Carlos Daniel Perez

• Dr.
• Professor (Full) at Federal University of Pernambuco

The chemical composition of spilt oils from events that took place on the north-eastern coast of Brazil in 2019 and 2022 was investigated to better understand their sources, and post-spill processes. Oils from both events originated from different sources, based on their fingerprints, hydrocarbons composition and specific biomarkers, such as the C2...

Aim Given the rapid pace of climate change and its significant impact on species distribution and survival, understanding the dynamics of ecological niches over time becomes imperative. By employing ecological niche models and species distribution models, alongside analyses of historical occurrence records and palaeoclimatic data, we aimed to asses...

The zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum secretes a large quantity of mucus that acts as a substrate for microbial communities. Culturable bacteria associated with P. caribaeorum mucus in northeastern Brazil were evaluated through 16S rRNA gene sequences. Proteobacteria was the dominant group, followed by Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. Vibrio was the most...

Hydroids are benthic cnidarians that have adapted to diverse marine environments through a wide variety of reproductive strategies and high phenotypic plasticity. This study aims at enhancing our understanding of the benthic hydroid diversity in underexplored areas of Brazil by analyzing hundreds of previously unexamined specimens. The study encomp...

Mucus, produced by Palythoa caribaeorum has been popularly reported due to healing, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects. However, biochemical and pharmacological properties of this mucus remains unexplored. Therefore, the present study aimed to study its proteome profile by 2DE electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF. Furthermore, it was evaluated the c...

Special Issue of Toxins. The deadline is only for reference. Call is open

Soft corals (Anthozoa: Octocorallia) are discreet components in the Southwestern Atlantic reef communities. In Brazil, the native octocoral shallow-reef fauna is mostly represented by gorgonians. Consequently, except for the nephtheid Neospongodes atlantica , most of the known soft corals from this region are considered non-indigenous. Hitherto, th...

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the gastroduodenal protective action of crude fraction extracted from P. caribaeorum mucus in Wistar rats. Main method: Initially, phytochemical screening was performed to measure secondary metabolites present in the extract. Subsequently, studies of gastroprotective action in Wistar rats were developed. The an...

The zoantharian Isaurus tuberculatus Gray, 1828 is highly variable in its morphology, and considered pantropical. As it is a shallow water and zooxanthellate species, its wide distribution has been questioned, and it is likely that the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific populations are distinct species. Here we update the distribution of this species in Bra...

The genus Callicarpa Fewkes, 1881 presently comprises two species of Leptothecate hydroids. Herein we redescribe one of these, C. chazaliei Versluys, 1899, originally described from Florida and known elsewhere only from Venezuela. With the only morphological account of this species being that of the original description, a detailed redescription an...

The current knowledge on the diversity of the genus Plexaurella is based on a series of dated revisions, often with no examination of types. Although being common octocorals in western Atlantic reefs, there is no consensus on an exact number of valid species. Furthermore, phylogenetic reconstructions do not support the current classification of Ple...

Despite the obvious negative effects caused by invasive species, some recent studies have shown that the impacts at local scale are diverse and not necessarily negative. Arborescent benthic organisms such as octocorals form three-dimensional structures capable of increasing the amount of substrate available and providing shelter for epibiont specie...

El Área Marina Protegida Namuncurá/ banco Burdwood fue creada en el año 2013 y fue la primera región protegida off-shore de la Argentina. Acompañando al Proyecto de Ley, se encontraba un informe técnico liderado por Falabella V. en el que se aportó, entre otras cosas, información sobre taxones bentónicos previamente registrados en el área (entre el...

In this study we report the presence of the soft coral Verticillata castellviae at 947 m deep, off Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, which constitutes the northernmost record for this species. The specimen was collected as a bycatch species with a troncopyramidal trap during an experimental cruise devoted to the study of the red crab Chaceon notial...

In this study we provide an updated checklist of benthic Cnidaria from SW Atlantic Ocean that comprised the Marine Protected Areas Namuncurá I and II, located at Burdwood bank, and other neighboring locations. A total of 88 taxa was recorded: 36 hydrozoans and 52 anthozoans from which 32 were octocorals, 10 scleractinian corals, 8 sea anemones and...

O ambiente marinho apresenta potencialmente uma enorme reserva de biodiversidade que pode ser explorada de maneira sustentável, como fonte de recursos renováveis, incluindo diversos alimentos e produtos naturais. Os invertebrados constituem um grupo diversifcado tanto do ponto de vista taxonômico quanto ecológico. A diversidade de hábitats e formas...

Deep-sea coral communities are poorly known in the Southwestern Atlantic (SWA), particularly in the equatorial/subequatorial latitudes embraced by the northeastern Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Such knowledge gap has lead to the idea that the latter has low species richness when compared to southern Brazilian regions. Recent studies, how...

The genus Zygophylax is a genus of leptothecate hydroids considerably rich in the number of species in the deep sea. In this study we review five species, Z. africana, Z. crozetensis, Z. infundibulum, Z. millardae and Z. geminocarpa, from southern Africa based on available material from several collections, describing and illustrating materials fro...

The characterization of benthic communities at the Burdwood Bank slope (≥200 m depth) is provided, comprising data from the marine protected area (MPA) Namuncurá II (created in December 2018), as well as from some deep bathyal surrounding areas in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. This information was acquired during two research cruises with RV Puerto...

A new deep-sea keroeidid octocoral, Ideogorgia laurae, is described from Burdwood Bank, Argentina. It is distinguished from its single congener by the presence of conspicuous calyces, anthocodial sclerites (flattened and warted rods) and large coenenchymal triradiates. This is the deepest and the first record of that genus outside southern African...

Black corals (Cnidaria: Hexacorallia: Antipatharia) occur in all oceans of the globe, especially at depths greater than 50 m. However, their richness is underestimated due to the scarcity of studies on this group, especially in deep waters. The south Atlantic is one of the most depauperate regions in terms of our knowledge of antipatharians. Herein...

This paper reports the in vitro antiproliferative effects, antiprotozoal, anti-herpes and antimicrobial activities of 32 organic extracts of 14 marine sponges and 14 corals collected in northeast Brazilian coast. The ethanolic extracts of the sponges Amphimedon compressa and Tedania ignis, and the acetone extract of Dysidea sp. showed relevant resu...

Mesophotic gorgonian corals comprise a polyphyletic group of octocorals mostly with a proteinaceous branching axial skeleton. Dense assemblages of gorgonian corals usually dominate the seascape in mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs). In this chapter, we review the mesophotic gorgonian coral biodiversity, followed by a synthesis of the ecological imp...

Climate and environmental conditions are determinant for coral distribution and their very existence. When changes in such conditions occur, their effects on distribution can be predicted through species distribution models, anticipating suitable habitats for the subsistence of species. Mussismilia harttii is one of the most endangered Brazilian en...

Climate and environmental changes are determinant for coral distribution and their very existence. Effects of such changes on distribution can be predicted through ecological niche models, anticipating suitable habitats for subsistence of species. Mussismilia harttii is one of the most widespread Brazilian endemic reef building corals, and in incre...

In the present study, we report recent findings of the sea pens Anthoptilum grandiflorum, Pennatula inflata and Halipteris africana in order to update their distributional information in areas under Argentine jurisdiction. In this sense, we update the southern distributional limit of the species in Argentina to the Burdwood Bank. We also report the...

Marine biotechnology is an emerging field in Brazil and includes the exploration of marine microbial products, aquaculture, omics, isolation of biologically active compounds, identification of biosynthetic gene clusters from symbiotic microorganisms, investigation of invertebrate diseases caused by potentially pathogenic marine microbes, and develo...

Marine invertebrates, such as sponges, tunicates and cnidarians (zoantharians and scleractinian corals), form functional assemblages, known as holobionts, with numerous microbes. This type of species-specific symbiotic association can be a repository of myriad valuable low molecular weight organic compounds, bioactive peptides and enzymes. The zoan...

Palythoa caribaeorum is a very common colonial zoanthid in the coastal reefs of Brazil. It is known for its massive production of mucus, which is traditionally used in folk medicine by fishermen in northeastern Brazil. This study identified biologically active compounds in P. caribaerum mucus. Crude mucus was collected during low tides by the manua...

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play regulatory roles in a diverse range of biological processes and are associated with the outcomes of various diseases. The majority of studies about lncRNAs focus on model organisms, with lessened investigation in non-model organisms to date. Herein, we have undertaken an investigation on lncRNA...

Three azulenoid sesquiterpenes (1- 3) were isolated from the Antarctic gorgonian Acanthogorgia laxa collected by bottom trawls at –343 m. Besides linderazulene (1), and the known ketolactone 2, a new brominated C-16 linderazulene derivative (3) was also identified. This compound has an extra carbon atom at C-7 of the linderazulene framework. The an...

Radicipes is an octocoral genus composed of whip-like chrysogorgiids. Representatives of this group, also called ‘pigtails’, occur in almost all continental margins around the globe. Since its description in the 19th century, no comprehensive revision of this genus has been made. Thus, we present herein a revision of Radicipes, with descriptions of...

The first open-sea (non-coastal) Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Argentina was created in 2013 (and named “Namuncurá”), at Burdwood Bank, an undersea plateau located about 200 km south from Malvinas/Falkland Islands, SW Atlantic Ocean. This contribution represents the most recent and complete checklist of benthic organisms (mainly mega and macrofaun...

Los octocorales constituyen un grupo faunístico de notable presencia en las comunidades bentónicas por su belleza, diversidad, abundancia y las relaciones interespecíficas. La sistemática y la zoogeografía de los antozoos constituyen un interesante problema a analizar, ya que en el Atlántico Sur los registros son escasos y desactualizados, excepto...

Sete espécies de octocorais são descritas para o litoral maranhense, incluindo o Parcel de Manuel Luis, que encontra-se a 184 km de São Luiz. Novos registros para varias praias do Estado de Maranhão são incluidos. As espécies coletadas foram Carijoa riisei, Pacifigorgia elegans, Leptogorgia miniata e Leptogorgia punicea. A pequena quantidade de esp...

Octocorals are a group of striking presence in marine benthic communities. With approximately 3400 valid species the taxonomy of the group is still not resolved, mainly because of the variability of morphological characters and lack of optimization of molecular markers. Octocorals are distributed in all seas and oceans of the world, from shallow wa...

Sea anemones (Order Actiniaria) are among the most well successful groups of animals on the planet. They are distributed along the entire planet in several environments, from pole to pole, and so far, there are more than 1000 species known by scientists. Despite the small number of species when compared to other groups, the knowledge of sea anemone...

Protopalythoa is a zoanthid that, together with thousands of predominantly marine species, such as hydra, jellyfish and sea anemones, composes the oldest eumetazoan phylum, i.e., the Cnidaria. Some of these species, such as sea wasps and sea anemones, are highly venomous organisms that can produce deadly toxins for preying, for defense or for terri...

RESUMO Isolados marinhos de Bacillus sp. foram investigados quanto à capacidade de produção das enzimas hidrolíticas extracelulares: amilase, celulase, esterase, fosfolipase, lipase, pectinase (poligalacturonase e pectato liase) e protease (caseinase e gelatinase). Todas as bactérias apresentaram pelo menos 4 das 9 enzimas testadas, verificado pela...

The genus Zygophylax Quelch, 1885 includes ca. 50 valid species of leptothecate hydroids that occur mainly in deep waters. Herein we describe Zygophylax kakaiba, sp. nov., collected in the Philippines at a depth of 580 m during the Siboga Expedition. Compared to its congeners, this species is distinguished by the abrupt curvature of the distal thir...

Current knowledge about the Brazilian deep-water octocoral fauna remains scarce, fragmented, and mostly based on unpublished, regional scale surveys. The present work provides the first comprehensive study of the family Chrysogorgidae Verrill, 1883 in Brazil, based on morphological analysis of specimens collected in the last decade and those curren...

Since the 1960s, it has been accepted that the distribution of reef-building corals off Brazil has its northernmost limit at the Manuel Luis Marine State Park (approximately 0°46´S, 44°15´W), about 530 km south of the Amazon River mouth. In the present study, we challenge this view and report a geographic extension of coral distribution of over 550...

Based on material collected during oceanographic campaigns in the western Atlantic from 1958 to 2011, two species of primnoid octocorals belonging to the genus Callogorgia were identified: Callogorgia americana and Callogorgia arawak sp. nov. These species are described and illustrated herein and their geographic and bathymetric are given. This is...

Análises dos genes 16S rDNA foram empregadas para identificar a microbiota isolada do muco do zoantídeo Palythoa caribaeorum de Porto de Galinhas, litoral do estado de Pernambuco, Brasil. Este estudo é importante pelo ineditismo dessa associação, pelas relevantes aplicações biotecnológicas da bactéria Alcanivorax dieselolei e pela indicação da pres...

In Brazilian reefs, zoanthids, especially Palythoa caribaeorum are fundamental for structuring the local benthic community. The objective of this study was to determine the growth rate of P. caribaeorum, and to assess the influence of the site (different beaches), season (dry and wet), location (intertidal or infralittoral zones), and human pressur...

The encrusting octocoral Erythropodium caribaeorum started being reported in several harbors of the northeastern Brazilian coast as an invasive species. In 2011 a new species was described for the Brazilian coast, Stragulum bicolor, and some of its paratypes were previously labeled as E. caribaeorum, but that study did not discuss the taxonomic val...

We report for the first time the association of some caridean shrimps with the octocoral Carijoa riisei (Cnidaria: Clavulariidae) and the sponge Dragmacidon reticulatum (Porifera: Axinellidae), in estuaries from northeastern Brazil. The alpheid shrimp Synalpheus apioceros, Synalpheus fritzmuelleri, Alpheus formosus, Alpheus carlae and the palaemoni...

Soft corals show a wide variety of reproductive strategies, including both asexual and sexual reproduction which can influence macro-evolutionary processes. The octocoral Carijoa riisei has an ample geographical distribution in Pacific and southern Atlantic and also in Caribbean region. This species was considered invasive in Hawaii, and its capaci...

This review explores the chemical and biological aspects/results reported in the literature of the octocoral species collected at the Brazilian Coast. This article summarizes the biological activities (including pharmacological, antifouling and others related to chemical ecology) for the compounds and/or extracts described elsewhere. Data and refer...

The present work tries to elarify the taxonomic status of species Renilla chilensis Philippi, 1892. This species was describes for the first time for R.A. Philippi (1892), but this diagnosis is very poor and don't have a description of sclerites and number of calicinal teeth, nevertheless its externa morphology, as soon as the bilobulate shape of t...

The construction of Suape's port in 1979 divided a natural reef line into two reefs (Suape and Muro Alto) and generated changes in the hydrodynamics along the coast of Pernambuco State, Brazil. We compared the composition of the macrobenthic communities on the two reefs to determine how they were affected by the construction of the port. Two season...

This study examined the trophic ecology of the zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum in tropical reefs and evaluated its role in the energy flow in that ecosystem. Colonies of this species were sampled in the infralittoral zone of reefs in north-eastern Brazil in 2008. We calculated the richness, total abundance, relative abundance and frequency of occurre...

Blackfordia virginica, a hydromedusa native to the Black Sea, has become established in a number of estuarine areas worldwide. In estuaries of northeastern Brazil, only a single published report, from the early 1960s, exists of the species and its establishment here has remained doubtful. On discovering specimens collected in the region at various...

The pennatulacean genus Sclerobelemnon has previously been distributed in the Indo-West Pacific Ocean, with only one described species from Western Atlantic Ocean. Specimens from an undescribed shallow-water species attributable to this genus (Family Kophobelemnidae) has been collected from Northern Brazil, representing the first record in the coun...

Palythoa caribaeorum is a zoanthid whose mucus is traditionally used by fishermen communities on the southern coast of the state of Pernambuco as an anesthetic and anti-inflammatory agent, as well as for the treatment of topical wounds. In order to evaluate a possible toxicity, hexane and ethanol extracts of the zoanthid obtained from the beaches...

Twenty-one species of black corals have been recorded in the Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to date, distributed mainly at depths greater than 20 m. The diversity of these environments along the northern and northeastern coasts of Brazil has been poorly investigated, in particular few information are available for the cnidarian fauna. This...

Biota Neotropica is an electronic, peer-reviewed journal edited by the Program BIOTA/FAPESP: The Virtual Institute of Biodiversity. This journal's aim is to disseminate the results of original research work, associated or not to the program, concerned with characterization, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity within the Neotropical reg...

This study was designed to evaluate prey selection (type and size) by the octocoral Carijoa riisei at Porto de Galinhas beach, Northeast Brazil, relating prey availability in plankton with the content inside polyps. Diatoms and cyanophytes were the predominant items found in both polyp gastric cavity and plankton. A correlation between prey abundan...

Este estudo foi desenvolvido para avaliar a seletividade de presas (tipo e tamanho) do octocoral Carijoa riisei na praia de Porto de Galinhas, nordeste do Brasil, relacionando a disponibilidade de presas no plâncton com o conteúdo gástrico dos pólipos. Diatomáceas e Cianofíceas foram os itens de presas mais abundantes tanto na cavidade gástrica dos...

The Oceanography Department of the Federal University of Pernambuco (DOCEANUFPE) possesses a large collection of octocoral samples from the Brazilian coast; most of which were collected during expeditions carried out on the oceanographic ships 'Akaroa,' 'Almirante Saldanha,' 'Antares,' 'Calypso,' and 'Canopus' between 1965 and 1971. This paper focu...

The genus Renilla is an interesting taxon for phylogenetic studies, which includes six species endemic to America with an anphiamerican distribution Pacific-Atlantic Ocean). A cladistic analysis of Renilla Lamarck, 1816 using eight characters from external morphology produced one cladogram (length 14, CI = 0.92, RI = 0.87), and the characters were...

Two new dolabellane diterpenoids (1 and 2) were isolated from a small sample of the deep water gorgonian octocoral Convexella magelhaenica collected as a nontarget by-catch by dredging (−93 m) in commercial Patagonian scallop fishing grounds in the South Atlantic. The structures of the new compounds, which are major metabolites in the extract, were...

This is the first record of the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis Stephenson, 1935, in Southern Hemisphere waters. Specimens of N. vectensis were collected in the surroundings of the Port of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. The species is native to the Atlantic coast of the United States of America; populations along the Pacific coast of the U...

Octocorals are common components of sublittoral benthic communities in temperate, tropical and polar areas. However, their natural diets and feeding rates are poorly known. The aim of this study was to determine qualitatively–quantitatively the diet of the octocoral Carijoa riisei (snowflake coral) and analyse the distribution and diet composition...

The present work records for the first time the association between ophiuroids and the octocoral Carijoa riisei. Carijoa riisei is a colonial octocoral very abundant in the littoral of Pernambuco (Brazil), with growth by creeping stolons with an arborescent structure creating an optimal environment for epibionts. The objectives of the work were to...

O presente trabalho representa a primeira análise das atividades analgésica e antiinflamatória do extrato bruto hidroalcoólico do zoantídeo Palythoa caribaeorum. Foram realizados os testes de Writhing induzido por ácido acético (1%, 10 mL.kg-1 i.p.) e da chapa quente em camundongos para avaliar o efeito analgésico; e o teste de edema de pata de rat...

The community associated with the zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum on shores (Porto de Galinhas and Guadalupe) in northeastern Brazil were analysed. Seasonal samples (dry and wet) were made in both beaches throughout oneyear. This preliminary study identified 28 taxa and recognized two modes of existence, endobionts (three taxa) and hypobionts (25 tax...

Foi coletada uma pequena colônia de Leptogorgia punicea (Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1857) no mediolitoral da praia da Marcela. A coleta representa o primeiro registro para o Estado do Maranhão, tornando continua sua distribuição ao longo da costa ocidental americana.A small colony of Leptogorgia punicea (Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1857) was sampled in the...

The type species of Tanacetipathes Opresko, 2001 is Antipathes tanacetum Pourtalès, 1880. Pourtalès did not designate a holotype for A. tanacetum, nor did he indicate which form he thought was the most “typical” of the species. Because of the similarities of some of the syntypes with other nominal species, it is necessary to select a lectotype from...

The type species of Tanacetipathes Opresko, 2001 is Antipathes tanacetum Pourtales, 1880. Pourtalès did not designate a holotype for A. tanacetum, nor did he indicate which form he thought was the most "typical" of the species. Because of the similarities of some of the syntypes with other nominal species, it is necessary to select a lectotype from...

The present study deals with six new records of octocoral species (two alcyoniid soft corals and four primnoid gorgonians) for the south western Atlantic Ocean. These new records, mainly for the gorgonians, improves the knowledge of their present distribution. The species Thouarella koellikeri and Dasystenella acanthina have their known distributio...

The present study deals with six new records of octocoral species (two alcyoniid soft corals and four primnoid gorgonians) for the south western Atlantic Ocean. These new records, mainly for the gorgonians, improves the knowledge of their present distribution. The species Thouarella koellikeri and Dasystenella acanthina have their known distributio...

This is a taxonomic study of the species Pennatula argentina Acuña & Zamponi, 1992. The paratype is redescribed with reference to a number of characters: polyps arising directly from the rachis; the presence of polyps in oblique rows; adjacent polyps fused at the base; polyps non-retractile; absence of calyces; absence of sclerites except for minut...

A new species and genus of scleraxonian octocoral from the South Atlantic is described and illustrated. The specimen is characterized by a medulla highly penetrated with solenia and not separated from the cortex by a boundary of longitudinal canals; therefore, it belongs to the family Briareidae. The material studied differs from the genusBriareum,...

ABSTRACT: The present work tries to elarify the taxonomic status of species Renilla chilensis Philippi, 1892. This species was describes for the first time for R.A. Philippi (1892), but this diagnosis is very poor and don’t have a description of sclerites and number of calicinal teeth, nevertheless its externa morphology, as soon as the bilobulate...

This study was made with samples from the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean.Description of a new species of genus Stylatula:Stylatula polyzooidea n.sp.;this species is characterized for the presence of 32-44 autozooids and 10-14 sclerites in each leaf.The species S.darwini,S.antillarum and Virgularia mirabilis are redescribed.This paper is the first cita...

One specimen from collections of Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences "Bernardino Rivadavia" was analized, belonging to the Renillidae family. It was Renilla octodentata found in Valparaíso Bay, Chile, and it constitute the first record for Pacific Ocean. Apparently the chilean specimen is bigger and more heavy than the Atlantic's

One specimen from collections of Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences "Bernardino Rivadavia" was analized, belonging to the Renillidae family. It was Renilla octodentata found in Valparaíso Bay, Chile, and it constitute the first record for Pacific Ocean. Apparently the Chilean specimen is bigger and more heavy than the Atlantic's organisms.

This study was made with samples from the SW Atlantic Ocean. Renilla octodentata n. sp. and R. musaica n. sp. are described.Renilla muelleri and R. reniformis are redescribed. The geographical and bathymetrical distribution of the species is given.