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This work aims to show the current distribution of Neolithodes agassizii and Paralomis pectinata in the Colombian Caribbean Sea, including new records and details of the feeding behavior of P. pectinata obtained for the first time by Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV) and towed cameras., {"references":["Chace, F. A. Jr. (1939). Reports on the scientific results of the first Atlantic Expedition to the West Indies, under the joint auspices of the University Havanna and Harvard University. Preliminary descriptions of one new genus and seventeen new species of decapod and stomatopod Crustacea. Memories of the Society Cubana of Natural History, 13, 31–54.","Hall, S. & Thatje, S. (2009). Four new species of the family Lithodidae (Decapoda: Anomura) from the collections of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. Zootaxa, 2302, 31–47. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.191756","Hall, S. & Thatje, S. (2011). Temperature–driven biogeography of the deep-sea family Lithodidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) in the Southern Ocean. Polar Biology, 34, 363–370. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0890-0","Macpherson, E. (1988). Revision of the family Lithodidae Samouelle, 1819 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura) in the Atlantic Ocean. Monografías de Zoología Marina, 2, 9–153.","Macpherson, E. (1994). Occurrence of two Lithodid Crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Lithodidae) in the cold seep zone of the south Barbados accretionary prism. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 107(3), 465–468. https://decapoda.nhm.org/pdfs/12254/12254.pdf","Martínez-Campos, B., Campos, N. H. & Lemaitre, R. (2017). Catálogo de los cangrejos ermitaños del Caribe Colombiano / Catalog of hermit crabs from Colombian Caribbean. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras-INVEMAR. Serie de Publicaciones Especiales del INVEMAR # 32. Santa Marta, Colombia 440p.","McLaughlin, P. A., Komai, T., Lemaitre, R. & Rahayu D. L. (2010). Annotated checklist of anomuran decapod crustaceans of the world (exclusive of the Kiwaoidea y families Chirostylidae y Galatheidae of the Galatheoidea). Part I Lithodoidea Lomisoidea Paguroidea. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 23, 5–107.","MNHN. (2020). Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Invertebrate Zoology Collections. https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/search/iz/?q=qn+Neolithodes+agassizii and https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/search/iz/?q=qn+Lithodes+agassizii","Muñoz, I & García–Isarch, E. (2013). New occurrences of Lithodid Crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Lithodidae) from the coasts of Africa, with the description of a new species of Paralomis White, 1856. Zootaxa, 3670(1), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3670.1.3","Smith, S. I. (1882). Report on the Crustacea. Part I. Decapoda. Reports on the results of dredging, under the supervision of Alexander Agassiz, on the east coast of the United States, during the summer of 1880, by the U.S. Coast Survey Steamer «Blake». Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard, 10, 1–108. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/22040","Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History - YPM. (2020). Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. https://collections.peabody.yale.edu/search/Record/YPM–IZ–056804"]}

Acanthonus armatus Günther, 1878 is reported for the first time in the southwestern Caribbean region, off Colombia. Remote Operate Vehicle videos and towed camera still photographs captured 13 images of A. armatus between 2215 and 2564 m. These are the first records of the species in the Caribbean continental coast of Colombia, representing a range extension to the southwestern Caribbean region, since previous records are from the northeastern Caribbean. Some photos of the specimens and the current distribution of the species in the Caribbean region are provided and reviewed.

Background: Antarctica is surrounded by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the largest and strongest current in the world. Despite its potential importance for shaping biogeographical patterns, the distribution and connectivity of deep-sea populations across the ACC remain poorly understood. In this study we conducted the first assessment of phylogeographical patterns in deep-sea octocorals in the South Pacific and Southern Ocean, specifically a group of closely related bottlebrush octocorals (Primnoidae: Tokoprymno and Thourella), as a test case to study the effect of the ACC on the population structure of brooding species. We assessed the degree to which the ACC constitutes a barrier to gene flow between northern and southern populations and whether the onset of diversification of these corals coincides with the origin of the ACC (Oligocene-Miocene boundary). Results: Based on DNA sequences of two nuclear genes from 80 individuals and a combination of phylogeographic model-testing approaches we found a phylogenetic break corresponding to the spatial occurrence of the ACC. We also found significant genetic structure among our four regional populations. However, we uncovered shared haplotypes among certain population pairs, suggesting long-distance, asymmetrical migration. Our divergence time analyses indicated that the separation of amphi-ACC populations took place during the Middle Miocene around 12.6 million years ago, i.e., after the formation of the ACC. Conclusion: We suggest that the ACC constitutes a semi-permeable barrier to these deep-sea octocorals capable of separating and structuring populations, while allowing short periods of gene flow. The fluctuations in latitudinal positioning of the ACC during the Miocene likely contributed to the diversification of these octocorals. Additionally, we provide evidence that the populations from each of our four sampling regions could actually constitute different species.

Durante expediciones a la isla Malpelo en 2009 y 2010, se exploró la diversidad, abundancia y estado de los octocorales. Se encontraron siete especies de octocorales: Leptogorgia alba, Pacifigorgia cf. lacerata, Pacifigorgia sp.1 y Pacifigorgia sp.2, Muricea cf. fruticosa, Muricea sp. y la especie invasora Carijoa riisei. Los octocorales forman densas agregaciones en paredes y escarpes rocosos, con su mayor abundancia entre 10 y 20 m, alcanzando densidades máximas de hasta 20 colonias m-2. La especie más abundante fue Pacifigorgia cf. lacerata, con más de un 60 % de predominio en número y una frecuencia de aparición del 100 % para todos los sitios visitados. Para la mayoría de los sitios se determinó la existencia de tres zonas bien definidas de acuerdo a la profundidad. Una zona profunda entre 25 y 40 m, con dominancia exclusiva de L. alba, una estructura somera entre 7 y 20 m, con dominancia de Pacifigorgia spp. y una zona de transición comprendida entre 18 y 25 m, con una mezcla de L. alba y P. cf. lacerata, principalmente. De manera sorpresiva, durante noviembre de 2009 se encontraron poblaciones de Pacifigorgia y Leptogorgia visiblemente afectadas por enfermedades de posible origen fúngico. Después, en febrero de 2010, se visitaron de nuevo las mismas poblaciones de octocorales, en las que se constató una mortalidad de hasta 66 % de las colonias en algunas localidades. Leptogorgia se encontró notablemente menguada en el sector de El Arrecife, mientras que Pacifigorgia cf. lacerata tuvo mortalidades destacadas en La Nevera y El Freezer, y sus colonias se recuperaron en el sector de El Arrecife. Se encontró una disminución drástica de la incidencia de enfermedades para julio 2010, con porcentajes de colonias enfermas menores al 10 %. La especie invasora C. riisei fue observada en La Catedral y el bajo del Monstruo. De esta forma, este estudio amplía considerablemente el conocimiento sobre los octocorales de la isla Malpelo, y es la primera alarma sobre posibles amenazas a sus poblaciones locales, como lo son las enfermedades fúngicas y el octocoral invasor C. riisei. During three expeditions to the island (2009 and 2010), the diversity, abundance and status of octocorals were explored. Seven species of octocorals were recorded: Leptogorgia alba, Pacifigorgia cf. lacerata, Pacifigorgia sp.1 y Pacifigorgia sp.2, Muricea cf. fruticosa, Muricea sp., and the invasive species Carijoa riisei. Octocorals form dense aggregations in rocky walls and cliffs, with higher abundances between 10 and 20 m, reaching up to 20 colonies m-2. The most abundant species was Pacifigorgia cf. lacerata with a dominance of more than 60 % and a frequency of occurrence of 100 % for all visited sites. According to depth, three well-defined zones were determined for most sites. A deep zone between 25 and 40 m with an exclusive dominance of L. alba, a shallow assemblage between 7 and 20 m dominated by Pacifigorgia spp., and a transition zone between 18 and 25 m with a mixture of L. alba and P. cf. lacerata. Surprisingly, during November 2009, diseases of possible fungal origin visibly affected populations of Leptogorgia and Pacifigorgia. Subsequently, during February 2010 the same populations of octocorals were monitored and up to 66 % of the colonies were already dead in some locations. Leptogorgia had a significant reduction at El Arrecife site, while Pacifigorgia cf. lacerata had high mortality at La Nevera and El Freezer sites, and a recovery in El Arrecife. There was a notable improvement in disease prevalence by July 2010 with less than 10 % of diseased colonies. The invasive species C. riisei was observed in La Catedral and El Monstruo bank. Thus, this information increases considerably the knowledge of octocorals on Malpelo Island and is the first warning of possible threats against local octocoral populations, such as fungal diseases and the invasive octocoral C. riisei.

Recruitment, defined and measured as the incorporation of new individuals (i.e. coral juveniles) into a population, is a fundamental process for ecologists, evolutionists and conservationists due to its direct effect on population structure and function. Because most coral populations are self-feeding, a breakdown in recruitment would lead to local extinction. Recruitment indirectly affects both renewal and maintenance of existing and future coral communities, coral reef biodiversity (bottom-up effect) and therefore coral reef resilience. This process has been used as an indirect measure of individual reproductive success (fitness) and is the final stage of larval dispersal leadingto population connectivity. As a result, recruitment has been proposed as an indicator of coral-reef health in marine protected areas, as well as a central aspect of the decision-making process concerning management and conservation. The creation of management plans to promote impact mitigation,rehabilitation and conservation of the Colombian coral reefs is a necessity that requires firstly, a review and integration of existing literature on scleractinian coral recruitment in Colombia and secondly, larger scale field studies. This motivated us to summarize and analyze all existing information on coral recruitment to determine the state of knowledge, isolate patterns, identify gaps, and suggest future lines of research.

Background: Antarctica is surrounded by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the largest and strongest current in the world. Despite its potential importance for shaping biogeographical patterns, the distribution and connectivity of deep-sea populations across the ACC remain poorly understood. In this study we conducted the first assessment of phylogeographical patterns in deep-sea octocorals in the South Pacific and Southern Ocean, specifically a group of closely related bottlebrush octocorals (Primnoidae: Tokoprymno and Thourella), as a test case to study the effect of the ACC on the population structure of brooding species. We assessed the degree to which the ACC constitutes a barrier to gene flow between northern and southern populations and whether the onset of diversification of these corals coincides with the origin of the ACC (Oligocene-Miocene boundary). Results: Based on DNA sequences of two nuclear genes from 80 individuals and a combination of phylogeographic model-testing approaches we found a phylogenetic break corresponding to the spatial occurrence of the ACC. We also found significant genetic structure among our four regional populations. However, we uncovered shared haplotypes among certain population pairs, suggesting long-distance, asymmetrical migration. Our divergence time analyses indicated that the separation of amphi-ACC populations took place during the Middle Miocene around 12.6 million years ago, i.e., after the formation of the ACC. Conclusion: We suggest that the ACC constitutes a semi-permeable barrier to these deep-sea octocorals capable of separating and structuring populations, while allowing short periods of gene flow. The fluctuations in latitudinal positioning of the ACC during the Miocene likely contributed to the diversification of these octocorals. Additionally, we provide evidence that the populations from each of our four sampling regions could actually constitute different species.