ETHNOECOLOGY OF Mussismilia braziliensis ( Verrill 1868 ) IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF CARAVELAS , BAHIA , BRAZIL . Etnoecologia da Mussismilia braziliensis ( Verrill 1868 ) no município de Caravelas , Bahia , Brasil

This work is the first record of the perception of artisanal fishers in the Caravela cityBahia and its respective districts (Ponta de Areia and Barra de Caravelas) regarding the species Mussismilia braziliensis (Verrill 1868), its ethnozoological aspects and its socio-environmental importance. The main objective is to associate the knowledge of these artisanal fishers about this species with the ethnoconservation of the Abrolhos Marine National Park (PARNAM-Abrolhos). Data collection was conducted from March to August 2019 through semi-structured interviews with 14 fishers, both men and women, from each fishing communities (Caravelas, Ponta de Areia and Barra de Caravelas). Of the 42 interviewed fishers, half are diving fishers and half fish using other methods. An ethno-mapping was carried out with two focal groups in order to know if the fishing grounds have received their names due to the presence or absence of corals. Using morphological characteristics, the focus species is grouped together with other corals belonging to different families, which are all considered to be brain corals. Other studies are recommended to appreciate the knowledge of the Caravelas fishers and use it for future environmental education, management and conservation projects of the PARNAM-Abrolhos.


INTRODUCTION
Fishing communities and artisanal fishers have daily contact with the marine ecosystem. As such, they have knowledge about the biology and ecology of aquatic environments (MOURÃO and NORDI, 2003); knowledge that deals with the behavior, reproduction, feeding patterns, taxonomy and ecology of the fauna, and which can assist in the conservation and use of fishing resources (SILVA and BRAGA, 2016).
Ethnoecology is a part of ethnobiology, which studies the knowledge, emotions and way of life involving human beings and other beings that make up the ecosystem (MARQUES, 2001). Several ethnoecological studies have revealed the wealth of knowledge of artisanal fishers in Brazil as a whole and in Bahia State in particular. For example, Martins et al. (2011)

studied the connections between fishers and octopuses in
Coroa Vermelha (Bahia); Magalhães et al. (2012) studied ecological and biological aspects of crustaceans in northern Bahia; and Braga and Schiavetti (2013) studied the ecological knowledge of fishers from Ilhéus about turtles.
Up to date, there is no record in the scientific literature of ethnoecological studies with corals, particularly those endemic to the Abrolhos bank. The species under study is a Brain Coral known as Mussismilia braziliensis (VERRILL, 1868). It is endemic to the Abrolhos Bank and is the main species of reef-building coral in this region (CAPARELLI, 2004). Due to several events threatening corals, M. braziliensis has been placed in the Coral reefs cover about 0.2% of the oceans' area, but despite their small territorial expanse, they are the most productive coastal marine ecosystems with about 25% of marine species (KIKUCHI et al., 2003), and their ecological, social and economic importance is unquestionable (MMA, 2019).
The study of the relationship between fishers and the coral reefs provides a source of knowledge that is of great importance for a better understanding of these environments. It may provide tools for future Environmental Education projects by seeking to understand, clarify and raise the awareness of fishers, tourists and others who enjoy coral reefs about the importance of environmental preservation and conservation, especially concerning the endemic species existing in the Conservation Unit.
This work, carried out with artisanal fishers from a southern coastal area from Bahia, is the first record of the empirical knowledge about the species M. braziliensis as well as its ethnozoological aspects and its socio-environmental importance.

Study Area
This study was carried out in the extreme south of Bahia in the municipality of Caravelas and its districts Ponta de Areia and Barra de Caravelas. This municipality ( Figure   1) is located at the coordinates (17º43′55″S, 39º15′57″W) in the Abrolhos region, an area with a great wealth of coral reefs in the South Atlantic (LEÃO and KIKUCHI, 2001;DUTRA et al., 2006;VIANA et al., 2015).

Data Collection
Data collection was conducted from March to August 2019 through semi-structured interviews with 14 fishers, both men and women, from each fishing communities (Caravelas, Ponta de Areia and Barra de Caravelas). Of the 42 interviewed fishers, half are diving fishers and half fish using other methods.
Photographs of different coral species, including that of M. braziliensis ( Figure 2) and hydrocoral species, all of them endemic in Brazil, were presented to the three fishing communities of the region. Some photographs were taken from the Cifonauta Marine Biology Image Bank (http://cifonauta.cebimar.usp.br), and others were provided by Lucas  Data analysis comprised a model combining several individual abilities. This method has been used in several Brazilian ethno-scientific researches, such as Costa-Neto (2000), Alarcon and Schiavetti (2005), Azevedo-Santos et al. (2010), Amaral (2015), and Amaral (2018).
The data were obtained and analyzed through an emic/etic approach, which compares the traditional/emic knowledge with the one from the academic/etic literature (FELEPPA, 1986apud CASAL et al., 2011. Berlin's (1992) principles of nomenclature and categorization were applied to the classification of the species M. braziliensis, namely: kingdom, life form, intermediate, generic, specific and variety, thus seeking to compare these criteria with those recorded in the literature, in addition to confirming the names assigned to the obtained categories.
Two focal groups were assembled after collecting and analyzing the data, one group composed of three fishers who dive for their catch and the other with four fishers who do not dive, in order to develop the ethno-maps of the fishing grounds cited by them, seeking to know if there is a relationship between the names of the fishing grounds and the presence of corals.
The identification of the species was made by the oceanographer Lucas Cabral Lage They are followed by the time of fishing experience and the abbreviations "G1 and G2", which correspond to Focal Group 1 (fishers who dive) and Focal Group 2 (fishers using other modalities), respectively.
In this paper, the analyzed, described and discussed ethno-classification data represents a sub-sample of the total interviews, which included the most-frequently cited groupings by the fishers in each community, using the first four grouped species closest to the coral that is the focus of this study.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Among the 42 interviewees, 40 were men and 2 were women. They were between 18 and 60 years of age, with a schooling level ranging from basic to college level and a professional fishing experience ranging from 2 to 40 years.
When the interviewees were confronted with the picture of the mushroom-shaped coral pinnacle or chapeirão (Figure 3) with the brain coral at the top to see if they knew what the image represented, they already answered what made it, without indicating a distinction between the formation and the coral, which has different names like: chapeirão, coral, coral head (cabeço-de-corais), stone head (cabeço-de-pedra), reefs, coral reefs, brain coral, great star coral (coral-jaca).
As for the fishers' knowledge on what forms the chapeirões, 100% of the interviewees recognized that it is a coral. Within the diving fishers category, 85.71% of fishers from Barra de Caravelas, 100% of fishers from Caravelas, and 85.71% of fishers from Ponta de Areia cited the brain coral or the scientific name M. braziliensis itself. The respective percentages in the category of fishers using other fishing modalities were 28.57% for fishers from Barra de Caravelas, 28.57% for fishers from Caravelas, and 28.57% for fishers from Ponta de Areia.

Figure 2 Chapeirão (Mussimilia braziliensis). Source: Cultura Mix.com
It is the brain coral endemic of the region, it's only found here, in the extreme south of Bahia, it stays more on top, right, when we stay more on the surface, diving right, we, the apnea, the catch, we stay more on the surface and see the fish and go down, then, we see more of these points, you see one here, another one here below, generally it stays more on top looking for sun, the Mussismilia braziliensis (PB-M, 9 years). Man, this is a brain coral, we fisherman here call it the cabeço, cabeço formation (PPA-OA, 14 years).

Brain coral, right? It's very similar (PC-M, 20 years).
As for the perception of the coral being a living organism, 100% of the interviewees affirmed that it is alive. Most of them know this because of the growth of the coral, as can be seen in the following passages: Yes, first because it is a living being, because it is not stagnant like a rock, it grows, it keeps increasing and the fish make use of it in some way, I don't know how to explain it right, but I think so, certainly (PC-M, 15 years). That then is a living being because it grows, I can't tell you its entire cycle, right? But every year it grows around 1cm and 1cm and a half (PB-M, 9 years). Yes...it grows, it grows a lot (PPA-OA, 35 years).
Little knowledge was obtained in the three communities about the reproduction of the coral. A probable explanation for this is the main objective of the fishers, which is to go in search of fish: "Man... At the moment I don't know the answer. I have to study more about this, my thing is shrimp, really" (PB-OA, 37 years). The reproduction of the corals that was cited by the surveyed fishers are represented in the following statements: M. braziliensis is hermaphrodite and spawns gametes (CAPARELLI, 2004;SILVA and FIGUERÊDO, 2020). Its spawning presumably occurs between March and mid-May (PIRES et al., 1999;CAPARELLI, 2004), and the release of gametes occurs near the new moon (PIRES et al., 2016). According to these authors, the gametes separate and spread by the water current. After a while the cross-fertilization is initiated, where the ovocyte of one colony is fertilized by the sperm of another colony.
Coral reefs provide ecosystemic goods and services to society, including food, tourism, storm protection and nurseries for species of commercial interest (BURKE et al., 2011). The important functions of brain corals are highlighted by the interviewees, such as the maintenance of ecological balance, the ecological relationship with different organisms, shelter for fish, indicators of environmental health, and natural physical barriers. Many of the interviewees reported the existence of ecological relations between the brain coral and fish, in addition to quotes that demonstrate interactions with other individuals, such as interactions of the coral with humans, with algae and with crustaceans.
And these relationships can be classified as harmonious (without damage) or inharmonious (with damage) (Figure 4). The herbivory displayed by fish is a key factor in reefs, for it controls the algae biomass over the corals (MCCOOK et al., 2001;SILVA, 2010), since both compete for space to survive (FEITOSA, 2014).
He is the top of a chain, because usually the parrot fish, besides others, but the Parrot fish right, because they feed on the algae that grow on it, it is a real gardener, the Parrot fish, a reef cleaner 9 years) The predation of corals by fish is done in two ways: through focused bites, where the individual bites in a single area repeatedly; or through shallow bites distributed throughout the colony (BRUCKNER and SOLLINS, 2000;FEITOSA, 2014). This relationship was observed by fishers with different types of fish. Even though the presence of the Lionfish at the Abrolhos Bank is considered false, constant monitoring is necessary, since this species has already been sighted in other Brazilian aquatic environments, such as Arraial do Cabo in the Rio de Janeiro Lakes region.

The friar eats it, there is also the boxfish that eats it, the
It is an invasive reef species in the Atlantic Ocean and may disturb the food chain of the environments it invades .
When asked what purposes the coral serves, one of the fishers reported that individuals belonging to the crustacean class are protected by the coral ("Protecting the fish, is…protecting the lobsters" PC -OA, 25 years). According to Moreira (2008), coral reefs shelter several species of fish, mollusks, crustaceans, cnidarians and algae, in addition to several other living beings.
No studies have been found reporting the existence of sun coral at the Abrolhos Bank, but studies show that two species of the genus Tubastraea, native to the Pacific Ocean, have been reported in Brazil since 1980 in the state of Rio de Janeiro, causing serious ecological, economic, and social impacts on the environment (OIGMAN-PSZCZOL et al., 2017), and they are reason for concern for the fishers in the three Caravelas communities.
We have to be very careful with the sun coral that is very close to us, it kills all the other corals 36 years) Coral reefs are threatened by several factors that can lead to coral death. These factors are reported by Leão (1994) as natural and anthropogenic agents. The interviewees are well aware of the reasons that may lead to the death of corals and what the individuals of these species become when they die. Among the impacts cited, the increase in water temperature (21%) is the most reported by interviewees who dive to fish, and the use of nets (22%) on the reefs is the most cited by fishers using other fishing modalities because pieces of coral end up being caught in the nets.
The impacts cited by fishers may (e.g. trampling and use of nets) or may not (e.g. water temperature and oil spills) be connected to the fishing activity, as we can see in figure   5.

Man's intervention can provoke if for some reason, it is...., I don't know, just like there is oil exploration here now, in our region, if they start exploring oil and there's a leak and the oil arrives here, it kills, it will kill, not only the corals, but any living being that lives there, so the great predator, in my opinion, it's the, it's actually humans, you know? (PC -M 20 years)
Another problem pointed out by the fishers is the presence of corals with the socalled bleaching phenomenon, which is caused by the exit of the zooxanthellae, photosynthetic algae that live inside the coral tissue, and this phenomenon may be related to a relatively small increase in the temperature of superficial waters (SZMANT andGASSMAN 1990, FAUTIN andBUDDEMEIER 2004;. Many of the interviewees are aware of the damage the environment could suffer if the brain coral disappeared from the sea, and many answers are related to the fisherman's source of income, the fish. According to Moberg and Folke (1999), coral reefs provide food and are the main source of economic resources for hundreds of thousands of people living in the tropical regions of our planet. The sections below describe some of the problems if corals were to disappear from the reef environment: ... If these corals disappeared from here it would be difficult, because it is a home and food for many fish. I'm not going to say which fish will disappear together with it, but the area that has the stones will usually become a desert. (PPA-M, 23 years) It would decrease fish reproduction, fish species (PB-M, 3 years) It will have an impact, right? It will have some impact on the fishing grounds, that's because it's already, it's its environment, right? If it starts to leave, it will certainly do harm (PB-OA, 34 years) We would have many problems, one of the factors is that the fish would not have their place of residence, they would lose their food because here the food is created for the fish to feed themselves, they would lose shelter, this I say for the fish (PC-M, 20 years) Scarcity of fish species that many fishermen need for their consumption, for sales, understand? It would disappear, so they are very important in the formation of shoals (PPA-M, 13 years) Man, then it is a great devastation in our fishing area, because without the coral there is no food, no fish, it all ends (PPA-OA, 35 years) The criteria used by fishers to classify and group the corals were: shape, color, size, consistency, composition, proximity and appearance. And both within the category of diving fisherman (76.14%) and that of fishers using other modalities (80.95%), the shape criterion was the most used one.
Among the 21 groups formed by the diving fishers, 10 groups were formed taking into consideration the 4 mentioned species that were closest to the species M. braziliensis, with 2 groups having the most mentions with 9.52% each: Siderastrea stellata, M. braziliensis, Favia leptophylla, Mussismilia hartti, and M. hispida, and the other group with M. braziliensis, S. stellata, F. leptophylla, M. hartti, and M. hispida. Similarly, among the 21 groups of fishers using other modalities, 8 groups were formed, with 2 groups having most mentions, both with 9,52%, namely: S. stellata, F. leptophylla, M. braziliensis, M. hispida, and M. hartti; the other group with M. braziliensis, F. leptophylla, S. stellata, M. hartti, and M. hispida. Among the grouped species, the general characteristic pointed out for their recognition was Coral, being it a generic folk name. These results show that the groupings formed by the fishers include different species in the same family, as we can see in figure 6.
However, by going up a hierarchical level in the scientific taxonomy, the species are "groupable" at the Order level (Scleractinia) (LEÃO and KIKUCHI, 2001). It should be noted that the groupings formed by the fishers place the species F. leptophylla closer to M. braziliensis than M. hartti and M. hispida, to which it is more closely related genetically, but this result may be due to the photos chosen for this work, since they may not represent the way that fishers see the corals in their fishing areas.
As for the ethno-mapping (Figure 7), an understanding was sought for the reason of the names of the demarcated fishing grounds. With regard to the meaning of the names (Tab. 1), the information given by the focal group of diving fishers (G1) is consistent with the other group, fishers who do not dive (G2), with differences in the points demarcated on the map. Table 1. Names of the fishing grounds and the reasons for receiving these names according to the focal groups, G1 (fishers who dive N=3) and G2 (fishers who do not dive N=4) in the Municipality of Caravelas, Bahia State. G 1 -Fishermen who dive G2 -Fishermen who don't dive Recife de Areia -is more sand than coral.
Recife de Areia -sand basin, sand crown. Recife da Lixa -has a lot of sand fish, nurse sharks.
Pedra de Leste -For being exactly to the east, geographical point.
Pedra de Leste -Position of the wind, to the east.
Pedra Virada -A tumbled stone, the elder say it was a stone that tumbled.
Pedra Alta -A stone that stays on the surface, that is exposed.
Pedra Alta -A stone that stays above the waterline, exposed. According to Alvarenga (2004), the Pedra de Leste is located inside the Parcel das Paredes, and it is the fishing ground nearest to the continent, "protected from the dominant winds from the east and northeast" .
All the fishing grounds mentioned by the fishers of the focal groups are located inside the Parcel das Paredes, with the exception of Sarrado, which according to the G1 fishers "is stone on the bottom, so it is not marked on the map, it extends beyond this parcel". According to , this parcel is the largest reef structure of the Abrolhos Bank, having a group of isolated reefs and so named because of the existence of abrupt walls on the leeward side of the reefs.
According to Gusmão (2015), inside the Parcel das Paredes, specifically in Lixa Reef, a ship called Vigilante bound from Rio de Janeiro was shipwrecked in 1943. This information is corroborated by both focal groups.
Besides the fishing grounds already cited by the fishers of Caravelas, Ponta de Areia and Barra de Caravelas and those demarcated on the map by Leão et al. (2003), such as Sebastião Gomes, Pedra Grande, Coroa Vermelha and Viçosa, the names of other fishing grounds came up during the ethno-mapping, such as As Pontas ("As pontas have this name because they make these points right here on Parcel das Paredes", G2), Aranguera and Pedra Nova, which are not demarcated in this work in the ethnomap for discussion.  Leão et al., 2003;Spanó, 2004;Leão and Kikuchi, 2005 ) No records of the location of the fishing grounds Pedra Alta and Pedra Virada were found in the scientific literature. According to the fishers, these fishing grounds were subdivided to facilitate their localization: "They are glued together, all inside Parcel das Paredes" (PB-M, 9 years); "They were only divided to identify the location, but it is all within parcel" (G1).
The ethnobiological knowledge presented here is heterogeneous, but congruent with the scientific literature. This result was similar to the work done by Dócio et al. (2010), who studied the knowledge of artisanal fishers about the ecological interactions of sponges.

CONCLUSIONS
The fishers of Caravelas have extensive knowledge about the importance of the species M.
braziliensis for the maintenance of the environmental balance, and this knowledge can be an ethnoconservation tool for the Abrolhos National Marine Park.
Considering that several problems that can cause the death of the coral are part of the fishers's daily lives, the impacts related to fishing are the main threat to the coral under study from an emic point of view, with the existing relationship between human beings and the corals being considered inharmonious by the fishers.
The recorded knowledge can be compared with future work on other fishing communities of the Abrolhos Bank to identify its importance and biological and ecological aspects, in addition to checking the taxonomy of the brain corals described by the fishers, making it possible to analyze if they are in agreement.
Based on the results obtained and morphological characteristics, the species M. braziliensis is grouped together with other corals belonging to different families, which are all considered to be brain corals. Therefore, other studies are recommended that value the knowledge of the Caravelas fishers and use it for future environmental education, management and conservation projects of PARNAM-Abrolhos.

ACKNOWLEGMEMTS
The authors would like to thank the fishers of the Caravelas city (Sede, Ponta de Areia and