Verônica da Fonsêca-Genevois and the rise of meiofauna studies in Brazil: life and contribution of a pioneer, in memoriam

The Head of the Brazilian Meiofauna Laboratory at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Prof. Dra. Vernica Gomes da Fonsca-Genevois, passed away on Monday, 2 December 2013, after a long illness. Veronica studied meiofauna since the 1980s. In the last two decades, she focused mostly on nematode ecology and taxonomy, with a special interest in the unexplored deep-sea diversity of the Brazilian coast. Having been the promoter of over 50 Brazilian students on meiofauna-related subjects, and having sent many students abroad for expert training in Europe and the US, she was not only the pioneer of meiofaunal research in Brazil, but also the main driving force behind the impressive expansion of meiofaunal research in Brazil in the last 10 years. Vernica da Fonsca-Genevois was one of the first Brazilian benthologists to promote lasting collaborations with European institutes such as Ghent University and Plymouth Marine Laboratory. We will remember her as a magnificent colleague and an eminent and inspiring scientist with a tremendous knowledge of, and passion for, marine meiofauna