A group of researchers has identified a new species of Chinorrino on the Algarve coast, a microscopic marine animal also known as a “muddragon” that functions as an indicator of the good health of an ecosystem, Ricardo Neves told Lusa.
According to the researcher, the samples that allowed the identification of the species were collected 10 years ago in the Alvor estuaryin Portimão, and they were kept at the Complutense University of Madrid, until, recently, a master’s student from that academy became interested in them.
The samples were exposed, a master’s student recovered them and described this new species, called Setaphyes algarvensis in reference to the Algarve region, and the scientific article was finally published this year”, explained the biologist, first of all, to Lusa. from a 2016 study on other species identified on the Portuguese coast.
In an article published this year in the European Journal of Taxonomy, the researchers describe the new species of chinorrhine, animal that acts as a “sentinel species” of ecosystemssaid Ricardo Neves, who participated in the first study when he was attached to the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
“Studies indicate that the Chinorrinos, when present, indicate that the level of contamination in this ecosystem is low, and these animals are essential for the proper functioning of an ecosystem and also a fundamental part of the food chain,” the researcher stressed.
Commonly called “mud dragons”, Chinorrinos are microscopic invertebrate animals, less than a millimeter in lengthbelonging to the little-known phylum Kinorhyncha and living in the superficial layer of silt or between sand grains.
These animals live in the so-called half-fauna which, according to Ricardo Neves, is “very important for the study of the biodiversity of marine ecosystems and, also, for making political decisions in favor of sustainable environmental development.”
“Biodiversity is not only macrofauna or macroflora, there is a whole world that is hiddenbut that is essential for the good functioning of the ecosystem”, he stressed.
The name Kinorhyncha comes from the union of the Greek words “kineo” -which moves- and “rhynchos” -snout-, a name attributed due to the retraction and elongation movements of the anterior region of the body of this animal.
The article published this year is the result of research carried out for the master’s thesis of Alberto González-Casarrubios, first author and student at the Complutense University of Madrid.
About 150 species of Chinorhinos are described throughout the world.
Source: Observadora
