Podocoryna loyola, a new hydractiniid species, has been found on artificial substrates in Baía de Paranaguá, southern coast of Brazil, since April 2007. Its main morphological characteristics are: (1) polymorphic colonies with reticular stolons or encrusting hydrorhiza not covered by periderm and smooth chitinous spines; (2) newly-released medusae with eight tentacles and small interradial gonads; (3) mature medusae with eight tentacles and unbranched oral lips; gastric peduncle absent. Molecular data show that P. loyola is distinct from all other examined species of Podocoryna, and from P. hayamaensis Hirohito (1988), its sister species from Japan. As the polyps having been noted only quite recently, and in having been found only on man-made objects in port areas and estuaries, the species is most likely exotic to the region.

The study of biological invasions can be roughly divided into three parts: detection, monitoring, mitigation. Here, our objectives were to describe the marine fauna of the area of the port of São Sebastião (on the northern coast of the state of São Paulo, in the São Sebastião Channel, SSC) to detect introduced species. Descriptions of the faunal community of the SSC with respect to native and allochthonous (invasive or potentially so) diversity are lacking for all invertebrate groups. Sampling was carried out by specialists within each taxonomic group, in December 2009, following the protocol of the Rapid Assessment Survey (RAS) in three areas with artificial structures as substrates. A total of 142 species were identified (61 native, 15 introduced, 62 cryptogenic, 4 not classified), of which 17 were Polychaeta (12, 1, 1, 3), 24 Ascidiacea (3, 6, 15, 0), 36 Bryozoa (17, 0, 18, 1), 27 Cnidaria (2, 1, 24, 0), 20 Crustacea (11, 4, 5, 0), 2 Entoprocta (native), 16 Mollusca (13, 3, 0, 0). Twelve species are new occurrences for the SSC. Among the introduced taxa, two are new for coastal Brazil. Estimates of introduced taxa are conservative as the results of molecular studies suggest that some species previously considered cryptogenic are indeed introduced. We emphasize that the large number of cryptogenic species illustrates the need for a long-term monitoring program, especially in areas most susceptible to bioinvasion. We conclude that rapid assessment studies, even in relatively wellknown regions, can be very useful for the detection of introduced species and we recommend that they be carried out on a larger scale in all ports with heavy ship traffic.

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Abstract:Despite the relatively high number of recent studies on Cnidaria off the Brazilian coast, we have observed only two records of parasitism on macromedusae and none on polyps. Endoparasitic associations between Pycnogonida larvae and hydroids have been well known since the early 20 th century. Protonymph larvae develop inside the gastrovascular cavity of polyps, typically gastrozooids, which are then called gallzooids. This short communication is an unprecedented record of parasitism on the polyps of Brazilian cnidarian fauna. The parasitic association between Pycnogonida Anoplodactylus stictus and a new hydroid species of Podocoryna has been casually detected on the encrusting communities of experimental polyethylene plates installed at the Paranaguá Yacht Club, Paranaguá, south of Brazil from February 2007 to February 2008. This hydrozoan host is most likely an exotic species because it had not been observed in previous studies of Paranaguá Bay or beaches along the southern coast of Brazil in the previous 20 years. Eighty-eight hydroid colonies were analyzed, of which 19 were parasitized mainly from June to August 2007. Protonymphs were pink-red colored, similar to gallzooids and all other polyps of the colony, thus indicating that they had eaten the hosts' tissues. Up to six protonymphs were observed inside the gallzooids. The gallzooid column was elongated, and the tentacles were atrophied or even absent because of the development of the larvae. Some observations of endoparasitism in two live colonies that were maintained in aquaria until their complete disappearance (one month) are also described in this note. Resumo: Apesar do número relativamente elevado de estudos recentes sobre Cnidaria da costa brasileira, encontramos dois casos de parasitismo, ambos em macromedusas, e nenhum em pólipos. Associações endoparasíticas entre larvas de picnogônidas e hidroides são bem conhecidas desde início do século 20. A larva protoninfa desenvolve-se no interior da cavidade gastrovascular dos pólipos, geralmente dos gastrozoóides, que são então chamados "gallzooids". Esta nota é um registro inédito de parasitismo em pólipos de cnidários da fauna brasileira. A associação parasitária entre o picnogônida Anoplodactylus stictus e uma espécie nova de hidroide do gênero Podocoryna foi detectada casualmente sobre a comunidade incrustante de placas experimentais, instaladas no Iate Clube de Paranaguá, Paranaguá, sul do Brasil, de fevereiro/2007 a fevereiro/2008. O hospedeiro hidrozoário provavelmente é uma espécie exótica, pois não havia sido observado em estudos anteriores da Baía de Paranaguá ou praias ao longo da costa sul do Brasil nos últimos 20 anos. Foram analisadas 88 colônias do hidroide das quais 19 estavam parasitadas, principalmente nos meses de junho a agosto/2007. As protoninfas eram rosa-avermelhadas, a mesma coloração dos "gallzooids" e dos demais pólipos da colônia, indicando que elas ingeriram tecidos do hospedeiro. Até seis protoninfas foram observados no interior dos "gallzooids". O comprimento da col...