Os principais impactos antropogênicos em praias arenosas são atividades recreacionais e ocupação desordenada da zona litoral. É necessário um manejo destes ecossistemas, pois representam importantes áreas para a ecologia e economia litorânea, que necessitará de estratégias eficientes para reduzir os impactos. O número de tocas do caranguejo maria-farinha O. quadrata (Fabricius, 1787) indica a presença destes animais na praia. Recentemente foi demonstrado que esta espécie é útil como bioindicadora, podendo representar uma ferramenta para a análise de impactos ambientais. Para testar a hipótese de que os impactos antropogênicos sobre praias arenosas provocam reduções populacionais do caranguejo maria-farinha, a abundância relativa (no.de tocas/m2; N = 60) foi comparada em três praias da Ilha de Santa Catarina, sul do Brasil. Em cada praia foram selecionadas duas condições de impactos antropogênicos: reduzido e forte.Para o levantamento foram escolhidos dois níveis mareais, médio litoral inferior e superior e as amostragens foram feitas no inverno/2002 e verão/2003. Como resultado, em ambas estações do ano, as abundâncias relativas do O. quadrata foram significativamente menores nas praias submetidas a fortes impactos. Considerando as praias, Ingleses apresentou abundâncias relativas do O. quadrata significativamente mais altas, e Barra da Lagoa apresentou as abundâncias relativas menores, tanto no inverno como no verão. Apenas no verão foi registrada a maior abundância relativa do O. quadrata no médio litoral inferior. O estudo mostrou que a Praia de Ingleses no local submetido a forte impacto antropogênico continha a maior abundância relativa, provavelmente devido a atividade noturna da espécie e eventual uso dos restos alimentares deixados na praia. Na praia de Pântano do Sul submetida a fortes impactos do trânsito de veículos foi registrada a ausência da espécie. O presente estudo discute a utilidade do gênero cosmopolita Ocypode como ferramenta para a rápida análise de impactos antropogênicos em praias arenosas expostas.

The most common anthropogenic disturbance on exposed sandy beaches are recreational activities and destruction of sand dunes. To take decisions on manegment of this ecosystems, we must have effective environmental tools, to reduce impacts. The numbers of open burrows of the ghost crab Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius, 1787) should indicate the presence of animals, and in recent years it had been shown that this species is usefull as a tool in rapid assessment of human impacts. To test the hypotesis that anthropogenic impact on sandy beaches reduce the abundance of ghost crabs, the relative abundance (number of burrows/m2; N = 60) of the ghost crab O. quadrata were compared in three beaches of Santa Catarina Is., southern Brazil. In each one of the beaches, low and strong conditions of human impact were selected. Two levels in the intertidal were analysed, lower and upper midlittoral. The samples were taken in winter/2002 and summer/2003. In winter and summer there were significantly fewer burrows on that beaches with the higher levels of impact. Ingleses beach showed the higher abundances of the ghost crab in both winter and summer. In winter and summer there were significantly fewer burrows at Barra da Lagoa beach. In the summer the lower intertidal showed significantly higher abundances of the ghost crab. The results evidenced that Ingleses beach with high recreational impact had more ghost crabs, probably due to the nocturnal behavior and the fortuitous use of the food detritus left in the beach. In the beach with strong impact of cars and fisheries activities there were no ghost crabs. This study discuss the utility of the world-wide genus Ocypode for a rapid assessment tool of human impacts on exposed sandy beaches.

Entre abril/2000 a abril/2001 todos os indivíduos de C. danae Smith, 1869 procedentes de um mesmo arrasto foram coletados em visitas quinzenais às bancas dos pescadores do Balneário Shangri-lá (25°37'30"S, 48°25'08"W) visando investigar sua estrutura populacional e parâmetros reprodutivos. De cada indivíduo foi determinado o sexo, a largura cefalotorácica (LC) e o peso úmido (P). O estágio de maturação gonadal foi determinado macroscopicamente pelo aspecto e coloração das gônadas. A massa de ovos das fêmeas foi separada para análise da fecundidade. Foi observado um predomínio de fêmeas adultas (incluindo as ovígeras) em relação às outras categorias. A proporção sexual foi 0,9:1 (machos:fêmeas). O tamanho de primeira maturação sexual foi estimado em 60,5 mm (machos) e 52,7 mm (fêmeas). A relação LC/P foi isométrica para machos e fêmeas. A largura da carapaça das fêmeas ovígeras variou de 43,2 a 79,5 mm (67 ± 8 mm), com fecundidade variando entre 25.127 e 246.676 ovos, com uma média de 127.177 ovos por fêmea. O diâmetro médio dos ovos foi de 0,22 mm. A maior incidência de fêmeas ovígeras ocorreu durante o inverno e o verão.

From April 2000 to April 2001 all individuals of C. danae Smith, 1869 included on one otter-trawl by-catch was fortnightly sampled at Shangri-lá's fish market (25°37'30"S, 48°25'08"W) in order to study their population structure and reproductive pattern. Each specimen was sexed and measured (CW = carapace width, excluding lateral spines; WW = wet weight). The gonadal maturation stage was determined macroscopically based on its color and size. The egg mass of the females was separate for fecundity analysis. Prevalence of adult females (including ovigerous ones) was observed comparing to other categories. Sexual proportion was 0.9:1 (males:females). Size at first sexual maturation was estimated at 60.5 mm for males, and 52.7 mm for females. WW/WC relationship was isometric for males and females. The carapace width of ovigerous females was between 43.2 to 79.5 mm (67 ± 8 mm), and fecundity varied from 25,127 to 246,676 eggs, with an average of 127,177 eggs per female and mean egg diameter was 0.22 mm. The highest presence of ovigerous females occurred during winter and summer.

Swimming crabs are commonly found in the otter-trawl shrimp fishery by-catch, which operate intensively in the Coastal Plain of Leste Beach, where is located Shangri-lá Beach (25°37'30"S and 48°25'08"W), Paraná State. This work aimed to study the population structure of Callinectes ornatus Ordway, 1863, the most abundant swimming crab in this beach. Between March 2000 and April 2001, fortnightly visits were accomplished in Shangri-lá at the fish market, where all swimming crabs of one otter-trawl were collected. The following data from each individual of C. ornatus were obtained: sex, carapace width (excluding lateral spines), weight, and the gonadal maturation stage, based on its color and size. Juveniles and mature males were dominant, mean sexual proportion was 2.2:1 (males:females). Two recruitment periods were detected, but few ovigerous females were obtained. Size at sexual maturation was estimated at 55mm for males, and 48 mm for females. Both sexes presented positives allometric growths. The results indicate that an important portion of C. ornatus population is captured in the otter-trawl shrimp fishery in Shangri-lá Beach (Paraná). Such information is important for futures plans of by-catch management in that area.

A qualitative survey of benthic macrofauna was carried out in the Guaratuba Bay, Paraná,Brazil. Twenty nine stations were sampled from April to July, 1996, including sublitoral and intertidal zones resulting in a preliminary list with 69 taxa. From this total, only 31,9% (22 taxa) were previously registered to the area.

Nicolea venustula (Montagu, 1818) is a new record to the southern brazilian coast. A description, ilustrations and a taxonomic discussion is given.