Spirobranchus are abundant and diverse serpulids in tropical regions, with three species reported in Brazil, which occurrence is questionable, due to their distant type localities. In the present work, we describe a new species of Spirobranchus from the Brazilian coast and report the other species of the genus occurring off Brazilian shoreline, based on specimens from different locations. Specimens were collected in the states of Alagoas, Rio de Janeiro, and Santa Catarina, sorted and analyzed under a stereoscopic microscope. Then, the animals were anesthetized and subsequently fixed and prepared for the scanning electron microscopy. Specimens from the Caribbean and other Brazilian states were loaned from Museu Nacional of Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro and Universidade Federal de Alagoas. Morphological analyzes differentiated the three species and provided details of the morphology that can be used in the future taxonomy of the family. The species S. giganteus and S. tetraceros are more similar to each other, but can be readily separated based on the spiral radiolar crown in the former; S. minutus differs from the other species for the tube, operculum, and type of uncini. Spirobranchus lirianeae sp. nov. nests within S. kraussii-complex, with a concave operculum, absence of collar chaetae and paired compound eyes on the radioles, differing by being a solitary rather than a gregarious species, by the funnel-shaped operculum, fringed tonguelets and tube with single keel, distally pointed.
Although the diversity of animal groups distributed in Brazil provides countless research opportunities, the current scenario does not follow this demand. The reasons for the disconnections range from inequality in the availability of resources for teaching and research to the focus of researchers on specific groups of animals, while others remain neglected. Training new potential Brazilian researchers interested in Zoology is essential for a greater understanding of this diversity, as well as exposing those potential new researchers to new groups and different work possibilities. Thus, the Summer Course in Zoology (in Portuguese, CVZoo) promoted by the Graduate Program in Zoology at the University of São Paulo, over the last ten years, has been seeking to contribute to this training of new researchers in the field of Zoology, as well as in updating teachers through university extension activities. In order to assess the impacts caused by CVZoo on the academic and professional training of the participants, Google forms were sent to participants in the ten editions of the course, as well as compiled information available on the Lattes Platform. Qualitative and quantitative analyses showed the profile of graduates, their expectations, and perceptions about the course. Based on these data, we demonstrate the CVZoo’s efficiency in popularizing Zoology throughout the country in contributing to the decentralization of knowledge as well as in meeting the urgent concerns of making access to knowledge more egalitarian and socially fair.
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