Sistemática e Evolução - Comunicações orais

Nudibranchia are small marine and estuarine sea slugs that feed on other invertebrates, such as sponges and cnidarians. The family Facelinidae is characterized by an elongated body, cerata organized in rows or arcs, and a uniserial radula with a prominent central cusp. Among the Facelinidae, the genus Phidiana Gray, 1850 includes two species recorded from Brazil: Phidiana lynceus Bergh, 1867 and Phidiana riosi García & Troncoso, 2003. P. lynceus reaches about two centimeters in length and has a light-yellow body with a thin white dorsal line between the rhinophores and the posterior end of the body. The cerata can vary from dark red to black with a lighter tip. P. lynceus was originally described from the Virgin Islands, Caribbean Sea and later recorded from different localities between Florida and southeastern Brazil, as also a few records in St. Helena Island and Canary Islands. The present study aims to review the taxonomy of P. lynceus under an integrative molecular (genes COI, 16S and 28S) and morphological approach. The dataset currently includes circa 30 specimens of P. lynceus from different regions. Preliminary results based on phylogeny, species delimitation and external morphology analyses indicate four candidate species under the name P. lynceus. The candidate species can be differentiated by the shape and coloration of oral tentacles, rhinophores and cerata. These results will be further evaluated with the addition of more specimens in the analyses and the study of internal morphology.