Check List 8(5): 936–939, 2012 © 2012 Check List and Authors Chec List ISSN 1809-127X (available at www.checklist.org.br) Journal of species lists and distribution Species of Harpacticoida (Crustacea, Copepoda) from PECIES S the phytal of Porto de Galinhas coral reefs, northeastern OF Brazil ISTS L Visnu Cunha Sarmento* and Paulo Jorge Parreira Santos Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Dept. de Zoologia, Av. Prof. Morais Rêgo s/n. CEP 50670-420. Recife, PE, Brazil. * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract: The coral reefs of Porto de Galinhas Beach (Pernambuco, Brazil, Northeast region) are among the most important tourist destinations in the country. However, this ecosystem is being increasingly threatened by impacts related to tourism. analyzed included 42 species belonging to 13 families and 32 genera. The dominant species were Parastenhelia spinosa, AmphiascoidesA first list of the sp., Harpacticoida Robertsonia speciesknoxi, Ameira found inparvula the phytal, Paralaophonte of these reefs congenera is provided congenera here. The and total Amphiascopsis of 1501 individuals cinctus. First records for the Brazilian coast include the subspecies Nitocra affinis californica and nine species: Nannomesochra arupinensis, Cletodes aff. pseudodissimilisoris, Esola lobata, Paralaophonte congenera (sensu Yeatman 1962), Sarsamphiascus parvus (sensu Rouch 1962), Rhyncholagena littoralis, Stenhelia gibba, Alteutha roeae and Xouthous purpurocinctus. The high diversity and the isocommunity hypothesis are discussed. Introduction Copepoda. Harpacticoids are small crustaceans (ranging The Brazilian coral reefs form unique structures that from 0.2 to 2.5 mm in length), and among Copepoda, they are the most quantitatively important order in the world, in their low-diversity coral fauna which is rich marine benthic ecosystems. This order comprises nearly indiffer endemic significantly species; from the presence other well-known of a relict fauna coral fromreefs the in 6,000 species in 645 genera and 59 families (Wells 2007; Tertiary, which forms unusual mushroom-shaped coral Giere 2009; Ahyong et al. 2011). However, data from pinnacles; the important role of encrusting coralline algae well-studied shallow coastal areas (Veit-Koehler et al. in the construction of the reef structure; and the nearshore as high as 54%. Moreover, deep-sea expeditions have muddy siliciclastic sediments. These reefs are among the reported2010) can a meaninclude of proportions97% unknown of speciesunidentified (George species and mostbank reefsconspicuous that may marine be surrounded ecosystems by and of eventropical filled Brazil, with Schminke 2002; Seifried 2004). Extrapolating from these and include the southernmost coral-reef communities in proportions indicates that more than 21,000 additional the Atlantic Ocean (Maida and Ferreira 1997; Leão and unrecorded species exist. Dominguez 2000). In phytal environments, Harpacticoida is regularly the The coral reefs of Porto de Galinhas Beach in the state of dominant meiofauna taxon (Hicks 1977; Coull et al. 1983; Pernambuco, northeast Brazil are one of the most important Hall and Bell 1993) and shows high diversity (Hicks 1985; tourist destinations in the country. These formations have Sarmento et al. 2012). Harpacticoids have high fatty-acid a total area of 0.42 km2 and are located very near the coast. contents, derived from their preferred diatom food, and Due to the ease of access, large numbers of tourists are taken daily by rafts and are allowed to disembark and walk crustaceans (shrimp and their larvae), and polychaetes across reef formations during tides below 0.4 m when the (Coullplay a decisive1999; Giere nutritional 2009). roleThus, for these small metazoansfish, carnivorous are a reef is exposed (Alcantara et al. 2004). The same reef also key component of the benthic ecosystem, contributing contains areas that have been permanently conserved since 2004 (between 2004 and 2009, 70% of the total reef (Coull 1988; Danovaro et al. 2007). area was protected). These areas are marked by buoys significantlyThis report to lists energy the species transfer of Harpacticoidato higher trophic inhabiting levels and ropes, and tourists are forbidden to enter. Of the reef the phytal environment of reef formations at Porto de areas that are both exposed during low tides and easy to Galinhas Beach in Pernambuco. This information provides access, this is the only protected area along the coast of a basis to improve knowledge of the local biodiversity, Pernambuco. which is increasingly threatened by tourism. zoanthids and thick turf-forming macroalgae (Maida Materials and Methods andOn Ferreira the reef 1997). flat, theMacroalgae hard substrate are among is dominated the major by Samples were collected in February, October, November contributors to reef primary production, and provide and December 2009 on the reefs of Porto de Galinhas shelter to an extremely abundant meiofauna assemblage Beach, located at 08°30’26” to 08°30’39” S, and 34°59’52” to 34°59’55” W (Figure 1). In total, 57 sampling sites were Harpacticoida is one of nine orders of the subclass (Gibbons and Griffiths 1986). randomly selected across the reef flat. Samples were taken936 Sarmento and Santos | Harpacticoida from Porto de Galinhas, Brazil using a corer to delimit a 10 cm2 area. The turfs were congenera congenera (5.44%) and Amphiascopsis cinctus collected by cutting the algal turf down to the reef surface (5.13%), which together accounted for about 49% of the using a metal scraper, to ensure that all turf and underlying total of individuals. sediment were removed. Meiofauna samples were A review of the literature about Brazilian harpacticoids (Reid 1998; Wandeness et al. 1998; Sarmento and laboratory, meiofauna was extracted from turfs by manual Santos 2012; Sarmento et al. 2012) shows that the preserved in 4% formalin in seawater in the field. In the subspecies Nitocra affinis californica and the following with mesh sizes of 0.5 and 0.063 mm. Under a Leica EZ4 elutriation with filtered water, through geological sieves Brazilian coast: Nannomesochra arupinensis, Cletodes copepods were selected from each replicate and placed aff.nine pseudodissimilisorisspecies are recorded, Esola for thelobata first, timeParalaophonte along the instereomicroscope, Eppendorf tubes the with first 70% 25 individualsethanol. The of harpacticoids harpacticoid congenera (sensu Yeatman 1962), Sarsamphiascus parvus (sensu Rouch 1962), Rhyncholagena littoralis, Stenhelia 2500) following the taxonomic keys of Lang (1948; 1965), gibba, Alteutha roeae and Xouthous purpurocinctus. Huyswere etidentified al. (1996) under and anWells optical (2007), microscope as well as(Leica original DM Members of the genera Nitocra and Stenhelia are recorded species descriptions. Specimens have been deposited in The assemblage of Copepoda Harpacticoida found in Petrônio Alves Coelho at the Universidade Federal de thefor thephytal first of time Porto for de the Galinhas phytal of had Porto high de levels Galinhas of species reef. Pernambucothe Coleção de (MOUFPE). Carcinologia The of Shannon-Wienerthe Museu de Oceanografia (H’, using richness (total 42 species), evenness (overall J´= 0.81) log2), Pielou’s evenness (J’) and Species Richness indices and diversity (overall H´(log2)= 4.52 bits). This level of were calculated using the software Primer® v.6 (Plymouth diversity is higher than most diversity values reported for Routines in Multivariate Ecological Researches). other phytal environments, as well as most of those for sediments in other coastal environments (Sarmento et al. Results and Discussion 2012). However, the diversity calculated for the phytal of A total of 1501 individuals of harpacticoid copepods Porto de Galinhas was very similar to the values reported were analyzed, and 42 species, belonging to 13 families by Sarmento et al. (2012) in the phytal of Arraial do Cabo and 32 genera, were recorded for the phytal of Porto rocky shores in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. de Galinhas reefs (Table 1). This checklist adopts the Areas covered by different species of algae, which are Species of the families Ectinosomatidae, Harpacticidae, have much greater spatial heterogeneity compared to nomenclatural modifications proposed by Huys (2009). associated with large amounts of filamentous epiphytes, of a small number of individuals found (e.g., Normanella Environmental complexity implies that the different andNormanellidae Tisbe) or due and to theTisbidae urgent were need not for revisionsidentified, of because certain microhabitatsmore homogeneous will favoror monospecific the establishment areas (Hicks of animals 1985). genera (e.g., Ectinosoma and Harpacticus). with different habits and/or morphological adaptations. The dominant families in the study area were Miraciidae Consequently, this allows the coexistence of different (with 38.13% of total individuals), Parastenheliidae species, foraging different niches in the phytal and (15.55%) and Laophontidae (10%). Miraciidae had the decreasing competitive interactions, with the consequent highest number of species (13), followed by Laophontidae establishment of a diverse harpacticoid fauna (Hicks 1977; (9), Ameiridae (4) and Canthocamptidae (3). The other Arroyo et al. 2006). families had only one or two species. In the present study, the turfs covering Porto de The dominant species were Parastenhelia spinosa Galinhas reefs were formed mainly by two species of algae: (15.55%), Amphiascoides sp. (8.6%),