Six years exploring biodiversity of marine tardigrades in Portugal. Results and biogeographical considerations
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1
CIIMAR Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Portugal
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2
University of Porto, Department of Biology, Portugal
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3
MARE, Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA, Portugal
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4
Science without Borders, CAPES (Coordination of Improvement of Higher Level Personnel), Brazil
Biodiversity of marine tardigrade was investigated in Portugal since 2010. Previously, marine tardigrades were completely unknown in Portugal and records in the remainder regions of the Iberian Peninsula were also scarce. During the first years the sampling effort was focused in the Northern shores of Portugal. The investigated Atlantic coastal habitats were intertidal sandy beaches, shallow subtidal soft bottoms and intertidal rocky shores. Recently, the sampling effort has been extended to the Centre and South of Portugal. In these areas, sampled habitats were sandy beaches and macroalgae. To date about 20 different species of marine tardigrades have been reported. Four of these species are new to science and were described (e.g. Prostygarctus aculeatus) or their description is in process (three Batillipes species). Another four species, belonging to genera Batillipes, Echiniscoides, Halechiniscus and Floractus, are potentially new to science) but additional material is needed for a deeper taxonomic study.
Moreover, two tardigrades species found in the Portuguese coast were only known for the Mediterranean Sea. Records of two other species in the Portuguese coast increased significantly their range of distribution to the South. Finally, based on the study of morphometric parameters of some Portuguese tardigrade populations their specific identity and Amphi-Atlantic or cosmopolitan status of some species is discussed.
Keywords:
Marine tardigrades,
Portugal,
Biodiversity,
biogeography,
Atlantic Ocean
Conference:
XIX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies, Porto, Portugal, 5 Sep - 9 Sep, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
1. ECOLOGY, BIODIVERSITY AND VULNERABLE ECOSYSTEMS
Citation:
Rubal
M,
Fontoura
P,
Santos
E,
Sousa-Pinto
I and
Veiga
P
(2016). Six years exploring biodiversity of marine tardigrades in Portugal. Results and biogeographical considerations.
Front. Mar. Sci.
Conference Abstract:
XIX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies.
doi: 10.3389/conf.FMARS.2016.05.00171
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Received:
16 May 2016;
Published Online:
03 Sep 2016.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Marcos Rubal, CIIMAR Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Porto, Portugal, mrubalg@hotmail.com