The first record of the Indo-Pacific benthic ctenophore Coeloplana (Benthoplana) meteoris (Ctenophora: Coeloplanidae) in the ArabianPersian Gulf

This report presents the first occurrence of the Indo-Pacific benthic ctenophore Coeloplana (Benthoplana) meteoris (Thiel, 1968) in the western part of the Arabian-Persian Gulf, extending its range to 2000km, a record that illustrates a cyclic event observed in the Marine Arabic Province. The seasonal biodiversity influx of invertebrates from the Indian Ocean that establish themselves for a short period of time in the west of the Gulf before the extreme high temperatures takes place in the summer.This publication was made possible by the internal Project Award within the Environmental Science Centre at Qatar University entitled “Qatar’s Marine Bio-Bank” that aimed to identify and save a marine collection, the marine biodiversity of the Qatar Marine Zon

Recognizing Panulirus meripurpuratus sp. nov. (Decapoda: Palinuridae) in Brazil—Systematic and biogeographic overview of Panulirus species in the Atlantic Ocean

Genetic analysis divides Panulirus argus into two different species, physically separated by the Amazon-Orinoco plume since the Last Glacial Maximum. Panulirus argus sensu stricto is distributed north of this biogeographic barrier and the second species to the south, occurring in Brazil. The Panulirus species in the Atlantic Ocean are being overfished and the standing stocks are unknown and still not considered endangered or threatened due to a deficiency of precise abundance data. The lack of data makes it impossible to undertake an effective conservation and management policy. In order to assist in the future management and conservation of the Spiny Lobster in the Atlantic Ocean and particularly for the indigenous species from Brazilian waters, this study formally recognizes and describes a new species, Panulirus meripurpuratus sp. nov., for what was previously known as P. argus in Brazilian waters, and differentiates it from Panulirus argus from North American waters and the Caribbean Sea. The work also presents an overview of the biogeographic distribution of the species and presents two identification keys to Atlantic species, one based on morphology and the other on live colouration

The benthic sea-silk-thread displacement of a sessile bivalve, Pinctada imbricata radiata (Leach, 1819) in the Arabian-Persian Gulf

<div><p>A number of molluscs within the Class Bivalvia are defined by their ability to secrete fine silk like threads known as byssus which are used to anchor themselves to solid substrates. With relatively few exceptions the majority of these species remain in a sedentary state throughout their life attached via their byssal threads. However, observations of adult <i>Pinctada imbricata radiata</i> pearl oysters made during this study revealed this species’ ability to implement active movement. Byssal threads were secreted in a sequence of attachment and detachment phases, which resulted in the active displacement of the oyster. The oyster was observed, in the laboratory over a 9 day period, travelling a distance of 28cm in a horizontal path. After horizontal displacement, a vertical climbing phase was observed until the oyster reached the water surface at which point the byssus was discarded and the animal dropped, drifting in accordance with water current intensity. It is possible that these adaptations of byssal use are a result of environmentally induced evolutionary change within <i>P</i>. <i>i</i>. <i>radiata</i>.</p></div

Marine collection in Qatar - basis for biodiversity management

Biological Collections, which deal directly with identifying and documenting biodiversity, have a major role in assisting biodiversity management. They form the basis for research, documenting flora and fauna and creating repositories of biological information. Without taxonomic research the biological collections would be merely a collection of curious objects, of limited value to our understanding of the natural world. The Environmental Scientific Centre of Qatar University has created a Marine Collection to house the species collected in the region. The species are being identified by taxonomists and deposited in the Marine Collection with a Collection Number and accompanied by descriptive characteristics. The Specify Software Project, a database platform for museum and herbarium research data, is being used concomitantly for registration of each species. The collection includes marine animals from coastal and offshore waters of Qatar, such as invertebrates (poriferas, cnidarians, crustaceans, gastropods, molluscs, echinoderms and others) and vertebrate specimens (urochordata, cephalochordate, Condrictyes, Osteicties and Reptiles). A total of 4830 specimens was collected and are being deposited in the Collection, as well as subsequent samples from new projects, including species for articles in preparation which are currently listed as a new occurrence in Qatar such as; Coeloplana (Benthoplan) meteoris,Branchyostoma arabia, Paranchystus pictodontaeamong several other species. Furthermore the collection houses a new systematic ofPortunus segnis, and the biodiversity of benthic organisms from offshore oyster beds and crabs from the mangrove ecosystem. It is well recognized for any impending assessment of biodiversity indices a baseline of existing data is required and the marine collection at the ESC will be a crucial tool in any future research or environmental monitoring programs that might be undertaken in not only Qatar but the Arabian Gulf.qscienc

Towards Sustainable Management of Coastal and Offshore Islands in Arabian Gulf Typology: Sensitivity Analysis, Ecological Risk Assessment of Halul and Al-Alyia Islands

The great majority of marine ecosystems in Qatar are in fast decline and nearing collapse, where most ecosystem has lost the biological and economic functionality. Aiming to support the decision makers in the management and restoration strategies for recovering the biological and economic functionality of the ecosystems/natural resources of Qatar, we conducted 1) a typology mapping of the main components of the ecosystem of two islands, 2) a sensitivity and vulnerability assessment according to the known guidelines and standards. Highlighting the potential ecological risk and required recommendations for sustainable management plans, within the frame of Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030). The Islands present different anthropogenic pressure. As expected, Al Alyia the coastal Island is under real risk, with critical areas of sensibility but still presenting a potential for recovering its economy and ecological functionality, highlighting the collapsed stage of the very sensitive coral reefs, the vulnerability of oyster beds and seagrass and the functionality of the mangrove (expanding) and Sabha with massive birds nesting. The offshore Island Halul presented in the typology mapping the coral reefs as the main ecosystem but with the presence of seagrass, algae bed, sandy beach, and Sabha. The coral reef still presents a certain functionality, with corals covering several hard substrates, however with high sensitivity and high vulnerability, especially the coral in the shallow areas with scattered colonies, and the vulnerable nesting of marine turtles on beaches. As the management, we recommend increasing the restoration effort of targeted ecosystems, mainly involving coral reefs for increasing the marine biodiversity in general and restoring the oyster beds for recovering the filtration service. Strategies must be made for recovering the ecosystems' functionality and restore the productivity of the Qatari fishing stock. We recommend applying this mapping method and sensitivity classification for all marine areas around Qatar for supporting the management plans

De novo transcriptome assembly of the Qatari pearl oyster Pinctada imbricata radiata

© 2019 The pearl oyster Pinctada imbricata radiata is an iconic species in Qatar, representing an integral part of the nation's cultural heritage and one of the main economic foundations upon which the nation developed. During the early part of the 20th century, nearly half the Qatar population was involved in the pearl oyster industry. However, the fishery has undergone steady decline since the 1930s, and the species is now under threat due to multiple confounding pressures. This manuscript presents the first de novo transcriptome of the Qatari pearl oyster assembled into 30,739 non-redundant coding sequences and with a BUSCO completeness score of 98.4%. Analysis of the transcriptome reveals the close evolutionary distance to the conspecific animal Pinctada imbricata fucata but also highlights differences in immune genes and the presence of distinctive transposon families, suggesting recent adaptive divergence. This data is made available for all to utilise in future studies on the species.This publication was made possible by the NPRP award [NPRP9-394-1-090 “The Pearl Oyster: from national icon to guardian of Qatar's marine environment”] from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The findings herein reflect the work, and are solely the responsibility, of the authors. In addition, the authors would like to thank Prof. Eduarda Santos for advice regarding sequencing requirements and Mr. Mark Chatting and Mr. Reyniel Gasang for their support in the collection of the samples

Target gastropods for standardizing the monitoring of tar mat contamination in the Arabian Gulf

This study proposes a standardization process for the monitoring the level of tar mat contamination in the Arabian Gulf. In the study, we selected target gastropod species and evaluated the ecological and ecotoxicological effects of tar mats on their populations, the bioaccumulation of heavy metals, and these species’ potential as bioindicator taxa for tar mat-associated heavy metals. The study was carried out at two sites on the Qatar coast on shoreline rocks, both of which have areas of tar mat coverage and areas without tar mats. The species selected as representative species for the ecoregion were the endemic Clypeomorus bifasciata persica (Houbrick, 1985) in the intertidal zone and the Echinolittorina arabica (El Assal, 1990) in the supratidal zone. Both are grazers and are niche restricted to hard substrates and daily scraping/grazing on the tar mat deposition zone of the shorelines. The key heavy metal indicators chosen were As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn, and the gastropod species were divided into classes according to their size. Tar mat presence was found to negatively affect both the overall population size of Clypeomorus and different size classes, and lead to high levels of assimilation of heavy metals. Tar mat presence also negatively affected different size classes of Echinolittorina where large sizes were found to be most significantly affected. The results also demonstrated that Cu and Ni are the heavy metals most associated with tar mat contamination of this kind. Overall, our results confirmed that grazer gastropods are good bioindicators of tar mat-associated contaminants in shoreline ecosystems. Our study provides the database on the heavy metal contamination of the proposed target gastropods, and offers information that will be relevant for further monitoring and comparisons among threatened coastal areas in the Arabian Gulf.This research was supported by the Qatar Petroleum through the project of QU (QUEX-ESC-QP-TM-18/19)

Two new sponge species (Demospongiae: Chalinidae and Suberitidae) isolated from hyperarid mangroves of Qatar with notes on their potential antibacterial bioactivity.

This study presents the taxonomic description of two new sponge species that are intimately associated with the hyperarid mangrove ecosystem of Qatar. The study includes a preliminary evaluation of the sponges' potential bioactivity against pathogens. Chalinula qatari sp. nov. is a fragile thinly encrusting sponge with a vivid maroon colour in life, often with oscular chimneys and commonly recorded on pneumatophores in the intertidal and shallow subtidal zone. Suberites luna sp. nov. is a massive globular-lobate sponge with a greenish-black colour externally and a yellowish orange colour internally, recorded on pneumatophores in the shallow subtidal zone, with large specimens near the seagrass ecosystem that surrounds the mangrove. For both species, a drug extraction protocol and an antibacterial experiment was performed. The extract of Suberites luna sp. nov. was found to be bioactive against recognized pathogens such as Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis, but no bioactive activity was recorded for Chalinula qatari sp. nov. This study highlights the importance of increasing bioprospecting effort in hyperarid conditions and the importance of combining bioprospecting with taxonomic studies for the identification of novel marine drugs.QNRF/URE

Modern problems in marine biodiversity records-illustrated by the case of the Caribbean Pelia mutica (Gibbes, 1850) confirmed in Brazil

This report confirms the presence of Pelia mutica in Brazil, extending its range by approximately 4000 km south to the southwestern Atlantic Ocean from its most southerly recorded distribution. The presence of this small ornamental marine crab with cryptic habits and native to Caribbean waters raises some challenging questions about modern problems in marine biodiversity records. This case is an excellent example in relation to the importance of diligent biodiversity monitoring. It highlights why the skills of taxonomists are paramount when identifying silent biological invasion of supposedly irrelevant alien species in a modern Anthropocene epoch within an alarming scenario of defaunation and mass extinction