Moon jellies are some of the most popular, widely distributed, and best-studied marine jellyfish. By the end of the past century only two or three Aurelia species were recognized, but with the rise of DNA barcoding studies, around thirty Aurelia species are presently accepted. Most of the species are morphologically indistinguishable and have restricted biogeography. We reveal, with COI, 16S, and ITS1-5.8S sequence data, two (pseudo-)cryptic species of Aurelia, potentially endemic to the Azores ecoregion, herein provisionally classified as A. “cf. pseudosolida” and A. “misteriosa”. These species are closely related to the Mediterranean lineages of A. pseudosolida and A. persea, respectively. In the Azores, the shape of the campanula and oral arms readily distinguishes the two species: the former with folded oral arms and globose campanula, and the latter with flattened campanula and thick and long oral arms. Previous reports of A. solida and A. aurita in the Azores should generally correspond to A. “misteriosa” and A. cf. pseudosolida, respectively. The phylogenetic (re-)examination of the available DNA barcodes of Aurelia only evidenced human-mediated dispersal for A. coerulea, A. relicta, and A. aurita. Aurelia solida cannot be yet considered NIS in the Mediterranean. More jellyfish DNA (meta)barcoding should reveal further cryptic diversity, biological invasions, and phylogeographic inferences.

In order to characterise the changes produced by boiling and roasting on the mechanical properties of 11 Portuguese chestnut cultivars (cvs.), the moisture, mass, force and energy required as well as shell and kernel stiffness of raw, boiled and roasted chestnuts were evaluated. In comparison to raw chestnuts, boiling increased the moisture content about 4% and roasting decreased the moisture content about 20%. Lamela and Judia cvs. required more energy to rupture the shell, while Negra and Boaventura kernels offered higher resistance to penetration. Colour was also evaluated because it is a parameter that influences the consumers' choice. Thus, processed chestnuts showed lower brightness than the raw fruits. After boiling, the most attractive chestnuts with higher brightness were cvs. Judia and Lamela, and after roasting, cvs. Lada and Lamela. These results provide important information about the cultivars most suitable for processing, resistant to mechanical harvest and most attractive to consumers. Con el fin de caracterizar los cambios producidos por el hervido y asado en las propiedades de once cultivares de castaña portugueses (cvs.), se evaluó la humedad, masa, fuerza y enegía requeridas, así como la cáscara y dureza de a semilla de castañas crudas, hervidas y asadas. Comparado con las castañas crudas, el hervido aumentó el contenido de humedad en un 4% y el asado lo disminuyó en un 20%. Lamela y Judia cvs. neesitaron más energía para el rasgado de la cáscara, mientras los frutos de Negra y Boaventura ofrecieron una mayor resistencia a penetración. Tambien se evaluó el color, ya que es un parámetro que influye en la elección del consumidor. Así, las castañas procesadas mostraron un menor brillo que los frutos crudos. Tras el hervido, las castañas más atractivas con un mayor brillo resultaron cvs. Juadia y Lamela, y tras el asado, cvs. Lada y Lamela. Estos resltados aportan información importante sobre los cultivos más adecuados para procesado, resistente a cosecha mecánica y más atractivos al consumidor.

The fried egg jellyfish Phacellophora camtschatica (senso lato) is a morphologically peculiar and conspicuous species occurring mostly in the cold waters of the North Pacific. It is less common in the cold waters of the NW Atlantic, and occasionally has been reported in the Mediterranean, Arctic, East and South Pacific, and E, SW and NE Atlantic. However, sightings of this scyphozoan jellyfish have intensified during the past two to three decades in Macaronesia, the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean. These jellyfish are known to be voracious predators of other jellies, but also of other taxa, including fish of commercial interest. Therefore, Phacellophora aggregations may threaten local fisheries, aquaculture, and local biodiversity structuring. We report the first known occurrences of Phacellophora in the Azores Islands, which apparently become more frequent in recent years of the past decade. We confirm, through DNA barcoding of COI and 16S mitochondrial markers, the genetic identity of Phacellophora occurring in the Azores (NE Atlantic). We reveal, with COI sequence data, three (potentially four) cryptic species within the Phacellophora camtschatica complex. Two Phacellophora species co-occur in the North Pacific. In the North Atlantic (and possibly in the Mediterranean) one or two distinct species exist. Three nominal species of the genus that are currently synonymized, with type localities in the N Pacific, NW Atlantic, and the Mediterranean, need reassessment. The morphotypes previously defined for the four putative species names given for Phacellophora might be eventually differentiated by the number and disposition of the marginal lappets of umbrellae. This morphologic character has to be further inspected in vouchers of the four genetic lineages of Phacellophora, to decide between the description of new species, and the resurrection of junior synonyms through the designation of neotypes with DNA Barcodes, to validate the identity of the cryptic taxa detected. More haplotype sampling is necessary across the distribution of the genus to further investigate the genetic diversity and phylogeographic history of Phacellophora. The high genetic relatedness of Phacellophora from the cold NW Atlantic and the sub-tropical shores of the Azores, revealed by 16S and COI sequence data, suggests a recent invasion, in terms of geologic time, of the temperate waters of the NE Atlantic (and possibly of the Mediterranean). The medusivorous habits of Phacellophora, and especially its predation on the mauve stinger (Pelagia spp.) which frequently blooms in Macaronesia and Mediterranean waters, could relate to the recent reports of Phacellophora in the Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, and the Mediterranean. More investment, including on scientific staff, is necessary to catalog, DNA barcode and monitor jellyfish dynamics more accurately worldwide.

The open ocean is a vast, highly connected environment, and the organisms found there have been hypothesized to represent massive, well-mixed populations. Of these, the Portuguese man-o’-war ( Physalia ) is uniquely suited to dispersal, sailing the ocean surface with a muscular crest. We tested the hypothesis of a single, panmictic Physalia population by sequencing 133 genomes, and found five distinct lineages, with multiple lines of evidence showing strong reproductive isolation despite range overlap. We then scored thousands of citizen-science photos and identified four recognizable morphologies linked to these lineages. Within lineages, we detected regionally endemic subpopulations, connected by winds and currents, and identified individual long-distance dispersal events. We find that, even in these sailing species, genetic variation is highly partitioned geographically across the open ocean. Summary: The open ocean is a vast and highly connected environment. The organisms that live there have a significant capacity for dispersal and few geographic boundaries to separate populations. Of these, the Portuguese man-o’-war or bluebottle (genus Physalia ) is uniquely suited to long-distance travel, using its gas-filled float and muscular crest to catch the wind and sail the sea surface. Physalia are distributed across the globe, and like many pelagic organisms, have been hypothesized to represent a massive, well-mixed population that extends across ocean basins. We tested this hypothesis by sequencing whole genomes of 133 samples collected from waters of over a dozen countries around the globe. Our results revealed five distinct lineages, with multiple lines of evidence indicating strong reproductive isolation, despite regions of range overlap. We combined these data with an independent dataset of thousands of images of Physalia uploaded to the citizen-science website inaturalist.org, which we scored for morphological characters including sail size, tentacle arrangement, and color. From these images, we identified four recognizable morphologies, described their geographical distribution, and linked them to four of the lineages identified with genomic data. We conclude there are at least four species, three of which correspond to species proposed by scientists in the 18th and 19th centuries: P. physalis , P utriculus , and P. megalista , along with one as yet unnamed species Physalia sp. from the Tasman Sea. Within each species, we observe significant population structure, with evidence of persistent subpopulations at a regional scale, as well as evidence for individual long-distance dispersal events. Our findings indicate that, instead of one well-mixed, cosmopolitan species, there are in fact multiple Physalia species with distinct but overlapping ranges, each made up of regionally endemic subpopulations that are connected by major ocean currents and wind patterns.