notably, the Korean population exhibited significant genetic differences from other populations, further making it challenging to determine the haplotype source origin. Nevertheless, the emergence of high genetic diversity and considerable genetic distance between the Korean population and other populations poses an intriguing puzzle, warranting further investigations.

The blue shark (Prionace glauca) and swordfish (Xiphias gladius) are two large apex predators sharing the same pelagic environment and exhibiting partial dietary overlap, which collectively lead to interactions that might include conflicts. This paper presents the first verified case of a blue shark surviving an impalement by a swordfish, marking the first incident of its kind in the Adriatic Sea. On February 17, 2023, an adult blue shark captured in Vlorë (southern Albania) was found with an 18.6 cm fragment of swordfish bill embedded in its suborbital shelf of the neurocranium, extending through the stapedial fenestra. Despite this injury, no major internal damage was observed and the shark exhibited active feeding behaviour. The paper further provides a detailed overview of all known incidents of blue shark impalements by swordfish to date. The findings presented herein highlight the need for further observations to understand the nature of these conflicts and the interactions between swordfish and sharks.

The cheilostome Bryozoa encrusting settlement panels deployed in the Azores between 0 and 500 m, which were retrieved after a time span of 1 and 2 years, are here described and figured. Of the 49 cheilostome species reported, 15 are new to science: Beania pauciserialis sp. nov., Caberea rylandi sp. nov., Micropora acorecia sp. nov., Cellaria acorensidolisi sp. nov., Hippothoa jakobseni sp. nov., Chorizopora lula sp. nov., Haplopoma freiwaldi sp. nov., Schizomavella (Schizomavella) reverteri sp. nov., Schizomavella (Schizomavella) kekrymmena sp. nov., Microporella avilai sp. nov., Microporella quadrispinosa sp. nov., Microporella lobopodia sp. nov., Microporella nodulifera sp. nov., Buffonellaria faialensis sp. nov., and Omalosecosa secunda sp. nov. The subspecies Glabrilaria orientalis azorensis (Harmelin, 1988) is here raised to species rank, resulting in Glabrilaria azorensis (Harmelin, 1988) comb. nov. Moreover, we designate a lectotype for Nimba praetexta Jullien in by Jullien & Calvet, 1903, type species of the genus Nimba Jullien in by Jullien & Calvet, 1903, redescribe the species based on scanning electron microscope inspection, and transfer the genus from the Lacernidae Jullien, 1888 to the Escharinidae Tilbrook, 2006. A lectotype is also designated for Schizobrachiella sanguinea (Norman, 1868). Based on the taxonomic account, we discuss changes concerning the recorded diversity of bryozoans in the Azores and their taxonomic assignment, now including 91 endemic species that account for 41% of a total of 221 bryozoan species reported from the archipelago. Finally, we discuss biogeographic relationships and the status of origin, including potential non-indigenous species, and demonstrate a strong relatedness with eastern Atlantic/Mediterranean faunas.

Anthopleura is one of the most speciose genera within the family Actiniidae. This genus is particularly characterized by its members having both verrucae on the column and acrorhagi on the margin. In the region of the Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican Pacific, six species of Anthopleura have been documented, which are relatively well defined by their morphological characteristics and coloration patterns. During recent visits to the intertidal zone of Cerritos, in Baja California Sur, we found individuals of Anthopleura displaying a variety of colorations that do not agree with known species for the region. We collected and examined specimens of four morphotypes of Anthopleura, analyzing them by integrating information about their external and internal anatomy, as well as their cnidome. Additionally, we obtained and analyzed genetic sequences from mitochondrial and nuclear markers through phylogenetic analyses. Our results reveal that the four morphotypes belong to a single, and undescribed species of Anthopleura. We provide a detailed description of the species Anthopleura variata sp. nov., which is characterized by a variety of coloration patterns, as well as having a circumscribed, palmate, and pedunculate marginal sphincter muscle, harboring zooxanthellae, and lacking directive mesenteries, among other characteristics. Anthopleura variata sp. nov. is the 49th species in the genus and the seventh species of Anthopleura documented for the Mexican Pacific.

The pervasive presence of marine litter represents a significant threat to Mediterranean biogenic reefs, leading to habitat degradation and a negative impact on associated structuring organisms, such as sponges and gorgonians. This communication highlights one of the detrimental effects caused by abandoned or lost fishing gear on colonies of Paramuricea clavata (Risso, 1827) from MPA Asinara Island (Mediterranean Sea). The study is part of the Strong Sea Life project (Survey and Treatment ON Ghost Nets SEA LIFE), aimed at mitigating the effects of abandoned fishing gear and enhance the conservation status of priority habitats of Posidonia oceanica (Linnaeus) Delile, 1813 and coralligenous reefs.

A new species of box jellyfish, Copula lucentia sp. nov., is described from El Campello, Spain, and compared to the holotype of Copula sivickisi that was successfully recovered after being lost for almost 60 years. So far, the only cubozoan species recorded in the Western Mediterranean was Carybdea marsupialis. The genus Copula just included the type species (Copula sivickisi) reported from different localities in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. Morphologically, this new species possesses the typical characteristics of the genus Copula (four adhesive pads on the apex and a vertical keyhole-shaped rhopalial niche ostium) but it can be differentiated from the C. sivickisi holotype by the velarial canal pattern. In C. lucentia sp. nov., the velarial canal roots taper towards the velarial rim and each root bears one to two narrow triangular canals with sharp tips, resembling a bird beak. In contrast, the velarial canal roots of C. sivickisi bear two short, broad canals that increase breadth towards the velarial rim and split up into three- to six-lobed, finger-like canals with rounded tips, giving the canal pattern a paw-like appearance. Molecular analyses of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear 16S ribosomal DNA genes confirm the distinction of the new species and show that there are even more Copula species than expected, but which will not be focused on here. This study highlights not only that there are species yet to be discovered in the Mediterranean Sea but that a revision of the genus Copula is necessary.

Over the past few decades, analyzing body shape changes and their application to population dynamics has allowed the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of morphological changes associated with phenotypic expression. However, the physiological conditions of organisms need to be considered in the analyses of body shape variation. We address changes in the body shape of the Pacific thread herring Opisthonema libertate (Günther, 1867) on the western coast of Baja California Sur during an annual cycle using landmark data and geometric morphometric methods. Pacific thread herrings were collected from commercial landings of small pelagic fish in Bahía Magdalena. Morphometric analyses were based on the multivariate comparison of 22 reference points that characterize fish body shape. All comparisons in the multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant differences between the monthly means (a priori groups), as indicated by the ten significant CV axes. Furthermore, the pattern of body shape variation was consistent with reproductive changes in Pacific thread herring. The most helpful shape variation for distinguishing among the groups was in the dorsal and ventral profiles of the truncal region of the body shape. These results support the hypothesis that fish physiological condition is a temporal factor that helps us discriminate intra-population units based on body shape variation and is a potential bias in inter-population comparisons.