Marine invertebrates associated with rhodoliths/maërl beds from northeast Brazil (State of Paraíba)

Marine invertebrates are a group of animals characterized by the absence of a backbone, living in the oceanic zone around the world, being remarkably common associated with rhodolith/maërl beds (non-geniculated red corallinaceous algae). A total of 59 species were identified, belonging to six phyla (Platyhelminthes, Annelida, Sipuncula, Mollusca, Arthropoda, and Echinodermata), of which 52 are considered here as new records. The annelids (Class Polychaeta) were the most representative taxa in Miramar and Seixas beaches, while molluscs were mostly found in Maceió Beach.This is the first study that include an identification guide, diagnostic features and distribution patterns worldwide and local (including new records) of the marine invertebrate fauna associated with rhodolith beds in Northeast Brazil (State of Paraíba). Sampling were performed in 2018, at low tide in the intertidal to shallow subtidal zones (1.5 and 4.0m depth), in the Miramar, Seixas and Maceió beaches. Of all the identified species, 18 are new records for the Seixas, and all identified species for Miramar and Maceió beaches are new occurrences. This work proposes to contribute to the knowledge of marine invertebrates in Northeast Brazil, providing support for future environmental studies.

海洋无脊椎动物，一类无脊椎动物，其特征为缺乏脊柱，分布于全球海洋区域，与石珊瑚床（非节状红藻）密切相关。共鉴定出59种物种，隶属于六个门类（扁形动物门、环节动物门、星虫动物门、软体动物门、节肢动物门和棘皮动物门），其中52种被视为新记录。环节动物门（多毛纲）在米拉马尔和塞希亚斯海滩是最具代表性的类群，而软体动物则主要分布在马塞约海滩。本研究首次综合介绍了与石珊瑚床相关的海洋无脊椎动物种类鉴定指南、诊断特征及其全球及本地（包括新记录）的分布模式（包括巴西东北部帕拉伊巴州的记录）。采样于2018年进行，在低潮期间对潮间带至浅海亚潮带（1.5米和4.0米深度）的米拉马尔、塞希亚斯和马塞约海滩进行。在所有鉴定出的物种中，有18种是塞希亚斯海滩的新记录，而米拉马尔和马塞约海滩的所有鉴定物种均为首次发现。本研究旨在为巴西东北部海洋无脊椎动物的知识做出贡献，并为未来的环境研究提供支持。