Passos et al. (2021) just published a paper in Frontiers in Marine Science. In this contribution, we described a new species of genus Scutopus, S. variabilis Passos, Corrêa & Miranda, from the Brazilian Southern and Southeastern coasts. This is the first record of a Limifossoridae from Brazilian coast, a region that had some doubtful records of Scutopus cf. megaradulatus for Rio de Janeiro. We also examined the type materials of American Scutopus (S. megaradulatus Salvini-Plawen, 1972 from the Caribbean Sea and S. chilensis Salvini-Plawen, 1972 from Chile), in American Museum of Natural History, New York (AMNH), and the samples of S. megaradulatus from North Carolina, analyzed by Ami Scheltema in the Museum of Comparative Zoology of Harvard University, Cambridge (MCZ), furnishing new photographs of the type specimens. Moreover, we made species distribution modelling of Scutopus species from the Atlantic Ocean, which revealed patterns that surprised us. The European species S. ventrolineatus Salvini-Plawen, 1968 and S. robustus Salvini-Plawen, 1970, which in the literature are recorded as co-occuring species in Scandinavia and Mediterranen Sea, had potential areas in a way to prevent overlapping areas. Scutopus robustus tends to occur in more northern areas, like Iceland, Scotland and North of Norway, whereas S. ventrolineatus tends to occur in southern areas, like South of Norway and English Channel. This curious pattern inspired us to use a Brazilian popular saying in the title: Better alone than in bad company (Portuguese: “Antes só do que mal acompanhado”).
The paper can be downloaded in the following link: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.669478/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Marine_Science&id=669478 Marcel Miranda
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From May 11 to 31, I was privileged to participate in the third expedition of the La Planète Revisiteé program in Corsica (France). This set of expeditions, led by the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, in collaboration with the Collectivité de Corse and the Office Français de la Biodiversité, aims to modernize the inventories of Mediterranean taxa by enriching them with digital images and taking tissue samples for DNA sequencing. laplaneterevisitee-corse.mnhn.fr/Sampling was carried out along the west coast of the island in brown algal meadows, encrusting calcareous algal biotopes, posidonia meadows, micro estuaries, coastal lagoons and caves. Molluscs, crustaceans and algae were the main target of sampling. Several sampling methods were used: intertidal sampling, diving (visual collection, suction and brushing) and dredging. The depth range of 0 to 100 meters is explored. The samples were quickly taken to the laboratory based in Porto (Ota), in the municipal exhibition hall. I participated in some of the sampling activities, although my main mission was the sorting of light fractions, where Aplacophora is most likely to be found. During the three expeditions carried out on this Mediterranean island, about a hundred specimens of Aplacophora were found. The solenogaster (48 specimens belonging to at least 15 species), on loan from the Paris Museum, are now in the Kocot lab at the University of Alabama and are being studied. M. Carmen Cobo
The idea to start AplacBase began in September 2020, when Franzi Bergmeier sent an email to Carmen Cobo and I. My lab back at the University of Alabama was heading off to San Francisco to leave for a research expedition to Antarctica, and unfortunately due to COVID-19, Franzi, Carmen, and I were unable to join due to health risk and travel restrictions. As the only member of the lab stuck back in Alabama, I was excited to get an email from Franzi asking if the three of us would like to collaborate on something to present at the Molluscan Forum, as we couldn’t join the expedition. After speaking with my advisor Kevin Kocot over zoom, he suggested that we make a website where we could combine our knowledge of aplacophoran molluscs and provide a resource for others looking to identify these weird animals. I presented the idea to Carmen and Franzi, and AplacBase was born!
AplacBase is freely accessible online database which includes an up-to-date species list of Solenogastres and Caudofoveata including their known distribution ranges, a compilation of 150 years’ worth of aplacophoran literature, a photo database and keys for fast and efficient identification of animals to at least higher taxonomic levels, and resources on how to collect and preserve aplacophorans. So far the idea of AplacBase was presented at the Molluscan Forum of the Malacological Society of London and at the Marine Conference on Biodiversity. This blog will serve as a way to provide updates in the world of aplacophoran research. We will highlight expeditions, new projects, and new publications. The website is constantly updating, with new updates and information! Meghan |
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Blogposts are written by our contributors and fellow researchers of aplacophorans Archives
August 2021
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