| Grant number: | 13/01201-0 |
| Support Opportunities: | BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants |
| Start date: | June 01, 2013 |
| End date: | May 31, 2015 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Zoology - Morphology of Recent Groups |
| Principal Investigator: | William Ricardo Amancio Santana |
| Grantee: | William Ricardo Amancio Santana |
| Host Institution: | Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação. Universidade do Sagrado Coração (USC). Bauru , SP, Brazil |
| City of the host institution: | Bauru |
| Associated researchers: | Marcos Domingos Siqueira Tavares |
Abstract
The order Decapoda is the most diverse group within Crustacea. In this context, the infraorder Brachyura has, approximately, 6900 known species. Within the Brachyura, the superfamily Majoidea is a large group and shows great morphological diversity, including the biggest known arthropods and very small species. Several species of this superfamily have a great ecological importance, mainly in the maintenance of the reef environments where they are commonly found. Among the Brachyura, roughly 400 marine species are found on the Brazilian coast. In Majoidea this number is approximately 80, with 44 presenting a disjunctive distribution between the Caribbean Sea and Western South Atlantic. The idea that disjunctive patterns of distribution between the Caribbean Sea and Western South Atlantic are common is largely widespread in the scientific literature. However, these patterns remain untested for many groups, which makes difficult to interpret such patterns as naturals or resulting from low taxonomic resolution. Besides the low taxonomic resolution, three possibilities can explain such patterns: (i) the low quantity of sampled material in the region; (ii) natural pattern with the mouth of the Amazon River acting as a biogeographical barrier; (iii) and the possibility of these species are formed by complexes difficult to identify. The present project aims to evaluate in large scale the biodiversity and the endemic patterns of Majoidea in the Western Atlantic Ocean, with the Brazilian coast as a priority, through detailed morphological studies of the Majoidea species. Also, specific objective are to describe possible new genus and species and establish synonymies; upgrade the distribution patterns of the species studied, and recognize possible complexes of species. (AU)
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