Gulf of Mexico Origin, Waters, and Biota

Gulf of Mexico Origin, Waters, and Biota
Author: Darryl L. Felder
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Total Pages: 1405
Release: 2009
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1603442693

This landmark scientific reference for scientists, researchers, and students of marine biology tackles the monumental task of taking a complete biodiversity inventory of the Gulf of Mexico with full biotic and biogeographic information. Presenting a comprehensive summary of knowledge of Gulf biota through 2004, the book includes seventy-seven chapters, which list more than fifteen thousand species in thirty-eight phyla or divisions and were written by 138 authors from seventy-one institutions in fourteen countries.This first volume of Gulf of Mexico Origin, Waters, and Biota, a multivolumed set edited by John W. Tunnell Jr., Darryl L. Felder, and Sylvia A. Earle, provides information on each species' habitat, biology, and geographic range, along with full references and a narrative introduction to the group, which opens each chapter.

Systematic Novelties of the Enigmatic Universe of the Leptocheliids: Crustacea : Tanaidacea

Systematic Novelties of the Enigmatic Universe of the Leptocheliids: Crustacea : Tanaidacea
Author: Modest Guțu
Publisher: ePublishers & Editura Coresi
Total Pages: 208
Release:
Genre: Science
ISBN:

By the present contribution by Modest Guţu, the family Leptocheliidae enriched with 29 new taxa (a subfamily, seven genera and 21 species), as it results from the list, hereinafter. Subfamily Leptocheliinae Lang, 1973: - Genus Alloleptochelia n. g., with the species: A. angusta n. sp., A. heardi n. sp., A. insolita n. sp., A. monotricha n. sp. and A. multiarticulata n. sp.; - Genus Chondrochelia n. g., with the species: C. andersoni n. sp., C. baliensis n. sp., C. dentitruncata n. sp. and C. distincta n. sp.; - Genus Kalloleptochelia n. g., with the species: K. maiorina n. sp., K. pauxilla n. sp. and K. robusta n. sp.; - Genus Leptochelia Dana, 1849, with the species: L. afrieurina n. sp. and L. splendida n. sp.; - Genus Paraleptochelia n. g., with the species P. magnispina n. sp.; - Genus Permixtimella n. g., with the species P. oculifurcillata n. sp.; - Genus Poorea Edgar, 2012, with the species P. obscurus; n. sp. and P. tanzaniensis n. sp. Subfamily Konariinae Bamber, 2013: - Genus Antiparus n. g. with the species A. longisetosus n. sp. Subfamily Metaleptocheliinae nov.: - Genus Metaleptochelia n. g. with the species M. estafricana n. sp. and M. vestpacifica n. sp. Also, the female of the species Leptochelia forresti (Stebbing, 1896), unknown up to now, is described and illustrated for the first time, and the male is minutely redescribed. It is for the first time when a large number of taxa (six genera and 12 species) of the family Leptocheliidae are minutely described on the basis of both sexes, this allowing the establishing of the common morphological features in the males and females of the same species, as well of those present at the genus level. The males of the genus Antiparus n. g. and of the species Antiparus longisetosus n. sp., Poorea obscurus n. sp. and P. tanzaniensis n. sp. and the females of the genus Kalloleptochelia n. g. and of the species Alloleptochelia insolita n. sp., A. multiarticulata n. sp., Kalloleptochelia maiorina n. sp., K. pauxilla n. sp., K. robusta n. sp. and Leptochelia afrieurina n. sp. are unknown. The identification keys of the leptocheliid subfamilies are presented, for the genera of the subfamilies Leptocheliinae and Konariinae, as well as the identification keys of the species of the genera Leptochelia, Alloleptochelia n. g., Kalloleptochelia n. g., Makassaritanais Guţu, 2012, Metaleptochelia n. g. and Poorea Edgar, 2012, and of the new species of the genus Chondrochelia n. g. Considering that the females and males of the species of the family Leptocheliidae have different morphological features, the key of the genera of the subfamily Leptocheliinae (the most numerous within the family, having 20 genera) refers both to the common features of the two sexes (when it was possible) and separately, for females and males allowing a more precise identification. The studied material provided from the Indo-West-Pacific shallow waters. The comments from the Addendum refer to the recent English version of the chapter Order Tanaidacea (revised and updated by Kim Larsen after the original text co-authored by Modest Guţu and the late Jürgen Sieg), from the well-known Traité de Zoologie (Tome VII, Fascicule III A, Crustacés Pracarides), founded by P.-P. Grassé. That new version contains numerous unacceptable mistakes since the author was not consulted or at least informed about the re-publication, as it would have been ethically appropriate.

Marine Biodiversity of Costa Rica, Central America

Marine Biodiversity of Costa Rica, Central America
Author: Ingo S. Wehrtmann
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 545
Release: 2008-12-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1402082789

Life began in the sea, and even today most of the deep diversity of the planet is marine. This is often forgotten, especially in tropical countries like Costa Rica, renowned for their rain forests and the multitude of life forms found therein. Thus this book focusing on marine diversity of Costa Rica is particularly welcome. How many marine species are there in Costa Rica? The authors report a total of 6,777 species, or 3. 5% of the world’s total. Yet the vast majority of marine species have yet to be formally described. Recent estimates of the numbers of species on coral reefs range from 1–9 million, so that the true number of marine species in Costa Rica is certainly far higher. In some groups the numbers are likely to be vastly higher because to date they have been so little studied. Only one species of nematode is reported, despite the fact that it has been said that nematodes are the most diverse of all marine groups. In better studied groups such as mollusks and crustaceans, reported numbers are in the thousands, but even in these groups many species remain to be described. Indeed the task of describing marine species is daunting – if there really are about 9 million marine species and Costa Rica has 3. 5% of them, then the total number would be over 300,000. Clearly, so much remains to be done that new approaches are needed. Genetic methods have en- mous promise in this regard.