Taxonomic status of Amphipholis and Microphiopholis (Ophiuroidea: Amphiuridae) species on the Brazilian coast

• Grant number: 20/09104-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2020
• End date: September 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Antonia Cecília Zacagnini Amaral
• Grantee: Giovanna Aranha Ferreira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/10313-0 - Build-up of scientific collections of marine invertebrates: strategies for biodiversity conservation, AP.BTA.TEM

Abstract

Among the Ophiuroidea, Amphiuridae is the most diverse family, often found in a wide variety of habitats and a wide bathymetric gradient. For some researchers, this would be best resolved by subdividing and / or dividing into new families. However, given the low sampling and representativeness of some genders, the understanding of internal relations of Amphiuridae remains under debate. This Scientific Initiation Project aims to elucidate the taxonomic status of some amphiurids, such as Amphipholis and Microphiopholis - considered to be uncertain in the literature. This review will be necessary to validate or not such genres, and test their monophilia against a phylogenetic reconstruction for the family Amphiuridae. To achieve these objectives, morphological data will be studied (external morphology, ossicles and plaques) and molecular (16S, COI and 18S), with the help of light microscopy and scanning electron techniques, and morphometry. In the end, it is expectedthat the student is able to compare all the characters obtained and reassess them as to their diagnostic value.