Abnormal embryonic development may result from mutations caused by genetics, environmental conditions or viruses. This study reports cases of cyclopia and a mouth malformation in two embryonic blue shark Prionace glauca collected off southern Brazil (South-western Atlantic). Such malformations are likely to reduce the chances of survival of embryos and neonates.

The anthracological analyses of domestic and ceremonial contexts of proto-Jê archaeological sites in southern Brazil and Argentina have yielded data regarding landscape, fire technology, fuel economy, wood selection, and wood use from about 1200 to 250 years BP. The inhabitants of these sites built up the landscape that they occupied, actively constructing and experiencing their domestic and ceremonial places and possibly engaging in vegetation management practices. They gathered timber and firewood in the Araucaria Forest and in intensely modified areas covered by secondary vegetation. These practices likely included logging and gathering fallen deadwood. Our data indicate cultural selection of particular species. Inga sp., Jacaranda sp., and Araucaria angustifolia were probably selected because of the meaning of these woods in the cosmological dual system of proto-Jê societies. Bamboos and palm stems may have been used as kindling and for fire making. These results are an important contribution to our understanding of the proto-Jê occupation and the relationships that these groups maintained with their plant environment.

Este artigo apresenta um processo de ocupação de grupos construtores de cerritos no sítio arqueológico Pontal da Barra, localizado no estuário da Laguna dos Patos, sul do Brasil. Ocupado entre 2500 e 1800 anos aP como área de acampamentos e, posteriormente, entre 1800 e 1200 anos aP como área de ocupação permanente, o Pontal da Barra foi abandonado por volta de 1000 anos aP. Esse processo é evidenciado arqueologicamente pela complexificação de estruturas arquitetônicas monticulares e suas áreas adjacentes, pelo manejo de sedimento interno nos montículos, além dos aspectos multifuncionais e monumentais dos aterros. Como parte de um território regional, o banhado do Pontal da Barra se tornou um espaço significativo no domínio espacial dos grupos cerriteiros. O sítio foi sistematicamente ocupado ao longo de 1.500 anos, compondo uma comunidade de pescadores, agentes de uma história indígena de longa duração.

A high-resolution pollen record of the Atlantic rain forest (ARF) biome from the coastal Serra do Tabuleiro mountains of southern Brazil documents an 11,960 yr history of vegetation and climate change. A marked expansion of Weinmannia into the grassland vegetation marks the latter part of the Younger Dryas, reflecting warm and relatively wet conditions. Between 11,490 and 9110 cal yr BP, grasslands became dominant again, indicating a long cold and dry phase, probably in response to the stronger influence of cold South Atlantic seawater and to Antarctic cold fronts. Between 9110 and 2640 cal yr BP, four distinct phases with strong or moderate expansions of different ARF biome taxa were recorded, reflecting warmer and relatively dry conditions with changes in rainfall and length of the annual dry season. After 2640 cal yr BP, the modern ARF biome became established with high amounts of ferns, reflecting somewhat cooler and wetter conditions with a reduced annual dry season. In particular, after 1000 cal yr BP tree ferns increased, reflecting wetter conditions with no dry season.

This study described the myliobatids caught in artisanal beach seine fisheries in southern Brazil. Fieldwork was carried out from spring 2012 to winter 2014 in Cassino Beach (Rio Grande, Brazil). Both retained and discarded specimens were identified to species level, and sex, maturity and disc width (DW in cm) were recorded. A total 359 specimens of Myliobatis spp. were recorded, of which 43.4% were from fishery discards, 31.5% from beach seine and 25.1% from drifting gill-net (‘lance de praia’, a fishery that has developed recently in the study area). Catches of myliobatids were higher in the spring and autumn. A total of 94 Myliobatis goodei (24 males, 69 females (eight pregnant) and one unsexed), and 179 Myliobatis ridens were recorded (24 males, 148 females (17 pregnant) and seven unsexed). Myliobatis goodei ranged in size from 45.0–65.0 cm DW (males) and 43.3–115.0 cm DW (females). Myliobatis ridens were 45.0–59.0 cm DW (males) and 41.2–98.0 cm DW (females). Both beach seine and gill-net fisheries operated in potential nursery areas for these myliobatid rays, as indicated by the proportionally high number of mature females (including pregnant females) and juveniles found in this study. The rays probably feed and give birth during the warmer seasons of the year (spring and summer) in these areas.

Lacydonia Marion & Bobretzky in Marion, 1874 is the only known genus in Lacydoniidae Bergström, 1914, which is composed of small polychaetes scarcely sampled. Studies on the biology and ecology of this group are rare and most species descriptions are based on one or a few specimens. There are 13 nominal species from different parts of the world. We revise herein the morphological characters used for species description on the basis of a lacydoniid assemblage collected in Campos Basin, Southern Brazil. Material was obtained in two sampling campaigns during the Project Habitats/Petrobras – Heterogeneidade Ambiental da Bacia de Campos, coordinated by CENPES/Petrobras. Lacydoniids were collected from the continental shelf, canyons and slope, at depths from 25 to 2500 m. This polychaete family is recorded for the first time in Brazilian waters, three new species are described and all others are new records to the South Atlantic. The new species are Lacydonia anapaulae sp. nov., L. brasiliensis sp. nov. and L. jacki sp. nov. Newly recorded species are L. cirrata (Hartman & Fauchald, 1971), L. laureci Laubier, 1975, L. miranda Marion & Bobretzky in Marion, 1874, L. oculata (Hartman, 1967) and L. cf. papillata Uschakov, 1958. An updated key to all described species of Lacydonia is included.

Age structure and hatchling dates of the squid Illex argentinus collected by bottom-trawl fishery in southern Brazilian waters were assessed by the analysis of statolith growth increments. Catches occurred between 2001 and 2002, from 23° to 32°S at depths of 100–700 m. Squid from juvenile to post-spawning stages were collected year round, with age estimated from 98 to 320 days and mantle lengths ranging from 112 to 376 mm. Duration of life cycle events based on statolith growth zones revealed that squids can spend about 14% of their lifespan as paralarva (~30 days), 70% as juvenile (~130 days), leaving maturity and spawning condition to the terminal 10–20% (~30–60 days). The results suggest that, unlike estimates available for Patagonian populations, a general 0.5 year lifespan is predicted for I. argentinus off Brazil. The wide range of size-at-ages implied that catches of shortfin squid off southern Brazil probably include squid hatched throughout the year. Mature and spawning squid caught in summer months hatched in winter and spring, while winter catches revealed mature-spawning individuals hatched both in summer/autumn (~6 months of age) and winter/spring periods (~10–11 months of age). It has been argued that such groups may combine both squid resident of Brazilian outer shelf and slope (22°–34°S) with a six months' lifespan and migrating squid originated from the northern Patagonian shelf (~42°S) with 10–11 months' lifespan.

Bottom trawling is a large-scale fishing activity along the Brazilian coast, but its effects on benthic infauna are still poorly known. This is the first experimental evaluation of benthic responses to bottom trawling along the Brazilian coast. We tested the effects of trawling on macroinfaunal assemblages on the inner continental shelf off Paraná (southern Brazil) by using a sampling design with adjacent trawl and control areas. We hypothesized that if trawl fishing has a negative effect then we should expect lower numbers of species and lower benthic densities after an experimental trawling. Sampling was conducted at adjacent sites within each area to minimize confounding due to spatial variation. Five sites were sampled at a control, and five at an experimental area for infaunal and sedimentological variables. Sampling was carried out just before and one hour after experimental trawling. Multidimensional scaling followed by a PERMANOVA did not show any clear variation tendencies in the structure of the benthic assemblages in the impacted area before and after trawling. However, variance analysis showed a significant and unexpected increase in infaunal total density, in the density of the numerically dominant species (except for the polychaetes Capitella sp. and Loandalia tricuspis) and in species richness in the experimental area. Conversely, no significant variations were recorded in the control area. We suggest that the overall increase in benthic density after a disturbance is correlated with the reworking of the sediment matrix and benefits the suspension-feeders after sediment resuspension.

Two jellynose fish captured in southern Brazilian waters were identified and compared with the previous descriptions of ateleopodid species to improve our understanding of the diversity and distribution of these fish off Brazil. The body of each individual is elongate, tapering, and posteriorly compressed, with a large, robust head with relatively small eyes (~7% head length), a short trunk and a long tail. Radiographs of the specimens show two undeveloped pelvic rays buried in integument and five caudal rays originating from the last vertebrae which are exclusive characteristics of Ijimaia antillarum.

The franciscana dolphin has been considered the most threatened small cetacean in the south-western Atlantic Ocean due to gillnet by-catch. The estimation of the species' abundance has been recommended as the highest research priority. A line transect aerial survey to estimate franciscana abundance in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil, was carried out in February 2004. The overall surveyed area comprised 13,341 km2 and at least 20 transect lines. Abundance was estimated using distance sampling methods and assuming g(0) = 0.304. The corrected density is 0.51 franciscanas/km2, resulting in an abundance estimation of 6839 franciscanas (CV = 32%; 95% CI = 3709–12,594) for the surveyed area in Rio Grande do Sul. To improve this estimate: (a) perception bias should be determined; (b) the parameters influencing availability bias should be identified and quantified; and (c) survey sample size should be increased. While the lack of data to correct for perception bias and group size underestimation in this aerial survey is likely to yield an underestimate of franciscana abundance, the use of surfacing and diving time data from boat and land-based surveys to correct for availability bias is likely to cause its overestimation. Alternative values of the g0 group-size estimates and rates of increase were incorporated in the analyses, creating 240 different estimates of annual increment for this franciscana population. Even in the most optimistic scenario, the annual increment of franciscanas is not sustainable with the current levels of by-catch in Rio Grande do Sul, and fishery management to reduce by-catch must be initiated promptly.

The silver porgy (Diplodus argenteus) is an occasional cleaner of two species of fish in the southern portion of the south-west Atlantic. We record herein for the first time this fish species associating with green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and cleaning their carapaces. Only juveniles were recorded cleaning turtles, scraping off microorganisms that fouled the carapace.

The patterns of habitat use by the franciscana dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei) along its distribution are poorly known. This study investigates the patterns of habitat use with respect to depth for 181 individuals of different age, size, gender and reproductive condition off Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. The results reveal that franciscanas are very homogeneously distributed according to depth. Individuals from all lengths utilize nearly the entire range of depths of the surveyed area. Larger or older animals do not use deeper waters than younger animals, indicating that body size and age are not limiting factors for franciscanas that occupy deeper or offshore waters. Gestation seems to not cause a change in the distribution of females. Although the sex-ratio of the overall data did not vary from 1:1 in different depth intervals, a small-scale comparison between the northern and southern coast demonstrated the existence of some kind of sexual segregation. Franciscana by-catch in Rio Grande do Sul is not sustainable and it is agreed that management procedures are needed. Nevertheless, the available data on species distribution do not allow the designing of a protected area in order to minimize the by-catches of a particular sex/reproductive class.

A total of 152 shark specimens of the genus Etmopterus were collected in southern Brazil between Chuí (34°20′S) and the Santa Marta Grande Cape (28°30′S). The specimens were caught by bottom-trawl cruises at depths ranging between 100 and 600 m from August to September 2001 and March to April 2002. The species, identified as Etmopterus gracilispinis, E. lucifer and E. bigelowi, occurred only in the south of 31°S at different depth layers. Etmopterus bigelowi occurred in the deep strata from 400–599 m, whereas E. gracilispinis occurred from 300–599 m. Moreover, two sampled E. lucifer males occurred at a depth of 540 m. The hydrographic conditions of temperature and salinity revealed no seasonal differences. The fact that most of the collected specimens were immature is strong evidence of size segregation, suggesting that the adults of these species occur at depths greater than 600 m. Sexual maturity in E. bigelowi occurred at 63–65 cm total length (TL) in females and 60 cm TL in males. All E. gracilispinis specimens were immature. One E. bigelowi female caught in August was pregnant. Birth was confirmed only in March for E. bigelowi and E. gracilispinis with TL at birth of about 17 and 13 cm, respectively.

Neohelice granulata is a crab found in salt marshes and mangroves of the south and south-eastern Atlantic coast of South America. Reproductive biology was studied by taking samples for two years at two salt marshes—‘Prainha’ and ‘Ilha’—in the estuarine region of Patos Lagoon (southern Brazil). Ovigerous females were found most of the year in both salt marshes with average CW ranging from 18.5 (Prainha) to 22.8 mm (Ilha). A significant linear relationship was found between log(CW) and log(number of eggs). Average size at the onset of maturation was 14.9 and 14 mm at Prainha, for males and females, respectively, while at Ilha it was 18.2 and 16.8 mm, for males and females, respectively. Results provided evidence of significant differences in reproductive traits between populations of the two salt marshes. Differences are likely related to the higher organic matter content found in the sediment from Ilha.

The reproductive biology of Scyllarides deceptor was studied along the southern Brazilian coast (27°S 48°W) from December 2002 to December 2003. Samples were collected monthly at Xavier Island, where animals were caught and marked. Fecundity and egg size were estimated from ovigerous females caught also in two adjacent islands, Arvoredo and Aranhas. A total of 98 females was recorded at Xavier Island during the sampling period, 24 of these were recaptured and presented time-at-liberty ranging from 14 to 297 days. Ovigerous females were observed during spring and summer, with the moulting period lasting from late winter to spring. Size at sexual maturity was assessed from 66 females caught during the breeding season and estimated in 85.33 mm of carapace length (CL). Mean fecundity of S. deceptor was estimated in 191,262 eggs (±17,811, SE) for females, on average, 94.74 mm long (±1.86 mm SE) (CL). Fecundity was significantly related to CL (R2 = 0.90) Mean egg size was 0.67 mm (±0.005 mm SE) and did not correlate significantly to CL (P = 0.78). The rocky bottom of Xavier Island was favourable for reproduction, presenting shelter and foraging grounds for the ovigerous females. For management purposes, our results suggest the closure of the S. deceptor fishery from November to January and the capture-size of females to be restricted to animals larger than 90 mm (CL).