Preface

It is a great pleasure to dedicate this special issue of Nauplius to include papers presented during the VIII Brazilian Crustacean Congress (VIII CBC), held at the Bonito Convention Center, in Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul, November 9–12/2014. This event brought together Brazilian and foreign carcinologists in the Central-Western region of Brazil, where rural activities predominate and the population density is very low, with enormous preserved and relatively pristine areas. This was the first time the CBC was held in the Central-Western region reaching the goal of the Brazilian Crustacean Society in bringing the congress to all regions of Brazil. Congresses I, II and IV occurred in the Southeast, Congresses III and V took place in the South, the VI Congress in the Northeast and Congress VII in the North.

The theme of the VIII CBC was "Evolutionary transitions: Crustaceans in the sea, in fresh water and on land", stimulating a discussion about crustacean groups with representatives in marine environments and those that conquered inland areas, such as the Pantanal floodplain, located near Bonito. This Congress provided an arena for a fruitful and profitable exchange among researchers from different regions of Brazil, which surely will help to generate partnerships with the aim of disseminating and increasing knowledge of crustacean biology.

This special issue of Nauplius presents nine papers from 30 authors, and the topics cover several aspects of crustacean biology. In this issue there is one review summarizing the available information about the invasive red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Decapoda: Cambaridae), two papers on taxonomy, one recording species of Chydoridae (Cladocera) in the Río de La Plata basin and the other describing two new species of Tanaidacea (Peracarida) from Antarctica, one paper providing range extensions for snapping shrimps of the genus Alpheus (Caridea: Alpheidae) and one paper about the variation of morphological characteristics of the peppermint shrimp Lysmata ankeri (Hippolytidae). There are also papers focusing on ecological aspects, one on the population biology of the 'uçá'-crab, Ucides cordatus (Brachyura: Ucididae), in Bahia, Brazil, and two on ecology of gammaridean amphipods in different substrata, including temporal variation in association with a species of sponge. The last paper is on the bopyrid-shrimp host relationship and involves Urobopyrus processae (Isopoda: Bopyridae) and the night shrimp Ambidexter symmetricus (Decapoda: Processidae).

The publication of this special issue involved the dedication of many people, to whom we are grateful. The organizing committee and all participants of the VIII CBC, the authors, who sent their manuscripts, the reviewers, who kindly devoted their time to analyze the manuscripts and the Brazilian Crustacean Society (SBC), represented by President Sergio Schwarz da Rocha, for the support and enthusiasm. In particular we thank all members of the SBC that keep the society active for over 30 years. Finally, it is also an opportunity to invite all carcinologists to submit their manuscripts to Nauplius. Only in this way the journal remains strong, visible and attractive. For those who are not yet members of the SBC, join us!

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  Jan-Jun 2015