Canopus Bank
Canopus Bank is a submarine elevation located in the South Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of the state of Ceará, in Northeastern Brazil, at approximately 2°10′ S and 38°20′ W. It lies about 190 km northeast of the city of Fortaleza and is part of the Brazilian Equatorial Continental Margin, specifically within the Ceará Guyot.[1] This bank is classified as a seamount, with significant geological, ecological, and biological relevance.[2]
Geology
[edit]Canopus Bank is characterized by an elongated morphology and a flattened summit, with gentle slopes. Bathymetric and seismic surveys reveal a structure developed in a region marked by normal faulting and post-rift thermal subsidence, typical of passive Atlantic margins formed after the South American-African continental breakup during the Cretaceous period.[3][4]
Geophysical data show that the bank is composed of igneous rocks, both intrusive and extrusive, overlain by biogenic carbonate sediments formed by marine organism remains and coralline deposits. There is also evidence of volcanic activity linked to regional tectonic processes. The gradual subsidence created favorable conditions for the development of mesophotic reef environments.[4]
Biodiversity
[edit]Canopus Bank is considered a marine biodiversity hotspot, hosting a rich and diverse benthic fauna, including several rare and potentially endemic species.
Brachiopods
[edit]Three brachiopod species were identified at the bank:[5]
- Tichosina martinicensis (Terebratulidae)
- Terebratulina cailleti (Cancellothyrididae)
- Argyrotheca sp. (Megathyrididae)
Some of these species were previously known only from other parts of the Atlantic, had their distributions greatly extended by the findings at Canopus Bank.[5]
Crustaceans
[edit]The decapod fauna includes species such as Euprognatha limatula, a spider crab described from specimens collected at the bank.[6]
Mollusks
[edit]Several species of gastropod mollusks have been described from specimens collected at Canopus Bank, including:
- Arene lychee[2]
- Calliostoma melliferum[7]
- Fasciolaria agatha
- Hipponix climax
- Lucapina elisae
- Nassarius levis[8]
- Pedicularia tibia
References
[edit]- ^ "Marine Regions · Canopus Bank (Bank)". www.marineregions.org. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ^ a b Cavallari, D.C.; Simone, L.R.L. (2018). "A new species of Arene (Vetigastropoda, Areneidae) from Canopus Bank, off NE Brazil". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia. 58: e20185823. doi:10.11606/1807-0205/2018.58.23.
- ^ Andrade, João Fernando Pezza; Gomes, M. P.; Bezerra, F. H. R.; de Castro, D. L.; Vital, H. (August 2018). "Morphotectonic development of the Ceará Terrace: a marginal ridge on the western side of the Romanche Fracture Zone in the Brazilian Equatorial Margin". Geo-Marine Letters. 38 (4): 371–384. Bibcode:2018GML....38..371A. doi:10.1007/s00367-018-0541-y.
- ^ a b Alberoni, Ana Angélica Ligiéro; Jeck, Izabel King (2022). "Brazilian Continental Margin morphology". Meso-Cenozoic Brazilian Offshore Magmatism: 95–119. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-823988-9.00001-0. ISBN 978-0-12-823988-9.
- ^ a b Marques, Rodrigo Cesar (September 2018). "Brachiopods from Canopus Bank (Southwestern Atlantic, Brazil)". Marine Biodiversity. 48 (3): 1591–1594. Bibcode:2018MarBd..48.1591M. doi:10.1007/s12526-016-0583-1.
- ^ Santana, William; Tavares, Marcos (2008). "A new species of Euprognatha Stimpson, 1871 (Crustacea, Brachyura, Inachoididae) from off coast of northeastern Brazil". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia. 48 (27): 317–328. doi:10.1590/S0031-10492008002700001. ISSN 0031-1049.
- ^ Cavallari, D.C.; Simone, L.R.L. (7 August 2018). "A new species of Calliostoma (Vetigastropoda: Calliostomatidae) from Canopus Bank, off northeastern Brazil". Zootaxa. 4457 (1): 156–166. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4457.1.8. PMID 30314185. S2CID 52976867.
- ^ Abbate, Daniel; Cavallari, Daniel Caracanhas (2013). "A new species of Nassarius (Gastropoda, Nassariidae) from Canopus Bank, off Northeast Brazil". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (São Paulo). doi:10.1590/S0031-10492013000100001.