Sistemática e Evolução - Comunicações orais

The German zoologists Ernst Gustav Gotthelf Marcus [1893-1968] and Eveline du Bois Reymond Marcus [1901-1990] went into exile in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1936, where Ernst took up the chair of Zoology at the newly formed Universidade de São Paulo. During their career in Brazil, they published several monographs on taxonomy, embryology, histology, and development of several marine and freshwater bryozoans and entoprocts, which resulted in the report of 179 bryozoan species (51 new to science) and 17 entoproct species (10 described as new). Therefore, between 1936 and 1968, these studies included approximately half of the total number of shallow-water species recorded from the Brazilian coast. Most of the specimens studied by them were considered lost in the decades since their collections were made. In 1948, the Natural History Museum, London (NHMUK) received some specimens in an exchange between Ernst Marcus and Anna B. Hastings. Since the first report of this collection in 2007 there have been additional findings on the Marcuses’ collections. The discovery of more specimens in the Departamento de Zoologia of USP in the beginning of 21st century, however, revealed that most specimens studied by them still existed, stored over years as dried, in alcohol, or in balsam slides. The material – more than 2,000 specimens (205 type specimens) – is now deposited in the Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil (MZUSP), and in the NHMUK. Currently, specimens of 170 bryozoan species (of 179) and 15 entoproct species (of 17) identified by Ernst and Eveline are in these collections. While some specimens have suffered damage over the years, the majority have stood the test of time, preserving the invaluable contributions of these pioneering scientists for future generations of zoologists to explore and learn from.