Environmental Smoke

NEW RECORD OF THE SWIMMING CRAB Portunus sayi (GIBBES, 1850) (DECAPODA: PORTUNIDAE) FROM THE AMAZON CONTINENTAL SHELF

2025-05-18T18:56:04+00:00

The Amazon continental shelf (ACS) is considered to be Brazil's largest fishing ground, widely exploited by industrial fishing fleets. As a result, a high number of marine species are collected as bycatch fauna and subsequently discarded due to their lack of commercial value. In this scenario, one of the main bycatch groups is crustaceans, which are directly impacted by these actions, however, their diversity is poorly known in the northern region of Brazil. Therefore, herein, we report the northernmost observation of the swimming crab Portunus sayi (Gibbes, 1850) from Brazilian waters, associated with the Great Amazon Reef System (GARS). Additionally, we provide the description of the first gonopod (G1), carapace margin detail and original color. Three individuals of P. sayi (1 male and 2 females) were collected as bycatch of the southern red snapper fishery Lutjanus purpureus (Poey, 1866) using a fish trap called “manzuá”, performed in areas above the GARS, at depths up to 70 m, in the continental shelf of the state of Amapá. The record of this species for northern Brazil increases the biodiversity of crustaceans in the region and indicates the ecological importance of the GARS as a diversity hotspot on the Amazon continental shelf area.

RAISING AWARENESS TO PROTECT: COASTAL AND MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION APPLIED TO THE BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC AMERICA

2025-04-06T21:55:58+00:00

This article sought to identify environmental education initiatives focused on biodiversity conservation that exist in the coastal and marine zone of Paraíba State (Northeastern Brazil), evaluating their foundations through the construction of scientific-pedagogical models. Being presented in a transversal and multidisciplinary way, in formal and non-formal education, integrated with government policy in its different spheres (national and international), with the target audience involving the entire society. Advances in environmental education and their impact on the resolution of the main environmental conflicts in the marine and coastal areas are discussed, in particular, the protection of living beings and marine natural resources. The need for ecological literacy in the twenty-first century was verified, and its importance in the formation of ecological awareness and the exercise of environmental citizenship, placing emphasis on current processes in Paraíba. As a result of the Discipline of Environmental Education for Biodiversity Conservation of the Post-Graduation Program in Ecology and Environmental Monitoring (PPGEMA) at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), subsequently counting on the collaboration of the Institute of Research and Action (InPact), of the Guajiru Association, of the SISFAUMAR-PB (Paraíba Marine Fauna Monitoring System) and the Paulo Young Invertebrate Laboratory of the Department of Systematics and Ecology of the Federal University of Paraíba (LIPY-DSE-UFPB), it is expected to contribute to the knowledge, information and instruments that assist in environmental management and the implementation of government policies for the coastal and marine environment of South Atlantic America.

RECORDS OF ROSTRAL ANOMALIES IN Macrobrachium amazonicum (HELLER, 1862) (DECAPODA: PALAEMONIDAE) COLLECTED ALONG THE GREAT AMAZON RIVER BASIN

2025-03-22T20:49:02+00:00

Morphological anomalies in decapod crustaceans are frequently reported in studies around the world, some of which are due to anthropogenic actions through environmental impacts. These deformities can affect different structures (e.g., carapace, scaphocerite, rostrum, chelipeds, abdomen and telson) and interfere with development, feeding, resource competition, and reproductive behavior of crustaceans. The palaemonid shrimps occur in various ecosystems, covering marine and freshwater areas; however, few studies report morphological anomalies in freshwater shrimps in Brazil. Therefore, this study aimed to report and catalog the morphological anomalies in the rostral forms of the shrimp Macrobrachium amazonicum (Heller, 1862), collected from the Great Amazon River Basin, Pará, Brazil. The specimens were captured during collections carried out along the Xingu River watershed, near the municipalities of Altamira and Vitória do Xingu, using bamboo traps, known as “matapis,” baited with babassu. After the samples, the specimens were sorted out, and transported to the laboratory for subsequent biometric measurements, weighing, taxonomic identification, and registration of the abnormalities. A total of 2.199 specimens of the M. amazonicum were collected, being identified twenty shrimps with anomalies in the rostral region, corresponding to 0.9% of the total number of shrimps analyzed. Herein, the anomalies observed consisted of a reduction in the size of the rostrum, with varying shapes, and a decrease in the number of rostral teeth compared to the expected for the species. Further studies are needed to identify the potential causes of the anomalies in shrimps from the Amazon region.