Abstract The introduction of species beyond their natural distribution area as a result of human activities is one of the main threats to marine biodiversity. In 2019, Perna viridis , an Indo-Pacific mytilid, was recorded for the first time in the coast of Brazil in Guanabara Bay (Rio de Janeiro State). In 2021, this species was recorded in the Northeast region of Brazil (Fortaleza, Ceará State). This record was subsequently replicated in studies from 2022, 2023, and 2024. The specimens from Ceará State were deposited in the malacological collection “Prof. Henry Ramos Matthews - Série B” of the Universidade Federal do Ceará. During a curation activity of this collection, these specimens were reanalyzed and their identification questioned. Therefore, this study aimed to confirm the record of P. viridis for the Northeast region of Brazil. According to the analyses, the individuals collected on the coast of Ceará are not P. viridis , but belong to Mytella strigata , a native species of the coast of South America. Thus, the occurrence of P. viridis in the Southwestern Atlantic remains restricted to the southeast region of Brazil.

Abstract Phylogenies are essential for organizing knowledge on biological diversity, structuring classifications, and providing insights into evolutionary events. Worldwide phylogenetic studies on mollusks emerged in the late 1980s, while in Brazil, phylogenetic analyses of mollusks started around 2000. For unknown reasons, phylogenies of lower hierarchical taxa, such as subfamilies, tribes, and genera, are not common in Malacology. Here, we analyzed articles published by malacologists and evaluated the proportion of alpha taxonomic reviews compared to phylogenetic systematic studies conducted at Brazilian institutions and worldwide. Our searches were performed using the Web of Science and Lattes Platform databases for Brazilian studies. We found 537 systematic/taxonomic papers, of which 11% included an explicit phylogenetic analysis. Additionally, 31 of these studies described a new genus or higher taxon, but only seven included phylogenetic inferences to support taxonomic decisions. The remaining 24 studies relied on alpha taxonomic classification, focusing primarily on conchological features of group-related units. We observed that publications worldwide describing higher taxa based on phylogenetic systematics began in the 1970s, with their proportion increasing over the years. The few phylogenetic analyses published after Willi Hennig’s cladistics suggest that malacologists at Brazilian institutions have not established a tradition of Phylogenetic Systematics for studies on molluscan diversity.

Abstract Sponge-ophiuroid ecological associations, which are important in the dynamics of marine populations and communities, have been recorded for a long time. In this study, we report new records of interactions between sponges and ophiuroids, which were obtained by analyzing biological collections, to increase knowledge about the associations between these animals. The study observed 14 interactions between sponges and ophiuroids, eight of which are new to science: Ophiocnida scabriuscula and Agelas sp., Ophiothrix sp. and Monanchora arbuscula, Ophiactis quinqueradia and M. arbuscula, O. quinqueradia and Callyspongia ( Cladochalina) aculeata, Ophiactis savignyi and Agelas dispar, O. savignyi and M. arbuscula, O. savignyi and Topsentia ophiraphidites, and O. savignyi and Dysidea etheria. The specimens found were collected in four areas of the northeastern Brazilian coast (tropical southwestern Atlantic), including a conservation area and a mesophotic coral ecosystem. Thus, the continuation of studies and the implementation of conservation strategies for these environments are essential. Finally, the importance of biological collections as a crucial data source for biodiversity studies is reinforced.

The South Atlantic Ocean is the youngest of the world’s oceans and one of the most important biodiversity hotspots; however, there is a lack of scientific knowledge about its ecological history. Here, we present the first results of a fossil invertebrate survey from the Rocas Atoll. By using radiometric dating (14C) and a survey of fossilized benthic invertebrates on this atoll, we provide new paleobiogeographic and paleoceanographic information. The results suggest eight taxa (five mollusks, two corals, and one decapod). Dates ranged from 3449 ± 790 y BP to 3033 ± 620 y BP. The data represent new invertebrate records for the middle Holocene in this atoll, and evidence of sea-level changes in this period. Considering that the Rocas Atoll is one of the newest marine atolls in the world, these results suggest recent colonization by species from the Southwestern Atlantic Coast and Fernando de Noronha Archipelago.

O Atlântico Sul é o oceano mais recente e um dos mais importantes hotspots de biodiversidade; entretanto, há uma lacuna no conhecimento científico sobre sua história ecológica. Aqui, são apresentados os primeiros resultados de um estudo sobre invertebrados fósseis do Atol das Rocas. Utilizando datação radiométrica (14C) e levantamento de invertebrados bentônicos fossilizados desse atol, são fornecidas novas informações paleobiogegráficas e paleoceanográficas. Os resultados mostram a ocorrência de oito táxons (cinco moluscos, dois corais e um crustáceo decápoda), com datas variando de 3449 ± 790 a 3033 ± 620 anos antes do presente. Os dados revelam novos registros de invertebrados para o Holoceno Médio nesse atol e novas evidências de mudanças no nível do mar durante esse período. Considerando que o Atol das Rocas é um dos mais recentes atóis do mundo, esses resultados sugerem uma colonização recente por espécies advindas da costa do Atlântico Sul Ocidental e do Arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha.