The Rocas Atoll, Brazil: a Preliminary Survey of the Crustacea and Polychaete Fauna

Abstract

Among the oceanic islands in the Brazilian coast, Rocas Atoll is special since it is the only atoll in the Southern Atlantic and is the first Marine Biological Reserve of the Brazilian Coast. The atoll elliptical ring (3.7 to 2.5km) has a shallow central lagoon surrounded by a large reef plateau flat composed mainly of coralline algae. Despite its ecological importance the crustacean and polychaete fauna of Rocas Atoll is still poorly known with only 34 and 17 species, respectively, recorded. For this reason, an integrate effort with the aim of assessing the marine biodiversity of this Atoll was developed, through samples of reef and sedimentary environments. Results of this effort are here presented.