This atlas is a scientific publication documenting deep-sea benthic fauna from TotalEnergies' offshore studies in the Santos and Campos Basins, Brazil. It is intended for researchers, taxonomists, and the public interested in marine biodiversity.
This atlas is a scientific publication documenting deep-sea benthic fauna from the Southwestern Atlantic, specifically from TotalEnergies' offshore studies in the Santos and Campos Basins, Brazil. It is intended for researchers, taxonomists, and the public interested in marine biodiversity.
The document opens with an introduction explaining that the data was generated through environmental permitting studies regulated by IBAMA, the Brazilian Environment Agency. It presents a curated collection of benthic organisms documented during underwater inspections, highlighting the extraordinary biodiversity of abyssal ecosystems.
The atlas is structured around taxonomic entries for different phyla. The first detailed section covers Porifera (sponges), including the genus Euplectella, with information on diagnosis, distribution across specific depths and locations like S-M-1815, S-M-1711, Lapa, and C-M-541, and comments on symbiotic associations.
A second section covers Cnidaria, specifically the bamboo coral Acanella and sea pens (Pennatulacea). These entries include distribution records, depth ranges, and taxonomic comments, referencing studies from the North Atlantic and New Zealand.
The document also lists other taxa such as Echinodermata, including species like Araeosoma cf. fenestratum and Psychropotes depressa, and includes a bibliography of scientific references. Figures throughout the document illustrate the records and species distributions.