Brazilian Journal of and Environmental Research 1530 ISSN: 2595-573X

First confirmed record of an striate glass-hair (: Polyplacophora: ) from the central Venezuelan coast, Southern Caribbean

Primeiro registro confirmado de um quíton caribenho de espículas estriadas vidrosas (Mollusca: Polyplacophora: Acanthochitonidae) para a costa central Venezuelana, Sul do Caribe

DOI: 10.34188/bjaerv4n1-127

Recebimento dos originais: 20/11/2020 Aceitação para publicação: 20/12/2020

Aisur Ignacio Agudo-Padrón Graduado em Geografia pela Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina/ UDESC Instituição: Projeto “Avulsos Malacológicos – Projeto AM” Endereço: P.O. Box 010, 88010-970 Centro, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina - SC, Brasil E-mail: [email protected]

Gabriela Carias Tucker Graduada em Bioanálise pela Universidade Central de / UCV Instituição: Laboratório Clínico – “Policlínica Metropolitana” Endereço: Urbanización Caurimare, Calle A-1, Caracas, Venezuela E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT The first confirmed field record of the little chiton with tufts of glass-hair-like bristles ACANTHOCHITONIDAE pygmaea (Pilsbry, 1893) in shallow water reef environment from the Central Venezuelan coast region is available.

Keywords: Mollusca, Polyplacophora, Glass-hair bristles chiton, Acanthochitona pygmaea, Central Venezuelan coast, Southern Caribbean

RESUMO O primeiro registro de campo confirmado do pequeno quíton com tufos de cerdas semelhantes a pelos de vidro ACANTHOCHITONIDAE Acanthochitona pygmaea (Pilsbry, 1893) em ambiente recifal da região costeira Central Venezuelana é apresentado.

Palavras-chave: Mollusca, Polyplacophora, Quitón de espículas estriadas vidrosas, Acanthochitona pygmaea, Costa central Venezuelana, Sul do Caribe

1 INTRODUCTION The taxonomic molluscan Class Polyplacophora ( or polyplacophores) present today some 850 recent worldwide species known, poorly represented in the regions of the Caribbean and the European Mediterranean (Tejeda et al. 2015: 112), being that by example in the essential

Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research, Curitiba, v.4, n.1, p. 1530-1533 jan./mar. 2021

Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 1531 ISSN: 2595-573X

pioneering contribution of Kaas (1972) only 34 species were already reported for the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico (Agudo-Padrón 2021: 1).

2 BACKGROUND Specifically for Venezuelan coasts, Southern Caribbean region, a updated checklist/ inventory actually including a confirmed general total of 25 species, taxonomically distributed in twelve (12) genera and six (6) families is available (Agudo-Padrón 2021: 2 - Table 1), among them a one little chiton with tufts of glass-hair-like bristles, the ACANTHOCHITONIDAE Acanthochitona pygmaea (Pilsbry, 1893) (see Fig. 1), species previously known only for the insular and continental Northeast (CaA) region (Capelo et al. 1998: 151 - Tabla 1; Bello-Pulido et al. 2016 apud Agudo-Padrón 2021: 2) and the Northern sector of the Venezuelan Caribbean Sea, in the restrict "Refúgio de Fauna Silvestre " (Bird Island Wildlife Refuge ~ 15°41′00″N & 63°37′00″W), isolated territorial oceanic location whose polyplacophora fauna still of an needs accurate and special attention (Narciso & Caballero 2011 apud Agudo-Padrón 2021: 2-3).

3 RESULTS In July 25 2009 the second author of the present short report (GCT) found a live specimen, with aprox. 30mm, of Acanthochitona pygmaea (Pilsbry, 1893) to three (3) meters deep during "night diving", in coastal/ shallow water reef environment located in the beach resort cove "Chichiriviche de La Costa" (~ 10°32'45"N & 67°14'32"W), Carayaca Parish, State (see Fig. 1), Extreme West of the Venezuelan Central coast (CaB), Southern Caribbean.

4 DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONS This timely finding constituting the first confirmed field record of this curious little species of chiton with tufts of glass-hair-like bristles for that coastal region of Venezuela, bringing to 15 the number of polyplacophoran mollusks species known in the central coastal area (CaB) of the country, same geographical region of coastal occurrence of the unusual CHITONIDAE species Chiton viridis Spengler, 1797 (Agudo-Padrón 2021: 2 - Table 1).

Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research, Curitiba, v.4, n.1, p. 1530-1533 jan./mar. 2021

Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 1532 ISSN: 2595-573X

Figure 1.- Specimen of Acanthochitona pygmaea (Pilsbry, 1893) (below field photo) found in the Venezuelan coastal Central region (Map – Black point) of “Chichiriviche de la Costa” (upper photo), Carayaca Parish, Vargas State, Extreme West of the Venezuelan Central coast (CaB), Southern Caribbean. Credit Map: Original by A. Ignacio Agudo- Padrón, Project AM

Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research, Curitiba, v.4, n.1, p. 1530-1533 jan./mar. 2021

Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 1533 ISSN: 2595-573X REFERENCES

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