Diversity, distribution and ecology of the family Syllidae (Annelida) in the Portuguese coast (Western Iberian Peninsula)

Abstract

The diversity, distribution and ecology of the family Syllidae along the Western Iberian coast was studied, based on 145 sediment samples covering the whole Portuguese coastal shelf and 30 Saccorhiza polyschides holdfasts sampled in the north of Portugal. A total of 55 species were identified in 2,306 specimens. A total of 33 species were recorded in the holdfasts and 36 in the shelf samples spanning a wide range of sediments, bathymetry and latitude. A total of 14 species were shared between both substrates. A total of 26 species were here firstly recorded, increasing to 80 the number of species known in Portugal, and new insights were added to the ecology and geographic distribution of several species. A multivariate analysis identified three assemblages, characterized by the species (a) Sphaerosyllis bulbosa and Syllis pontxioi in the western shelf coarse sediments, (b) Parapionosyllis brevicirra and Syllis mercedesae in the southern shelf muddy sands and (c) Brania pusilla and Myrianida brachycephala in the kelp holdfasts. The type of substrate (kelp holdfast vs. soft-bottom sediments) and the sediment grain size (coarser vs. finer) were the descriptors best related to the Syllid assemblages.

Large scale patterns of trematode parasite communities infecting Cerastoderma edule along the Atlantic coast from Portugal to Morocco

“…Trematode species richness (TSR) and trematode total prevalence (TTP) increased towards south (from 40 °N to 23 °N). This latitudinal dependent pattern of TSR follows the same trend described for benthic macrofaunal diversity which show higher values with decreasing latitudes (Macpherson, 2002;Martins et al, 2013;Roy et al, 2004). However, this pattern was not observed in the case of Chbika and Sebou estuaries, located at 28 °N and 34 °N, respectively, that presented the lowest TSR.…”

Novel insights on the diversity and ecology of the Family Lumbrineridae (Polychaeta) along the Iberian Peninsula coasts

“…This new occurrence reflects misleading identifications in past studies following an increasing interest in Polychaete taxonomy that culminated in the description and/or first record of several species in south-western Europe, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula coasts (e.g. Aguirrezabalaga & Carrera-Parra, 2006; Pires et al , 2010; Ravara et al , 2010; Martins et al , 2012b, c, 2013a, b, c; Arias & Paxton, 2014; Jourde et al ., 2015).…”

Atypical reproduction in a syllid worm: the stolon ofSyllis rosea(Annelida, Syllidae) takes care of its offspring

“…The Syllidae (Annelida) are widespread in almost every benthic marine habitat, from the deep-sea (Böggemann, 2009; Barroso et al ., 2017; Langeneck et al ., 2018) to the surface (Çinar, 2003; Serrano et al ., 2006; Martins et al ., 2013), where they can represent the majority of the macrofaunal individuals (Musco, 2012). This taxon shows remarkable diversity being characterized by the largest number of species (~700) among polychaete families (Aguado et al ., 2012).…”