Panorama da produção científica voltada aos Polyplacophora no litoral do Ceará: uma revisão bibliográfica

Abstract

Mollusks constitute one of the most diverse and ecologically successful phyla of the animal kingdom, exhibiting a wide morphological, ecological, and adaptive variety, with representatives distributed in terrestrial, freshwater, and virtually all marine ecosystems, which underpins their current division into eight classes. Among them are the Polyplacophora, or chitons, an exclusively marine group with about one thousand described species, characterized by the presence of eight articulated calcareous dorsal plates inserted into a muscular girdle (perinotum). Given the ecological importance of this group, the present study aimed to carry out a bibliographic review on the diversity, distribution, and ecological aspects of Polyplacophora along the coast of Ceará, compiling recorded species, areas of occurrence, methodologies employed, and knowledge gaps. The review was conducted through searches in electronic databases widely used in the Biological Sciences (SciELO, PubMed, Google Scholar, and the CAPES Periodicals Portal), using Boolean operators in Portuguese and English, which initially resulted in approximately 125 publications, of which 18 met the inclusion criteria after screening by title and abstract. The analyzed studies were predominantly concentrated on the western coast of Ceará, covering municipalities such as Camocim, Granja, Paracuru, Caucaia, Itarema, Acaraú, Barroquinha, and Fortaleza, and encompassed a wide diversity of habitats, including rocky intertidal zones, pebble beaches, sandstone reefs, seagrass meadows, rhodolith beds, estuaries, and areas of the continental shelf. From a taxonomic perspective, 16 species were recorded, of which at least eight have confirmed occurrence in the state, encompassing the genera Ischnochiton, Ischnoplax, Acanthochitona, Stenoplax, Leptochiton, Callistochiton, Calloplax and Chaetopleura, with Ischnochiton striolatus standing out as the most frequently cited species and exhibiting broad ecological plasticity. Overall, the results show that, although there have been punctual advances, scientific production on Polyplacophora along the coast of Ceará is still fragmented, concentrated in few localities and species, and lacking greater integration among taxonomic, ecological, and biogeographic approaches, which reinforces the need for more comprehensive and systematic studies to deepen knowledge and support conservation strategies for this group in the state.