Nine New Species of Bugula Oken (Bryozoa: Cheilostomata) in Brazilian Shallow Waters

Abstract

Background Bugula is a speciose genus of marine bryozoans, represented by both endemic and cosmopolitan species distributed in tropical and temperate waters and important to marine biologists because of the occurrence of many species in harbor and fouling communities, therefore as potential invaders. The southeastern Brazilian coast in the southern Atlantic hosts the highest known diversity of the genus, a status intimately associated with the intensity of collecting efforts.MethodologyMorphological data based on the examination of living specimens, scanning electron and light microscopic images, and morphometric analyses were used to assess the diversity of Bugula along the coastal areas of southern, northeastern, and southeastern Brazil. In this study, morphological species boundaries were based mainly on avicularian characters. For two morphologically very similar species, boundaries are partially supported by 16 S rDNA molecular data.ResultsNine species are newly described from Brazil, as follows: Bugula bowiei n. sp. ( = Bugula turrita sensu Marcus, 1937) from the southern, northeastern, and southeastern coasts; Bugula foliolata n. sp. ( = Bugula flabellata sensu Marcus, 1938), Bugula guara n. sp., Bugula biota n. sp. and Bugula ingens n. sp from the southeastern coast; Bugula gnoma n. sp. and Bugula alba n. sp. from the northeastern coast; Bugula rochae n. sp. ( = Bugula uniserialis sensu Marcus, 1937) from the southern coast; and Bugula migottoi n. sp., from the southeastern and southern coasts.ConclusionThe results contribute to the morphological characterization and the knowledge of the species richness of the genus in the southwestern Atlantic (i.e., Brazil), through the description of new species in poorly sampled areas and also on the southeastern coast of that country. Additionally, the taxonomic status of the Brazilian specimens attributed to B. flabellata, B. turrita and B. uniserialis are clarified by detailed studies on zooidal and avicularia morphology.

Diversity of Bugulidae (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata) colonizing artificial substrates in the Madeira Archipelago (NE Atlantic Ocean)

“…Individuals belonging to this group can be found living in shallow waters [40,41], and also in deeper waters of continental shelf [42,43]. Recently, an extensive revision using molecular and morphological techniques was performed for Bugula sensu lato resulting in four valid genera, Bugula sensu stricto, Bugulina [44], Crisularia [44] and Virididentula [42].…”

“…Recently, an extensive revision using molecular and morphological techniques was performed for Bugula sensu lato resulting in four valid genera, Bugula sensu stricto, Bugulina [44], Crisularia [44] and Virididentula [42]. Several of these species, such as Bugula neritina [45], Virididentula dentata [46] and Bugulina stolonifera [47], have a widespread distribution and are abundant among fouling communities [40,[48][49][50].…”

Primeros registros del Phylum Bryozoa asociados a habitats artificiales en el Caribe colombiano

“…guara se asemeja a Bugula guara descrita por Vieira et al (2012), pero debido a la condición de la colonia (únicamente fragmentos) y a que no se observó la coloración del espécimen vivo, no se puede confirmar su identidad definitivamente. Por otro lado, Bugula cf.…”

Identifying monophyletic groups withinBugulasensu lato (Bryozoa, Buguloidea)

“…); others are apparently endemic to particular regions (Ryland ; Winston & Woollacott ; Vieira et al . ).…”

“…Species in the genus Bugula are globally distributed, inhabiting shallow water in tropical to cold water regions (Kluge ; Hayward ; Hayward & Ryland ; Winston & Woollacott ; Vieira et al . ), with some representatives reported from deeper waters of the continental shelf and beyond (Hayward ). Some species are known from fouling communities and also may form well‐established introduced populations (Mackie et al .…”