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The Longosomatidae, a poorly known polychaete family, includes only 23 recognized species; in this study, based on morphometric and taxonomic analyses, we describe a new species with three morphotypes: Heterospio variabilis from the Gulf of California, Mexico. The specimens examined exhibit large morphological variations but were clearly separated from close species due to a unique combination of morphological characters: chaetiger 9 as the first elongated chaetiger, four to eight branchial pairs; chaetae from chaetiger 10 forming rings in two rows, posterior row with thin and robust capillaries, anterior row with subuluncini, aristate spines, acicular spines and thick acicular spines. With the discriminant analysis, carried out on 11 morphometric characters, the presence of three morphological groups were recognized (Wilks' lambda= 0.093, p = 0.0001). However, the variables selected to discriminate the specimens (partial Wilks' lambda > 0.57) were correlated to their size: number of branchiae, body width, prostomium width, rate length CH9/CH1-CH8, length CH1-CH8 and length CH9 (r > 0.5). So, we concluded that they belong to a single species with three morphotypes: morpho A with eight branchial pairs, morpho B with 5-6-7 pairs and morpho C with 4 pairs. No correlations between the distribution of the distinct morphotypes along the eastern gulf shelf and the environmental conditions where they settle were detected.

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The species Lippia integrifolia is an aromatic, sub-woody shrub, distributed from Northwest and Central Argentina to Bolivia. It is among the most important native aromatic species. It presents medicinal properties, some of which have been scientifically proven. As an alternative to harvesting, the process of domestication of the species was initiated. The objective of this work was to assess the phenotypic variability based on botanical-taxonomic and morpho-agronomic descriptors and the use of indicators to evaluate its natural situation in the west-center of Argentina. We worked in five wild populations, registering morphological variables, phenology, natural regeneration, herbivory and presence of diseases. L. integrifoliapresents a wide morphological variability, which can be explained with three morphological descriptors. Natural regeneration ́s rate is very low to zero, in four of the sites. The results obtained are of importance to make decisions related to the sustainable use in situ, and to begin a program of domestication of the species.

La especie Lippia integrifolia es un arbusto aromático, sub-leñoso, distribuido desde el noroeste y centro de Argentina hasta Bolivia. Es una de las especies aromáticas nativas más importantes. Presenta propiedades medicinales, algunas de las cuales han sido científicamente probadas. Como alternativa a la cosecha, se inició el proceso de domesticación de la especie. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar la variabilidad fenotípica basada en descriptores botánico-taxonómicos y morfo-agronómicos y el uso de indicadores para evaluar su situación natural en el centro-oeste de Argentina. Trabajamos en cinco poblaciones silvestres, registrando variables morfológicas, fenología, regeneración natural, herviboría y presencia de enfermedades. L. integrifolia presenta una amplia variabilidad morfológica, que puede explicarse con tres descriptores morfológicos. La tasa de regeneración natural es muy baja a cero, en cuatro de los sitios. Los resultados obtenidos son importantes para tomar decisiones relacionadas con el uso sostenible in situ y para comenzar un programa de domesticación de la especie.

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BACKGROUND: Pandi's mushroom-tongue salamander (Bolitoglossa pandi) is one of the threatened amphibians in South America, as well as a flagship species for the Colombian conservation agenda. This species is endemic to the Andean cloud forests of the western slope of the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia, occurring only in the department of Cundinamarca within a narrow elevational range. At night, B. pandi can be seen perching on the upper side of leaves at heights ranging from ground level to 2.5 m. During the day, it can be found under leaf litter or cover objects. Few studies have provided relevant information that can help the Colombian government to formulate lines of action for the conservation of this species; consequently, its threat assessments so far have been based on very limited information. METHODS: We conducted surveys for salamanders in four municipalities of Cundinamarca, Colombia, using two approaches: visual encounter surveys (Guaduas and Villeta) and the basic sampling protocol for single-species occupancy modeling (Supatá and Venecia). Multivariate analyses were employed to explore the correlation between habitat structure and natural history traits, abundance, and detection/non-detection of B. pandi. We evaluated the B. pandi activity pattern through kernel density curves for each sampling occasion and explored the variability of salamander abundance during their activity period by performing a nested ANOVA. RESULTS: We report the discovery of two new populations of B. pandi, which represent the most northwestern records known. A significant correlation between body length, body mass, and habitat structure was observed. Multivariate analyses indicated that leaf litter depth, mean temperature, percent vegetation cover, and altitude were the habitat variables that together explained 60.3% of the B. pandi abundance variability, as well as the main determinants of its optimal habitat. Bolitoglossa pandi exhibits an activity pattern characterized by two main activity peaks, in which niche time-partitioning was observed. Across the surveyed area, we found a healthy, stable, highly dense population of B. pandi (>1,300 individuals), with seasonal variability between development stages. DISCUSSION: Given the high habitat specificity of B. pandi, the species is highly vulnerable to local changes. Thus, we recommend that B. pandi be retained as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, based on the IUCN Criterion B, given its restricted extent of occurrence (ca. 2,500 km2) and the ongoing threats from agriculture, cattle ranching, logging, and urban development, which continue to reduce its suitable habitat.

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In the present study, we observed that Leptinaria unilamellata responds to changes in microclimatic conditions through shifts in shell morphology. Over three laboratory generations, shell differences between two populations, representing distinct morphotypes, became less evident. Only F1 generations from both populations showed shell morphometry very similar to the field parental snails, suggesting maternal effect. Snails from the locality with higher values of rainfall, relative humidity and evaporation index and smaller values of temperature and insolation produced more and larger hatchlings. Snails from the locality with less favorable climatic conditions presented shells traits that offer protection against desiccation, but reduce reproductive success. These snails showed smaller offspring production and faster response to a desiccation regime, through changes in conchiometrics. In addition, the results of the present study suggest that the spire index plays a less important role in determining protective properties of the shell of L. unilamellata, in response to desiccation risk, compared to aperture dimension. As shell aperture dimension is an important trait related to resistance to desiccation, and at the same time to reproduction, plastic responses to environmental conditions promoting the balance between survival and reproductive success are critical for the species adaptive success.

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The first record of the amphioxus Branchiostoma californiense on seagrass patches of Halodule wrightii in the Gulf of California is reported. Sixty individuals (19 males, 18 females, and 23 undifferentiated) were collected in May 2017 at Bahía Balandra, Gulf of California, from subtidal seagrass patches at a depth of 0.5 m at low tide. The length and weight ranged from 15.88-28.44 mm and from 0.01-0.11 g for females and 11.7-27.9 mm and 0.01-0.09 g for males, respectively. The minimum size of sexually mature individuals was 11.70 mm for males and 15.88 mm for females; 62% of the specimens were sexually mature. Analysis of the total length-weight relationship suggested an allometric growth pattern among females, males and undifferentiated individuals, whereas an analysis of the entire sample suggested an isometric growth pattern. Typical and additional morphological characters were used to identify the amphioxi. High morphological variability between individuals was found, suggesting the presence of several morphotypes. Branchiostoma californiense had been previously reported as exclusively associated with bare sandy areas, but our study shows that this species can also be found in seagrass patches, using them as breeding and feeding grounds. Thus, seagrass patches are evidenced as suitable habitats for amphioxus.

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The heterogeneity of biotic and abiotic factors influencing fitness produce selective pressures that promote local adaptation and divergence among different populations of the same species. In order for adaptations to be maintained through evolutionary time, heritable genetic variation controlling the expression of the morphological features under selection is necessary. Here we compare morphological shape variability and size of the cephalic region of Salvator merianae specimens from undisturbed environments to those of individuals from disturbed environments, and estimated heritability for shape and size using geometric morphometric and quantitative genetics tools. The results of these analyzes indicated that there are statistically significant differences in shape and size between populations from the two environments. Possibly, one of the main determinants of cephalic shape and size is adaptation to the characteristics of the environment and to the trophic niche. Individuals from disturbed environments have a cephalic region with less shape variation and also have a larger centroid size when compared to individuals from undisturbed environments. The high heritability values obtained for shape and size in dorsal view and right side view indicate that these phenotypic characters have a great capacity to respond to the selection pressures to which they are subjected. Data obtained here could be used as an important tool when establishing guidelines for plans for the sustainable use and conservation of S. merianae and other species living in disturbed areas.

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Trichomycterus areolatus Valenciennes, 1846 is a small endemic catfish inhabiting the Andean river basins of Chile. In this study, the morphological variability of three T. areolatus populations, collected in two river basins from southern Chile, was assessed with multivariate analyses, including principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant function analysis (DFA). It is hypothesized that populations must segregate morphologically from each other based on the river basin that they were sampled from, since each basin presents relatively particular hydrological characteristics. Significant morphological differences among the three populations were found with PCA (ANOSIM test, r = 0.552, p < 0.0001) and DFA (Wilks's λ = 0.036, p < 0.01). PCA accounted for a total variation of 56.16% by the first two principal components. The first Principal Component (PC1) and PC2 explained 34.72 and 21.44% of the total variation, respectively. The scatter-plot of the first two discriminant functions (DF1 on DF2) also validated the existence of three different populations. In group classification using DFA, 93.3% of the specimens were correctly-classified into their original populations. Of the total of 22 transformed truss measurements, 17 exhibited highly significant (p < 0.01) differences among populations. The data support the existence of T. areolatus morphological variation across different rivers in southern Chile, likely reflecting the geographic isolation underlying population structure of the species.

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Abstract The fish stocking in captivity for later release into natural water bodies has historically been applied in Brazil, as a measure to mitigate impacts caused by dams. However, the released fish are adapted to the hatchery environment, which is totally different from the natural, which results in low post-release survival rates and ineffectiveness of stocking as a management measure. Worldwide, several studies have demonstrated the existence of large phenotypic differences between farmed and wild fish, but in Brazil, there is a great need for this kind of study. Based on this, our objective here was to verify if hatchery fish differ morphologically from its wild counterparties, at the same size class. Hence, a population of young Prochilodus lineatus raised in a fish farming station was compared with another from marginal lagoons of the Grande river. The results indicated that the fish farming resulted in morphologically different individuals of P. lineatus and a less diverse population, compared with wild fish. Measures such as environmental enrichment of hatchery tanks should be studied as a way to increase environmental heterogeneity and increase the morphological variability of the fingerlings produced.(AU)

Resumo A estocagem de peixes em cativeiro para posterior soltura em corpos dágua naturais tem sido historicamente aplicada no Brasil, como medida mitigadora de impactos causados por barramentos. Entretanto, os peixes soltos são adaptados ao ambiente de cultivo que é totalmente diferente do natural, o que resulta em pequenas taxas de sobrevivência pós-soltura e ineficácia das estocagens como medida de manejo. Em escala mundial, diversos estudos já evidenciaram a existência de grandes diferenças fenotípicas entre peixes cultivados e selvagens, mas no Brasil há grande carência de estudos deste tipo. O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar se peixes cultivados divergem morfologicamente de indivíduos da mesma espécie provenientes de ambiente natural. Para isto, uma população de jovens de Prochilodus lineatus oriunda de uma estação de piscicultura foi comparada com outra da mesma espécie e classe de tamanho oriunda de lagoas marginais do Rio Grande. Os resultados encontrados indicaram que o cultivo em piscicultura resulta em indivíduos de P. lineatus morfologicamente diferentes e em uma população menos variada se comparada com os selvagens. Como forma de aumentar a heterogeneidade ambiental e aumentar a variabilidade morfológica dos alevinos produzidos, devem ser estudadas medidas como o enriquecimento ambiental de tanques de piscicultura.(AU)

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Abstract The fish stocking in captivity for later release into natural water bodies has historically been applied in Brazil, as a measure to mitigate impacts caused by dams. However, the released fish are adapted to the hatchery environment, which is totally different from the natural, which results in low post-release survival rates and ineffectiveness of stocking as a management measure. Worldwide, several studies have demonstrated the existence of large phenotypic differences between farmed and wild fish, but in Brazil, there is a great need for this kind of study. Based on this, our objective here was to verify if hatchery fish differ morphologically from its wild counterparties, at the same size class. Hence, a population of young Prochilodus lineatus raised in a fish farming station was compared with another from marginal lagoons of the Grande river. The results indicated that the fish farming resulted in morphologically different individuals of P. lineatus and a less diverse population, compared with wild fish. Measures such as environmental enrichment of hatchery tanks should be studied as a way to increase environmental heterogeneity and increase the morphological variability of the fingerlings produced.

Resumo A estocagem de peixes em cativeiro para posterior soltura em corpos d’água naturais tem sido historicamente aplicada no Brasil, como medida mitigadora de impactos causados por barramentos. Entretanto, os peixes soltos são adaptados ao ambiente de cultivo que é totalmente diferente do natural, o que resulta em pequenas taxas de sobrevivência pós-soltura e ineficácia das estocagens como medida de manejo. Em escala mundial, diversos estudos já evidenciaram a existência de grandes diferenças fenotípicas entre peixes cultivados e selvagens, mas no Brasil há grande carência de estudos deste tipo. O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar se peixes cultivados divergem morfologicamente de indivíduos da mesma espécie provenientes de ambiente natural. Para isto, uma população de jovens de Prochilodus lineatus oriunda de uma estação de piscicultura foi comparada com outra da mesma espécie e classe de tamanho oriunda de lagoas marginais do Rio Grande. Os resultados encontrados indicaram que o cultivo em piscicultura resulta em indivíduos de P. lineatus morfologicamente diferentes e em uma população menos variada se comparada com os selvagens. Como forma de aumentar a heterogeneidade ambiental e aumentar a variabilidade morfológica dos alevinos produzidos, devem ser estudadas medidas como o enriquecimento ambiental de tanques de piscicultura.

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RESUMO

Abstract The fish stocking in captivity for later release into natural water bodies has historically been applied in Brazil, as a measure to mitigate impacts caused by dams. However, the released fish are adapted to the hatchery environment, which is totally different from the natural, which results in low post-release survival rates and ineffectiveness of stocking as a management measure. Worldwide, several studies have demonstrated the existence of large phenotypic differences between farmed and wild fish, but in Brazil, there is a great need for this kind of study. Based on this, our objective here was to verify if hatchery fish differ morphologically from its wild counterparties, at the same size class. Hence, a population of young Prochilodus lineatus raised in a fish farming station was compared with another from marginal lagoons of the Grande river. The results indicated that the fish farming resulted in morphologically different individuals of P. lineatus and a less diverse population, compared with wild fish. Measures such as environmental enrichment of hatchery tanks should be studied as a way to increase environmental heterogeneity and increase the morphological variability of the fingerlings produced.

Resumo A estocagem de peixes em cativeiro para posterior soltura em corpos dágua naturais tem sido historicamente aplicada no Brasil, como medida mitigadora de impactos causados por barramentos. Entretanto, os peixes soltos são adaptados ao ambiente de cultivo que é totalmente diferente do natural, o que resulta em pequenas taxas de sobrevivência pós-soltura e ineficácia das estocagens como medida de manejo. Em escala mundial, diversos estudos já evidenciaram a existência de grandes diferenças fenotípicas entre peixes cultivados e selvagens, mas no Brasil há grande carência de estudos deste tipo. O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar se peixes cultivados divergem morfologicamente de indivíduos da mesma espécie provenientes de ambiente natural. Para isto, uma população de jovens de Prochilodus lineatus oriunda de uma estação de piscicultura foi comparada com outra da mesma espécie e classe de tamanho oriunda de lagoas marginais do Rio Grande. Os resultados encontrados indicaram que o cultivo em piscicultura resulta em indivíduos de P. lineatus morfologicamente diferentes e em uma população menos variada se comparada com os selvagens. Como forma de aumentar a heterogeneidade ambiental e aumentar a variabilidade morfológica dos alevinos produzidos, devem ser estudadas medidas como o enriquecimento ambiental de tanques de piscicultura.