Jasus edwardsii and Jasus paulensis are two species of spiny lobster that are distributed across south-eastern Australia and isolated islands of the southern Indian Ocean, respectively. We present rare examples of abnormal reproductive morphology in both species. For Jasus edwardsii, this included a female lobster captured in South Australia, which, in addition to the normal pair of gonopores at the base of the third pair of pereiopods, also exhibited a second a pair of gonopores on the coxopodites of the fourth pair of pereiopods. In Tasmania, a male individual exhibited the specialized pincer on the right propopodite, normally only observed in females. The frequency of abnormal morphological reproductive characteristics appeared higher in Jasus paulensis. This included 14 individuals that exhibited a range of additional and abnormal gonopore locations in both males and females. We discuss the findings in relation to rare cases of gynandromorphism in crustaceans.

Studies of the feeding habits of sea turtles are important in identifying their feeding grounds and preferred prey, thus helping with management decisions regarding habitat protection. The present study describes, for the first time, the feeding habits of the sea turtles Caretta caretta and Lepidochelys olivacea in Rio de Janeiro State, south-eastern Brazil (22°06′S–22°55′S). The stomach contents of five C. caretta and five L. olivacea recovered between 2009 and 2010 were analysed to identify the prey species. A common feeding pattern was noted for both species, with bottom-dwelling prey (fish, crustaceans, molluscs and echinoderms), common in shallow environments, constituting the main food items. All fish and brachyuran crustacean species identified in the stomach contents were by-catch in small-scale shrimp fisheries that operate along the study area. The coastal waters of Rio de Janeiro State represent a new feeding ground for L. olivacea, expanding its preferential habitat during the non-reproductive period. The results provide strong evidence for the likelihood that sea turtles are interacting with fisheries due to an overlapping between feeding and fishery grounds. An evaluation of carcasses washed up on beaches is needed for a better understanding of the effects on the population dynamics of sea turtles.

The Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis H. Milne Edwards, 1853 is a native crab of East Asia. It is predominant in freshwater but migrates seawards to breed. It was found in Normandy, for the first time, in 1943 (Hoestlandt, 1943, 1948). Seventy-one years of observations along the Normandy coast and in the Seine estuary, as well as in the ship-canals and inner seaport of Le Havre, have recorded a total of 65 crabs at 33 locations. The observation of an E. sinensis juvenile in mussel beds along the Calvados coast indicates that this habitat can be a favourable location for larval settlement.

One species of Microtabella, Microtabella interrupta, is widespread and has been known since the 19th Century but it has a convoluted taxonomic history leaving it presently the only species in the genus. The name interrupta derives from the chain-forming habit and the plastids being confined to a portion of the cell by a set of distinctively distended septa. This character makes it very easy to identify and very easy to overlook similar species, especially because the tabulate frustules are most often seen in girdle view. I found specimens of a new taxon that had these characters and was distinguished with difficulty in girdle view by the coarser striae on the copulae and the recurved edges of the septa. However, in valve view Microtabella rhombica n. sp. has a much broader, rhombic outline. Ultrastructural differences include a more elongated apical pore field with a prominent spine, biseriate striae on the copulae and a different form of the ligule (a raised bar on the last copula). Like Microtabella interrupta, the mature epitheca of Microtabella rhombica comprises numerous copulae with nearly flat septa, two copulae with distended septa and four hyaline pleurae that lack septa. This species could well be widespread but, as with other monospecific genera in which there is a strong distinguishing character, care must be taken to look beyond the outstanding feature.

The anguillid eels found in Peninsular Malaysia were identified using a morphological analysis and that identification was further validated as Anguilla bengalensis bengalensis and Anguilla bicolor bicolor by an analysis of the eels' mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences. Because of the difficulty of accurately identifying tropical eels solely on morphological analyses, previous studies had reported the occurrence of the tropical eel species Anguilla marmorata in Peninsular Malaysia. This study suggests the occurrence of Anguilla bengalensis bengalensis in Malaysian waters, confirmed by both morphological and molecular genetic analyses. Anguilla bicolor is further confirmed as the subspecies of Anguilla bicolor bicolor by molecular genetic analyses. The present study also suggests that accurate tropical eel species identification requires validation by molecular genetic analysis after a morphological observation.

A large well-established population of the grapsoid crab Percnon affine (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) was observed in the rocky low-intertidal zone of Chabahar Bay, along the Iranian coasts of the Gulf of Oman. This is the first record of P. affine from the northern Indian Ocean.

We describe for the first time the distribution and abundance of Oculina patagonica along the coasts of the Northern Alborán Sea (Andalusia Region, Southern Iberian Peninsula), which corresponds to the southernmost region of the known distribution range of the coral. After surveying 693 km of the Andalusia coastline, along three different depths, we showed that O. patagonica was restricted to the eastern shores of the Alborán Sea. It was only present in 7 out of 195 sampling stations in the eastern region along the studied coasts and at the depth range of 0–3 m. Moreover, we observed that the distribution of the species along the northern coasts of the Alborán Sea might be related to substrate availability and sea surface temperature. In the localities in which its presence was described, the annual mean sea water temperature was in the range of 18–21°C. In relation to substrate availability, it must be noted that the distribution of hard substrata – ideal for O. patagonica settlement and growth – along the sampling area, is not uniform in the study area; this might affect the continuity of the distribution of the species. Local studies such as this one are of importance as a starting point for delineating the species' relationship with its habitat, population boundaries and population ecology. Given the fast expansion of this species along the Mediterranean coasts, this study could serve as a basis for continuous monitoring of the spread of the species and its long-term effects on the ecosystem.

This study reports the first occurrence of partial albinism in a tropical anguillid eel Anguilla bengalensis bengalensis from Malaysia. This paper also describes the first record of albinism in the genus Anguilla. The occurrence of albinism in our specimen of Anguilla might have been caused by three factors: (1) contamination effects; (2) random genetic alterations; or (3) genetic alteration due to small population size. The present results suggest that the albinism in A. bengalensis bengalensis is probably caused by random genetic alteration. Partial albinism may not be a handicap in the life of the present specimen because the eel could still potentially grow to more than 1 m in total length, just like a normal adult eel.

During an aerial survey on 30 December 2014 in the Danish Wadden Sea, a newborn grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) with umbilical cord was observed at a sandbank located north of the island Rømø together with the mother. This is the first report in the scientific literature on grey seals breeding in the Danish Wadden Sea since the species disappeared from the area in the 16th Century.

The catfish Genidens barbus (Siluriformes: Ariidae) is an anadromous species from South America. It has been classified as vulnerable in Argentina and Uruguay due to its complex life cycle, its restricted distribution in fresh or estuarine waters and the critical levels of fishery harvesting of this species. In this work, we report the occurrence of G. barbus in three great rivers, which could represent the evidence of an extension in its migration corridor in the Paraná River Delta (Argentina).

The Mediterranean endemic coral Maasella edwardsi (de Lacaze-Duthiers, 1888) is recorded for the first time from the Aegean Sea coasts of Turkey. A dozen colonies of the species were observed on rocks and the rhizomes of Posidonia oceanica meadows during the coral surveys carried out between 2012 and 2014. This record shows the northernmost occurrence of species in terms of geographic distribution in the Turkish coasts. The number of known species for the Anthozoan fauna of Turkey has increased to 76 with this new record.

A porbeagle shark Lamna nasus was found stranded at the sub-Antarctic Marion Island on 26 March 2014. The specimen, a sub-adult female, measuring 123 cm pre-caudal length, was photographically recorded and identified on the basis of its meristic traits. This observation is related to current information on the distribution of the species obtained from fisheries in the Southern Ocean and its feeding biology. The Onykia ingens squid specimen found in the specimen's stomach content matches the classification of porbeagle sharks as pelagic and demersal predators and adds to the cephalopod prey species list of the recently established Prince Edward Islands Marine Protected Area.

In September 2014 an unusual mixture of ctenophores was recorded at Arboretet, south-western Norway and at Flødevigen, near Arendal on the south coast of Norway. In addition to the invasive American lobate ctenophore, Mnemiopsis leidyi, the common northern lobate ctenophore Bolinopsis infundibulum and the cydippid Pleurobrachia pileus, two beroid ctenophores, were noted – Beroe cucumis and Beroe gracilis. The latter species had not been documented before in Norwegian waters.

We report a first record of the alien fish Cryptocentrus caeruleopunctatus in the Mediterranean Sea. The fish was found along the northern coast of Israel. This finding increases the number of Red Sea gobies in the Mediterranean to six, and the number of shrimp-gobies to two. A dense colony of this species was observed at depths of 20–30 m in the Rosh Ha'nikra-Achziv Nature Reserve.

Three individuals of small, young giant squid Architeuthis dux were caught in or near Japanese coastal waters during April–June 2013. The first occurrence of a young individual of 140.8 mm dorsal mantle length with a total weight of 44.81 g was recorded on the coast off Uchinoura, Kagoshima, Kyushu Island, southern Japan. The remaining two young individuals, both measuring 332.0 mm in dorsal mantle length with total weights of 390.63 and 356.95 g respectively, were caught on the coast off Hamada, Shimane, south-western Sea of Japan. Most morphological traits of all the specimens were consistent with those of A. dux, which was supported by further genetic analysis. Here we present some morphological traits of young giant squids with morphometric data and photographs.

Specimens of the deep-sea scale worm Neopolynoe acanellae (Verrill, 1881) (Polychaeta, Polynoidae) were collected at depths between 466 and 1405 m in Canadian waters while still attached to their host, the pennatulacean coral (sea pen) Pennatula grandis Ehrenberg, 1834. The present records extend the northern latitude of occurrence of N. acanellae in North America by 17o (~2000 km) to include the northern continental shelf of Newfoundland and Labrador and the lower Arctic, off the southern coast of Baffin Island (Canada). Analysis of the worm's intestinal content confirmed the presence of sea pen soft tissues and sclerites, suggesting that this species feeds on its host and is therefore parasitic.

Gymnothorax prolatus is recorded for the first time from the Indian Ocean on the basis of four specimens collected in the Bay of Bengal off India and one from the Arabian Sea off Pakistan. These records extend the range of the species from Taiwan to the north-western Indian Ocean.

Rare and cryptic species can be easily missed during ecological surveys of coral communities. This study reveals a disparity in the reported geographic range of a rare species, Echinomorpha nishihirai, between three different sources; none of which are wholly consistent with the available published occurrence records. Discrepancies in the species ranges reported in two comprehensive online databases are greater for rare, compared with common, coral species, suggesting a need for a more cautious treatment of rare species in biogeographic studies.

The northernmost record of the alien nudibranch Godiva quadricolor is reported here, about 400 km farther north than the previously published one and the farthest to be recorded from the equator. It is also the second published record of this species along the Italian coasts and the first record from the Ligurian Sea. A single specimen was reported during a scuba dive, crawling on small stones inside the Site of Community Importance ‘Fondali Noli – Bergeggi SCI’, at a depth of 3.5 m. The species, described in 1927 in South Africa, is considered to be rapidly expanding its original areal distribution thanks to maritime traffic. A review of the known actual distribution is also reported here.