A century of echinoderm research in Argentina: Irene Bernasconi’s lasting legacy from 1925, with notes on type material and publication chronology
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Irene Bernasconi was the pioneering and world-wide recognized echinoderm specialist from Argentina. Her career, spanning nearly six decades, was marked by significant contributions to the taxonomy of echinoderms mainly from southwestern Atlantic and Antarctic Peninsula and laid the foundation for the inclusion of women in science in her country. Based honorary at the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” (MACN) and later as a CONICET researcher, Bernasconi contributed to the description of 25 new taxa (3 subspecies, 21 species, 1 genus). This review addresses the status of the species she described, including nomenclatural updates and compiles her extensive publication record of 68 research articles, highlighting her focus on asteroids (60% of her studies), echinoids (32%), and ophiuroids (26%), with minor contributions to crinoids and holothuroids (3% for both). The first publication by Bernasconi appeared in 1925, and her final work was completed in 1980, reflecting her valuable commitment to echinoderm studies as a cornerstone in the region.
Authors: Mariano Martínez, Alejandro Tablado, Fabrizio Scarabino, Mariela Romanelli, Malena Pfoh, Renata Pertossi, Analía Pérez, Pablo Penchaszadeh, Daniel Lauretta, Daniela Huenten, Damian Gil, Cintia Fraysse, Jonathan Flores, Lucía Epherra, Florencia Di Marco, Lorena Arribas, Ariana Alarcón Saavedra, Martín Brogger
Institutions: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum, Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Maimónides, Centro Científico Tecnológico Patagónico, Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos, National University of Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Desarrollo Pesquero
Language: English
Subfield: Aquatic Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4415529299