THE IMPORTANCE OF TAXONOMY ON BASE SCIENCE: THE CASE STUDY OF THE CRUSTACEAN POPULATIONS OF THE MINHO RIVER ESTUARY (NW IBERIAN PENINSULA)

Nuno Gomes; Dimítri de Araújo Costa; Harold Cantallo; Carlos Antunes

doi:10.32435/envsmoke/xibesymp.6

Authors

Nuno Gomes Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto / Aquamuseu do Rio Minho, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5513-6875
Dimítri de Araújo Costa Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto / Aquamuseu do Rio Minho, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5399-2483
Harold Cantallo Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7005-6462
Carlos Antunes Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto / Aquamuseu do Rio Minho, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3736-5743

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32435/envsmoke/xibesymp.6

Keywords:

Biological Sciences, Crustacea, Species Identification, Scientific Collections

Abstract

Although species identification is a central component on Biological Sciences, misidentifications are quite common generating error cascade effects on other environmental studies, resulting on erroneous population estimates, status, trends, and distribution data. One of the main causes of these errors occurs when dealing with damaged material, immature specimens, sexual dimorphism, intraspecific variation, and species with poor or outdated descriptions. Furthermore, usually there is no material retained as voucher of the specimens studied in scientific collections, hindering confirmation the identified species, in morphoanatomical and genetic scope. Even with this reliance on species identification taxonomy has been in decline for many years. In this study, we present the case study of the crustaceans identified for the Minho River estuary (NW Iberian Peninsula), using a taxonomic approach comparing these results with the biological surveys obtained through various ecology studies performed for 4 decades. A total of 64 species of crustaceans were identified within this study, in which 44 were new records for the Minho River estuary, compared to the 25 species identified on the biological surveys analyzed. Being one of the first studies of this nature in the Minho River, the main objective will be to provide taxonomic support in future projects in this area, contributing to the knowledge of the fauna of Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula.

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Author Biographies

Nuno Gomes, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto / Aquamuseu do Rio Minho, Portugal

Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal /

Aquamuseu do Rio Minho, Parque do Castelinho, 4920-290 Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal

Dimítri de Araújo Costa, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto / Aquamuseu do Rio Minho, Portugal

Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal /

Aquamuseu do Rio Minho, Parque do Castelinho, 4920-290 Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal

Harold Cantallo, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Portugal

Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal

Carlos Antunes, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto / Aquamuseu do Rio Minho, Portugal

Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal /

Aquamuseu do Rio Minho, Parque do Castelinho, 4920-290 Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal

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