Desvendando a diversidade do filo Onychophora em áreas do hotspot Floresta Atlântica no Estado de Alagoas, Brasil

Abstract

Unraveling the diversity of phylum Onychophora in áreas of the Atlantic Forest hotspot in Alagoas State, Brazil-The species diversity of the phylum Onychophora is understimated in most of the geographical distribution range of these organisms. Areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest hotspot are no exception, including those of Alagoas State at Pernambuco Endemism Center. Until the present date, only three species of Peripatidae (Onychophora), all allocated in the genus Epiperipatus Clark, 1913, are recognized for this State. Although, morphological analysis, with tradicional methods and Scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM), and molecular data obtained in this study suggest the existence of, at least, five still non-described species of Epiperipatus. Furthermore, the study includes the redescription of one of the few species previously known for Alagoas State —Epiperipatus titanicus Costa, Chagas-Júnior & Pinto-da-Rocha, 2018—, by using morphological ultrastructural data. The restrict occurrence of these onychophorans in distinct and isolated forests fragments (= type locality) of the Atlantic Forest hotspot in Alagoas State, Pernambuco Endemism Center, Northeastern of Brazil, also reflects the typical predisposition of the species of this group to high endemism. This, associated with the vulnerability of these organisms to impacts in their habitats, reinforces the need to take priorities actions aimed at the conservation of the Onychophora local fauna, taking into account aspects of the evolutionary history of this phylum.