Marcelo Visentini Kitahara

Centro de Biologia Marinha

Scleractinian corals are currently a focus of major interest because of their ecological importance and the uncertain fate of coral reefs in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressure. Despite this, remarkably little is known about the evolutionary origins of corals. The Scleractinia suddenly appear in the fossil record about 240 Ma, but the ran...

Background: Classical morphological taxonomy places the approximately 1400 recognized species of Scleractinia (hard corals) into 27 families, but many aspects of coral evolution remain unclear despite the application of molecular phylogenetic methods. In part, this may be a consequence of such studies focusing on the reef-building (shallow water a...

Dactylotrochus cervicornis (= Tridacophyllia cervicornis Moseley, 1881), which occurs in Indo-Pacific waters between 73 and 852 m, was originally described as an astraeid but was later transferred to the Caryophylliidae. Assumed to be solitary, this species has no stolons and only one elongated fossa, and is unique among azooxanthellate scleractini...

The 120 presently recognized genera and seven subgenera of the azooxanthellate Scleractinia are keyed using gross morphological characters of the corallum. All genera are illustrated with calicular and side views of coralla. All termes used in the key are defined in an illustrated glossary. A table of all species-level keys, both comprehensive and...

Secreted peptides, produced by enzymatic processing of larger precursor molecules, are found throughout the animal kingdom and play important regulatory roles as neurotransmitters and hormones. Many require a carboxy-terminal modification, involving the conversion of a glycine residue into an α-amide, for their biological activity. Two sequential e...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder involving mitochondrial dysfunction and consequent production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), generated after amyloid peptide (Aβ42) accumulation. In this study, we isolated a new antioxidant molecule from the sun coral Tubastraea tagusensis and analysed it in cells exposed to o...

Atlantic reef-building corals and coral reefs continue to experience extensive decline due to increased stressors related to climate change, disease, pollution, and numerous anthropogenic threats. To understand the impact of ocean warming and reef loss on the estimated extinction risk of shallow water Atlantic reef-building scleractinians and mille...

Background Mobulidae is a monophyletic family within the Myliobatiformes that comprises pelagic species represented by manta and devil rays. Among the genus Mobula, the Atlantic Pygmy Devil Ray - Mobula hypostoma - is reported in coastal regions exclusively in tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean from 1 to 100 m deep. In Brazil, M. hypostoma is...

Brazilian reefs are hypothesized as potential climate-change refugia due to the lower occurrence of coral bleaching events and mortality rates than other reefs regions worldwide. This hypothesis is called Brazilian Reef Refugia Hypothesis (BRRH). In this book chapter, we review the chronic and acute stressors that are currently affecting these uniq...

Corals are early-branching animals highly reliant on diverse symbionts for growth and reproduction. Most coral groups, including stony corals and hydrocorals, exhibit deep genetic divergence between the Atlantic (ATO) and Indo-Pacific (IPO) oceans, hampering their direct comparison. Although sibling zoanthid species (Hexacorallia: Zoantharia) devia...

Azooxanthellate scleractinian corals, a group of species that lack a symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellates, are influenced by environmental variables at various scales. As the global commitment to sustainably manage ocean ecosystems and resources rises, there is a growing need to describe biodiversity trends in previously unsampled areas. Ben...

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classification. In this context, the B Brazilian meg...

Endemic to the Brazilian fauna, the brain coral Mussismilia hispida is the second most widespread zooxanthellate coral of the South-west Atlantic and, most importantly, is within the main reef-building species of the region. Counterintuitively, M. hispida has one of its most abundant populations near its southernmost distributional limit, the Alcat...

Mass bleaching events are growing in duration and intensity. Besides causing extensive mortality, the progressively shorter time between events disrupts the ability of reefs to recover. The unique reefs of the Southwestern Atlantic are often considered climate refugia as they have suffered less bleaching-related mortality when compared to Indo–Paci...

The integration of morphological and molecular lines of evidence has enabled the family Deltocyathidae to be erected to accommodate Deltocyathus species that were previously ascribed to the family Caryophylliidae. However, although displaying the same morphological characteristics as other species of Deltocyathus, molecular data suggested that D. m...

Once considered the most speciose mostly azooxanthellate scleractinian group, the family Caryophylliidae is found to be highly polyphyletic based on molecular data and is undergoing a process of systematic revision. High-throughput sequencing methods coupled with morphological analyses have facilitated revision of several scleractinian lineages, in...

Imaging is increasingly used to capture information on the marine environment thanks to the improvements in imaging equipment, devices for carrying cameras and data storage in recent years. In that context, biologists, geologists, computer specialists and end-users must gather to discuss the methods and procedures for optimising the quality and qua...

Deep-water coral reefs are found worldwide and harbor biodiversity levels that are comparable to their shallow- water counterparts. However, the genetic diversity and population structure of deep-water species remain poorly explored, and historical taxonomical issues still need to be resolved. Here we used microsatellite markers as well as ultracon...

The total number of described, and known but undescribed, extant marine cnidarian species, from the Aotearoa New Zealand region, is 1420 (Table 6.1; Figs 6.1–6.3). In their first major inventory of the cnidarian fauna of New Zealand, Cairns et al. (2009) recorded 1112 marine species, of which 323 were undescribed or unidentified. Over the last deca...

A well-supported evolutionary tree representing most major lineages of scleractinian corals is in sight with the development and application of phylogenomic approaches. Specifically, hybrid-capture techniques are shedding light on the evolution and systematics of corals. Here, we reconstructed a broad phylogeny of Scleractinia to test previous phyl...

Background Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, is characterized by the amyloid plaques accumulation, generated after the APP cleavage by enzymes, being the most important the beta‐secretase‐1 (BACE1) (Hardy and Selkoe, 2002). Small‐molecule BACE1 inhibitors reduced the production of amyloid‐β peptide, but clinical trials ha...

We used transcriptome sequencing to investigate the hepatic postprandial responses of Rachycentron canadum (cobia), an important commercial fish species. In total, 150 cobia juveniles (50 per tank, triplicate) were fed ad libitum with a commercial diet for 7 days, fasted for 24 h, and fed for 10 min. The liver was sampled 10 min prior to feeding an...

Fast-growing and reproducing sun corals have successfully invaded rocky reefs around the Atlantic Ocean, markedly reducing the diversity of fouling invertebrates and macroalgae, and profoundly changing the composition of reef-associated mobile invertebrates. Here, we address sun-coral rubble depositions and report, for the first time, the effects o...

ABSTRACT: Two sun coral species, Tubastraea tagusensis and T. coccinea, have successfully colonized reef habitats along the Southwest Atlantic. However, their invasive biology has been largely addressed without considering species-specific distribution patterns. Here, we assessed the distribution and abundance of Tubastraea spp. at vertical rocky r...

Sun corals (Tubastraea spp.) have invaded the SW Atlantic coast in the 1980s, saturating vertical walls at heavily impacted areas. More recently, the boring bivalve Leiosolenus aristatus, another invasive species in the SW Atlantic, was found inhabiting sun corals. Here we show that Tubastraea tagusensis is the main coral host for L. aristatus at a...

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...

We used transcriptome sequencing to investigate the hepatic postprandial responses of Rachycentron canadum (cobia), an important commercial fish species. In total, 150 cobia juveniles (50 per tank, triplicate) were fed ad libitum with a commercial diet for 7 days, fasted for 24 h and fed for 10 min. Liver samples were sampled 10 min before and 30 m...

A revision of figure 3-4 is required, in response to the correspondence from Paris Alidoost Salima (PhD coral researcher: Islamic Azad University) notifying authors that the caption in monograph does not match published plates. Additionally, authors retract Paraconotrochus capensis (Gardiner, 1904) as a synonym of Monohedotrochus capensis comb. nov...

Background Caryophylliidae is one of the most diverse scleractinian families, however it was recovered as polyphyletic in multiple molecular studies. Recently, the mitochondrial gene order was proposed as a character for a taxonomic revision of the family. Here we describe the first mitogenome of the caryophylliid genus Crispatotrochus, whose phylo...

In this study we survey and analyze 300 projects related to marine biodiversity funded by FAPESP from 1972 to 2021, of which 46 were nested in the BIOTA Program. From a unique project in the 1970’s, the number gradually increased until 2009, when BIOTA promoted a call on marine biodiversity, which led to a boost in the number of funded projects in...

Scleractinian cold-water corals are found across the Northeast Atlantic, providing structure for important habitats that support high biodiversity. Climate-driven perturbations on parameters such as carbonate chemistry, oxygen, bottom currents, productivity and temperature have the potential to impact the abundance and diversity of these cold-water...

Background Caryophylliidae is one of the most diverse scleractinian families, however it was recovered as polyphyletic in multiple molecular studies. Recently, the mitochondrial gene order was proposed as a character for a taxonomic revision of the family. Here we describe the first mitogenome of the caryophylliid genus Crispatotrochus, whose phylo...

Molecularly, the family Caryophylliidae is polyphyletic and different sets of genetic data converge towards a consensus that a taxonomic review of this family is necessary. Overall, the order of genes in the mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) together with DNA sequences have been used to successfully untangle evolutionary relationships in several gr...

Macrorhynchia philippina is a colonial benthic hydroid from the Class Hydrozoa (Phylum Cnidaria) distributed in the tropical and subtropical marine waters from Atlantic Ocean, Indo-Pacific, and Mozambique. Its colonies somewhat resemble plants, causing confusion in the bathers who accidentally touch the animal. Acute burning/local pain, edema, eryt...

Most marine species have a planktonic larval phase that benefit from the surface oceanic flow to enhance their dispersion potential. For invasive species, the interaction of environmentally resistant larvae with different flow regimes and artificial substrates can lead to complex larval dispersion patterns and boost geographic expansion. In the Sou...

The family Plexauridae Gray, 1859 is characterized by grouping octocorals that have thick branches and coenenchyme. However, due to their relatively simple body plan, the establishment of homologous and, therefore, systematically informative morphological characters is a challenge for the systematics of Octocorallia. During the last decade, molecul...

The susceptibility of a community to invasions is not the only factor influencing the success of the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS). Because the conditions of the invaded environment tend to be unpredictable, plastic responses should increase the success of NIS in a new environment. Sun-corals are invaders in the Atlantic Ocean that p...

The recently erected macrocnemic family Hydrozoanthidae comprises relatively few species recorded from tropical and subtropical regions. In the Atlantic Ocean, this family has been reported only from three locations: the Caribbean Sea, the Argentine continental shelf and the Cape Verde Islands. Based on a study of colonies collected during scuba di...

In the Southwestern Atlantic reefs (SWA), some species of massive scleractinians and zoantharians are adapted to turbid waters, periodic desiccation, and sediment resuspension events. Moreover, phase shifts in this region have mostly been characterized by the emergence of algae and, less typically, zoantharians. However, nutrient excess and organic...

Globally, South Africa ranks in the top five countries regarding marine species richness per unit area. Given the high diversity, it is not surprising that many invertebrate taxa in the region are poorly characterised. The South African azooxanthellate Scleractinia (Anthozoa) is one such taxonomic group, and was last reviewed by Boshoff in 1980. Al...

New Caledonia stands on the eastern edge of the Australian tectonic plate, about 1,200 km east of Australia, at the southern edge of the tropical zone. e New Caledonia Exclusive Economic Zone extends over 1.1 million sq. km and its underwater geomorphology, which includes the Grand Passage, Loyalty Islands, northern Norfolk Ridge, Chesterfield Isla...

• The introduction of exotic species is one of the major causes for biodiversity loss in marine environments. Introduced species can change habitat complexity, impacting local communities and altering ecosystem functioning. • Since the 1980s, the scleractinian species Tubastraea coccinea and Tubastraea. tagusensis (commonly known as sun corals) hav...

Relatório Técnico para criação de um Parque Estadual Marinho no entorno da Ilha Anchieta, Ubatuba (SP) - Parque Estadual Marinho Tartaruga-de-Pente

The Southwestern Atlantic rocky reef ecosystems are undergoing significant changes due to sun-corals (Tubastraea tagusensis and T. coccinea) invasion. At Búzios Island, on the northern coast of São Paulo State, where the abundance of T. tagusensis is particularly high, some colonies are displaying tissue necrosis, a phenomenon never reported for th...

Anthozoan cnidarians (corals and sea anemones) include some of the world's most important foundation species, capable of building massive reef complexes that support entire ecosystems. Although previous molecular phylogenetic analyses have revealed widespread homoplasy of the morphological characters traditionally used to define orders and families...

Anthozoan cnidarians (corals and sea anemones) include some of the world's most important foundation species, capable of building massive reef complexes that support entire ecosystems. Although previous molecular phylogenetic analyses have revealed widespread homoplasy of the morphological characters traditionally used to define orders and families...

The regenerative capacity of cnidarians plays an essential role in the maintenance and restoration of coral reef ecosystems by allowing faster recovery from disturbances and more efficient small‐scale dispersal. However, in the case of invasive species, this property may contribute to their dispersal and success in nonnative habitats. Given that fo...

Significance Until now, all of the ca. 1,800 known modern scleractinian coral species were thought to produce skeletons exclusively of aragonite. Asymbiotic Paraconotrochus antarcticus living in the Southern Ocean is the first example of an extant scleractinian that forms a two-component carbonate skeleton, with an inner structure made of high-Mg c...

Abstract Evolutionary reconstructions of scleractinian corals have a discrepant proportion of zooxanthellate reef-building species in relation to their azooxanthellate deep-sea counterparts. In particular, the earliest diverging “Basal” lineage remains poorly studied compared to “Robust” and “Complex” corals. The lack of data from corals other than...

Identifying how past environmental conditions shaped the evolution of corals and their skeletal traits provides a framework for predicting their persistence and that of their non-calcifying relatives under impending global warming and ocean acidification. Here we show that ocean geochemistry, particularly aragonite–calcite seas, drives patterns of...

The Brazilian Continental Margin (BM) hosts one of the most poorly known deep-water fauna in the world, especially those referred to as habitat forming such as scleractinians and octocorallians (Cnidaria: Anthozoa). In waters deeper than 150 m, these anthozoans are the framework builders for coral reefs and coral gardens. Together, these habitats h...

Analyzing the mitochondrial 16S gene from specimens collected along the Brazilian coast, we expanded the current genetic diversity and phylogeny of the Christmas tree hydroid, Pennaria disticha Goldfuss, 1820 complex. A total of seven clades were retrieved, of which three were recovered among the newly added specimens—two were already known from di...

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...

Background: Commonly known as sun-coral, Tubastraea tagusensis is an azooxanthellate scleractinian coral that successfully invaded the Southwestern Atlantic causing significant seascape changes. Today it is reported to over 3500 km along the Brazilian coast, with several rocky shores displaying high substrate coverage. Apart from its singular invas...

Invasive species may compromise biodiversity and ecosystem services, and represent a steadily growing concern for coastal marine ecosystems. The marine aquarium trade (MAT) is the source of some of the world’s worst aquatic invasions, inflicting multimillion-dollar losses in infected regions. In the Southwestern Atlantic (SWA), two Indo-Pacific cor...

Containing 51 extant genera and over 300 species, the family Caryophylliidae Dana, 1846 is reported from Antarctica to the Arctic, ranging from shallow to deep waters. Even though most caryophylliids are solitary, the majority of the most extensive deep-water reefs have their main engineers in colonial representatives of this family. However, sever...

Marinas create physical and biotic conditions distinct from those in natural habitats which can facilitate the establishment of non-indigenous species (NIS) in coastal ecosystems. Using a series of images spanning nine years, we detected the introduction and followed the expansion of the NIS Tubastraea coccinea and T. tagusensis populations at a re...

The sun coral Tubastraea coccinea Lesson, 1829 (Dendrophylliidae) is a widely distributed shallow‐water scleractinian that has extended its range to non‐native habitats in recent decades. With its rapid spread, this coral is now one of the main invasive species in Brazil. Its high invasive capability is related to opportunistic characteristics, inc...

Coral reefs globally are threatened by climate change, but reef assemblages at high latitudes may serve as refugia. Marginal coral communities located in the subtropical Southwestern Atlantic are poorly studied, but were subject to an unprecedented heatwave and associated coral bleaching in 2019. Record values of 18.5 and 20.5 °C-weeks were registe...

Besides climate change, plastic pollution and bioinvasions are currently among the most pervasive human‐based threats to biodiversity (Molnar et al. 2008, Gall and Thompson 2015). Overall, plastic ingestion by marine animals, its toxicity, and the capability to take up and accumulate other toxins from the marine environment are some of the main rea...

In this study, a zoantharian specimen was found associated with a gorgonian colony of the genus Nicella (Anthozoa, Octocorallia), representing the first zoantharian-octocoral association reported from the southwestern Atlantic. Unexpectedly, phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial (COI and mt 16S rDNA) and nuclear (ITS-rDNA) markers assigned the spe...