Coleção Científica do Instituto de Estudos do Mar Almirante Paulo Moreira (IEAPM)

Abstract

Scientific collections play a major role on biodiversity studies, and since 2014 the “Instituto de Estudos do Mar Almirante Paulo Moreira (IEAPM)” maintains a scientific collection dedicated to benthic and fouling organisms, providing background information for works related to Taxonomy/Systematic, Phylogeography, Biogeography and Bioinvasion. At the moment, the scientific collection keeps around 1.200 specimens of the main benthic taxonomic groups, as Algae, Porifera, Cnidaria, Polychaeta, Mollusca, Crustacea, Bryozoa, Ascidiacea, and also a tissue collection. Mollusks are the most representative organisms, corresponding to about 32% of the collection. Among those, most specimens are Gastropoda and Bivalvia, especially from the families Mytilidae, Ostreidae, Vermetidae and Calyptraeidae. The IEAPM Scientific Collection represents an important overview on marine biodiversity, especially from the Rio de Janeiro state.