António PAULO FONTOURA Pinheiro de Magalhães

Professor Associado
Departamento de Biologia
Faculdade de Ciências do Porto
Universidade do Porto
Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto

E-mail: pfontoura@fc.up.pt
Phone: + 351 220 402 754

Webpage at University of Porto: Paulo Fontoura

:: Current research projects

Distribution of marine tardigrades in the Portuguese coast

The purpose of this study is to determine tardigrade species present in the Portuguese coast and the patterns of distribution in relation to some abiotic factors.

Taxonomy and biogeography of the moss-dwelling Tardigrade fauna

Full description of eventual new found species, the characterization of existing morphological intra-specific variability and inter-specific differences, and also the attempt of life-history description: feeding preferences, moulting cycles and reproductive strategies are the main objectives of this research program.

The work has been based on the limnoterrestrial tardigrade fauna, mainly from the “macarronesia”. A special effort to establish a primary database on the tardigrade fauna of the Azores, considered an isolated and neglected area, has been carried out.

In collaboration with Giovanni Pilato, University of Catânia, Italy.

:: Publications

Fontoura, P. & Morais, P. 2011. Assessment of traditional and geometric morphometrics for discriminating cryptic species of the Pseudechiniscus suillus complex (Tardigrada, Echiniscidae). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 49: 26-33 (doi:10.1111/j.1439-0469.2010.00594.x).

Fontoura, P., Pilato, G. & Lisi, O. 2011. Tardigrada from Santo Antão Island (Archipelago of Cape Verde, West Africa) with the description of a new species. Zootaxa 2838: 30-40. (Abstract )

Fontoura, P., Pilato, G. & Lisi, O., 2010. First records of Tardigrada from S. Tomé (Gulf of Guinea, Western Equatorial Africa) and description of Pseudechiniscus santomensis sp. nov. (Heterotardigrada: Echiniscidae). Zootaxa 2564: 31-42. (Abstract )

Fontoura, A.P., Pilato, G., Morais, P., and Lisi, O. 2009. Minibiotus xavieri, a new species of tardigrade from the Parque Biológico de Gaia, Portugal (Eutardigrada: Macrobiotidae). Zootaxa 2267: 55–64. (Abstract )

Fontoura, A.P., Pilato, G. and Lisi, O. and Morais, P. 2009, Tardigrades from Portugal: four new records and a description of two new species. Zootaxa 2030: 21-38.

Pilato, G., Fontoura, A.P., Lisi, O., and C. Beasley. 2008. New description of Echiniscus scabrospinosus Fontoura, 1982, and description of a new species of Echiniscus (Heterotardigrada) from China. Zootaxa 1856: 41–54 (Abstract )

Fontoura, A.P., Pilato, G. and Lisi, O. 2008. New records of eutardigrades (Tardigrada) from Faial and Pico Islands, the Azores, with the description of two new species. Zootaxa 1778: 37–47. (Abstract )

Pilato, G.; Fontoura, A.P. Lisi, O. 2008. New description of Echiniscus viridis Murray, 1910 and remarks on the viridis group. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 35:85-92.

Fontoura, A.P., Pilato, G. and Lisi, O. 2008. Echiniscidae (Tardigrada, Heterotardigrada) from Faial and Pico Islands, the Azores, with the description of two new species. Zootaxa 1693: 49-61.

Pilato, G.; Fontoura, A.P. Lisi, O. 2007. Remarks on the Echiniscus viridis group, with the description of a new species (TARDIGRADA, ECHINISCIDAE). Journal of Limnology, 66 (Suppl. 1): 33-39.

Fontoura, A.P. and Pilato, G., 2007. Diphascon (Diphascon) faialense sp. nov. a new species of Tardigrada (Eutardigrada, Hypsibiidae) from Azores and a key to the species of the D. pingue group. Zootaxa, 1589: 47-55.