This first account, dedicated to the shallow water marine heterobranch gastropods of Mozambique is presented with a focus on the clades Acteonoidea and Cephalaspidea. Specimens were obtained as a result of sporadic sampling and two dedicated field campaigns between the years of 2012 and 2015, conducted along the northern and southern coasts of Mozambique. Specimens were collected by hand in the intertidal and subtidal reefs by snorkelling or SCUBA diving down to a depth of 33 m. Thirty-two species were found, of which 22 are new records to Mozambique and five are new for the Western Indian Ocean. This account raises the total number of shallow water Acteonoidea and Cephalaspidea known in Mozambique to 39 species, which represents approximately 50 % of the Indian Ocean diversity and 83 % of the diversity of these molluscs found in the Red Sea. A gap in sampling was identified in the central swamp/mangrove bio-region of Mozambique, and therefore, we suggest that future research efforts concentrate on or at least consider this region.
This article examines divers' perspectives and demographics in Tofo Beach, Inhambane. It discusses the urgent need for good management. Analysis is based on data collected from 530 semistructured questionnaires for divers and participatory observation during field research from April
to December 2008. For 74% of respondents, the diving component was a key incentive to visit Mozambique. Most of the divers in Tofo are experienced and particularly wish to interact with whale sharks and manta rays. It is suggested that while marine tourism is a potential opportunity for sustainable
tourism, it may be at risk due to the lack of management combined with the dependence on just a few marine mega fauna species not yet protected.
The similarities and variations in nudibranch species of the "Chromodoris quadricolor group" (Heterobranchia, Nudibranchia) have historically created identification problems among both nudibranch enthusiasts and experts. In this study, we combine molecular genetic analyses using one nuclear gene (histone h3) and two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and ribosomal 16S RNA) with morphological data to ameliorate the identification of specimens from this complex in East Africa.We include a detailed examination of polymorphisms within the group. As a result, Chromodoris boucheti is synonymized with Chromodoris lochi, and two new species are described, Chromodoris celinae sp. nov. and Chromodoris helium sp. nov. Chromodoris celinae sp. nov. is a common shallow water species that was previously misidentified as C. hamiltoni. Chromodoris helium sp. nov. is a species that appears to be restricted to depths below 30 m. This study agrees with previous research indicating the recent divergence of the genus Chromodoris.
K E Y W O R D SChromodorididae, Heterobranchia, Indian Ocean, new species, species complex | 231 TIBIRIÇÁ eT al.
The species of the genus Halgerda Bergh, 1880, are restricted to the Indo-Pacific; some being common inhabitants of reefs off the coast of Mozambique. These species have been relatively well studied morphologically, but few molecular data are available. During a seven-year period surveying the reefs of Mozambique, 11 Halgerda spp. were collected, six of which are described here. We provide details on their morphology, anatomy, novel genetic markers and additional information about their colour variation. The new species described herein are Halgerda leopardalis, sp. nov., H. mozambiquensis, sp. nov., H. jennyae, sp. nov., H. meringuecitrea, sp. nov., H. nuarroensis, sp. nov. and H. indotessellata, sp. nov., the last of which was found to be a pseudocryptic species of H. tessellata. Moreover, we identified two species complexes, one composed mainly of specimens from the Western Indian Ocean and another with specimens mostly from the Pacific Ocean and Western Australia.
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