New and little-known cheilostomatous Bryozoa from the south and southeastern Brazilian continental shelf and slope

Abstract

The present paper reports on 22 species collected by the Brazilian Program of Living Resources in the Exclusive Economic Zone (REVIZEE). A new genus and species of Cribrilinidae, Corbuliporina crepida n. gen. et sp., is described, along with seventeen other new species: Chaperia brasiliensis n. sp., Amastigia aviculifera n. sp., Isosecuriflustra pinniformis n. sp., Cellaria subtropicalis n. sp., Melicerita brasiliensis n. sp., Arachnopusia haywardi n. sp., Smittina migottoi n. sp., Hippomenella amaralae n. sp., Rogicka joannae n. sp., Malakosaria atlantica n. sp., Turbicellepora winstonae n. sp., Rhynchozoon coalitum n. sp., Stephanollona angusta n. sp., Stephanollona arborescens n. sp., Aulopocella americana n. sp., Conescharellina cookae n. sp. and Conescharellina bocki n. sp. Chorizopora brongniartii (Audouin, 1826) is recorded for the first time in Brazilian waters and a new combination for Rhynchozoon arborescens Canu & Bassler, 1928 is established. New illustrations and taxonomic remarks are included for two little-known species from Brazil, Rogicka scopae (Canu & Bassler, 1928) and Fenestrulina ampla Canu & Bassler, 1928. A compilation of species recorded from deeper waters of the Brazilian coast is included.

Influence of depth on bryozoan richness and distribution from the continental shelf of the northern coast of Bahia State, north-eastern Brazil

“…corals, shells, rhodoliths) (e.g. Hayward 2004, Vieira et al 2010, Almeida et al 2017, 2018, comprising the most speciose family in Australia, with more than 70 species already recorded from that area (Cook et al 2018, Bock & Gordon 2019. The family Candidae is generally well-distributed worldwide (Cook et al 2018, Bock & Gordon 2019 and known to occur on a wide range of natural and artificial substrata (e.g.…”

“…We found a similar trend here since the highest richness of bryozoans was found at a depth of 40 m with a decrease in richness at 50 m and, also, samples from depths of 30 and 40 m were more similar in composition. Vieira et al (2010) studied the bryozoan fauna from the southern and south-eastern Brazilian continental shelf and slope (99 to 517 m deep), also collected by benthic samplers (van Veen, Box-corer, and rectangular dredge), and provided a compilation of species reported from deep waters from Brazil; their results are somewhat in accordance with this pattern (see also Ryland 1970, Lidgard 1990, Kuklinski et al 2005. From the 105 species listed by Vieira et al 2010, only 60 occurred deeper than 200 m. The composition of the assemblages described by Vieira et al 2010is quite distinct from the fauna presented here.…”

“…characteristics of autozooids, heterozooids, and reproductive structures) and following recent and specific literature (e.g. Vieira et al 2008, 2010, Winston & Vieira 2013, Winston et al 2014, Almeida et al 2015a, b, 2017, 2018. Voucher specimens were deposited at the Bryozoa collection of the Setor da Zoologia, Museu de História Natural at Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA).…”

“…In contrast, erect rigid delicate and branching bryozoans (i.e. colonies that have only a basal portion attached to the substrata, growing as three-dimensional structures), are more common than encrusting ones at greater depths and in environments lacking hard substrata (e.g., Hayward 1981, Nelson et al 1988, Amini et al 2004, Vieira et al 2010, Almeida et al 2017. Thus, it is widely known that encrusting species are common in shallow waters and the occurrence of erect species in deeper environments is strongly related to the local hydrodynamics.…”

“…Bryozoan faunas of Brazil show high taxonomic diversity and variability of growth forms on different types of substrata (Vieira et al 2012), but they also contain some specific substratum-bryozoan associations, including species growing on sand (Winston & Vieira 2013), sponges (Almeida et al 2017), molluscs (Marcus 1938, Almeida et al 2018, and cnidarians (Vieira & Stampar 2014, Ramalho et al 2018. The only comparison between bryozoan fauna at different depths along the Brazilian coast was provided in a systematic paper, with no data on richness or distribution related to the environmental factors (Vieira et al 2010). Since ecological studies are scarce and factors that affect the distribution and diversity of the bryozoans from Brazil are poorly understood, here we present the first study focused on the bathymetric distribution of bryozoan assemblages from a stretch of the coast of Bahia State, north-east Brazil.…”