Synopsis of terrestrial isopods (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea) from Brazilian caves, with emphasis on new records from north, midwest, northeast and southeast regions

ABSTRACT

Terrestrial isopods are one of the most diverse groups in the subterranean environment. To date, 39 oniscidean species are known from Brazilian caves; however, this number falls far short of the real diversity of the group, because even in the best studied areas new records are still frequent. During the last years many surveys in several caves from the states of Bahia, Minas Gerais, Goiás and Pará have been conducted. These efforts resulted in a representative scientific collection with great diversity of oniscideans. Here we addressed the current state of knowledge of oniscidean fauna from Brazilian caves compiling the described species and adding new records of our own surveys. We present a list of 24 new records of terrestrial isopods from 53 caves, with brief comments about the presence of troglomorphic character states and known distribution, in- and outside of caves. Also, we addressed the need of validation of new species and of additional efforts to assign a conservation category to each one, which is the key step to the preservation of the subterranean environment and its biodiversity. Any delay may yield permanent loss of biodiversity of these localities, considering the several conservation concerns the Brazilian caves have been facing.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:5883EF8A-7CFF-4C98-A5FA-1B06ABEE23D8

KEYWORDS:

• Serra do Ramalho
• Altamira
• São Desidério
• São Domingos
• Chapada Diamantina

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr. Eleonora Trajano, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), for the donation of specimens of Microsphaeroniscus; to BS Brito, R Bessi, JE Gallão, A Giupponi, N Hattori, FD Passos, D Pedroso, B Rantin, PP Rizzato, D Sansone, RC Santos, RH Santos, T Scatolini, L Senna-Horta, LB Simões, JS Souza, E Trajano, DM Von-Schimonsky and T Zepon, for field assistance; to Dr AMPM Dias, coordinator of the National Institute of Science and Technology of the Hymenoptera Parasitoids from Brazilian Southeast Region (INCT Hympar Sudeste, Fapesp grant 2008/57949-4 and CNPq grant 573802/2008-4), for allowing the use of scanning electron microscope; to Dr LBDR Fernandes, biologist of DEBE/ UFSCar, for taking the SEM images; and to Instituto Chico Mendes para Conservação da Biodiversidade for the collection license [ICMBIO, 20165-1].

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The first author was supported by PhD fellowship granted by CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior), the field samples were supported by Postgraduate Program on Ecology and Natural Resources from Federal University of São Carlos (PPG-ERN UFSCar); ISC-F is supported by PNPD fellowship granted by CAPES [n. 201713705-5]; MEB was funded by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), [n. #2008/05678-7; #2010/08459-4]; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) supplied fundings for research (PU #457413/2014-0) and Productivity Research Scholarships to MEB (PQ 303715/2011-1, 308557/2014-0 and 310378/2017-6); Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) supplied a Productivity Research Scholarship to PBA [PQ 305900/2014-5]. This study was financed in part by CAPES, Finance Code 001.