Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: MATHEUS ARTHUR LÚCIO DA ROCHA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : MATHEUS ARTHUR LÚCIO DA ROCHA
DATE: 22/04/2025
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: https://meet.google.com/mjq-ifns-mcd
TITLE:

Colonization and diversification of troglobitic crustaceans in subterranean systems of the Caatinga   

KEY WORDS:

Troglobitic crustaceans, integrative taxonomy, Caatinga, Jandaíra Formation, species complex.

PAGES: 114
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Genética
SUBÁREA: Genética Animal
SUMMARY:

The Jandaíra Formation in the semiarid Caatinga is a subterranean biodiversity hotspot, harboring a diverse assemblage of troglobitic crustaceans. This region has played a key role in species diversification, acting as refugia during past environmental fluctuations. A phylogeographic study of amphipods from this limestone formation revealed five molecular lineages across 12 caves, suggesting a complex evolutionary history for Potiberaba porakuara, a marine relict originally described from the Três Lagos Cave. Expanding the sampled area and integrating genetic and morphological data, we delimit and describe four new species: Potiberaba sp. nov. 1, Potiberaba sp. nov. 2, Potiberaba sp. nov. 3, and Potiberaba sp. nov. 4, distinguished primarily by differences in antennal segmentation. Unlike Potiberaba porakuara, which occurs in nine caves, these new species exhibit restricted distributions, emphasizing their vulnerability to habitat disturbances such as mining and deforestation. Similarly, our study expands the known distribution of Seborgia potiguar, the first South American record of the genus, and describes three new species from distinct caves and springs. These species differ from Seborgia potiguar in key morphological traits, revealing a more complex evolutionary history for Seborgia in Neotropical subterranean ecosystems than previously recognized. The discovery of these seven new species underscores the underestimated biodiversity of subterranean amphipods in the Caatinga and reinforces the urgent need for conservation measures in these fragile habitats.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externa à Instituição - JENIFFER NATALIA TELES
Externa à Instituição - PAULA BEATRIZ DE ARAUJO
Presidente - 1865104 - SERGIO MAIA QUEIROZ LIMA