Marine citizen science: filling the gaps in the distribution of a colorful sea slug (Nudibranchia, Polyceridae) in the Galápagos

2025 · doi:10.3897/arphapreprints.e161580
preprint OA: closed CC-BY-4.0
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Abstract

In the Galápagos Islands, research on the distribution of marine invertebrates is constrained by the limited availability of specimen-based data and reliable observations. In this study, we used citizen science to identify new localities for Tyrannodoris leonis (Nudibranchia, Polyceridae), a colorful sea slug species found in the Galápagos Marine Reserve (GMR). We circulated a digital flyer to encourage local and international divers to share their sightings of the species. Additionally, we reviewed records available on the iNaturalist platform from 2018 to 2024. As a result, we obtained 19 new records of T. leonis and updated its distribution map in the GMR with eight newly documented localities. This study highlights the value of citizen science as a complementary tool to museum-based research, contributing to a better understanding of species distribution in marine ecosystems.
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Preprint ARPHA Preprints https://doi.org/10.3897/arphapreprints.e161580 (11 Jun 2025) https://doi.org/10.3897/arphapreprints.e161580 (11 Jun 2025) Other versions: - Preprint InfoPreprint Info - CiteCite - MetricsMetrics - CommentComment - RelatedRelated - CitedCited ARPHA Preprints doi: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e161580 First posted 11 Jun 2025 Authors Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, Ecuador Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, Ecuador C. Miguel Pinto - Corresponding author Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, Ecuador Conflict of interest The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Supporting agencies The Natural History Collections of the Charles Darwin Research Station are funded by the COmON Foundation. This is an open access preprint distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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License: CC-BY-4.0