Neobythites stefanovi is recorded for the first time from Indian waters in the Gulf of Mannar. Two specimens were landed as by-catch in trawl gear at Tuticorin fisheries harbour, south-east coast of India, in March 2010. This is also the first record of the species outside the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and Gulf of Aden, in the western Indian Ocean.

Dwarf (Kogia sima) and pygmy (K. breviceps) sperm whales occur in pelagic waters around southern Africa. Here we report the first record of K. sima from Namibia and provide information on the basic morphometrics and diet of that record and of two recent strandings of K. breviceps. All known records (N = 29) of K. breviceps from Namibia are also collated. Eight families of cephalopod were identified in the stomach contents of the K. sima but no fish remains and few crustacean parts were present. Nine and ten families of cephalopod were identified in the stomachs of the two K. breviceps specimens respectively. This report expands the known range of K. sima by more than 1000 km from previous published records in the region. The sparsely populated nature of the Namibian coast and bias of records towards centres of human habitation suggest Kogia strandings are under reported. The low number of stranded specimens of K. sima from Namibia and west South Africa, in comparison to K. breviceps suggests that K. sima occur rarely or at very low densities in the area influenced by the Benguela current ecosystem. Specimens from Namibia are valuable due to uncertainties about taxomony of kogiids in the region.

The spiny basket star Astrocaneum spinosum is an ophiuroid found in coastal waters of the tropical eastern Pacific. This paper presents a new record of this species from off the coast of Ecuador and an extension of its distribution range of some 1200 km to the south.

Sea turtle nesting had thought to be extirpated from South Caicos decades ago, but in December 2012 hatchling hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata were discovered emerging from the sand on a small beach in Shark Bay. Nest emergence was asynchronous and was spread out over at least two weeks. The nest was subsequently excavated and was found to contain the remains of 142 eggs, 128 of which appeared to have hatched successfully. It is unclear if Shark Bay is a regular nesting site, or if this nesting event was a transient occurrence.

Ovigerous females of Uca (Cranuca) inversa were collected from Avicennia marina mangroves near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Laboratory-hatched first zoeal stages were described and illustrated for the first time. Morphological comparison of the larval structures was made with known larvae of congeneric species. Larval features of Ocypodinae were evaluated taking into account all previous larval descriptions of this subfamily. The short dorsal spine of zoea-I is proposed as the main feature for the identification of the larva of this species.

The present study reports the first record of Herviella mietta from the Andaman Sea, Indian Ocean, more precisely from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. The species is identified by colour pattern, morphological characters and microscopic investigation of the radula and the lateral denticles. The important diagnostic characters are the carrot-shaped cerata that are predominantly black in colour, black pigment on the body, and 8–9 denticles on each side of the small central cusp of each tooth.

Occurrence of killer whales in Norway is linked to the migration of the herring population with most sightings during wintertime. Here we describe the first record of North Atlantic killer whales feeding on Atlantic salmon inside a fjord in northern Norway during summertime, thus adding an important factor in understanding the feeding ecology of North Atlantic killer whales.

Aequorea pensilis was recorded for the first time in massive quantities on 17 August 2013 at Damb, Sonmiani; however, only a few stranded specimens were collected from Clifton on 2 December 2012. Both these localities are on the Pakistan coast. These findings suggest that, A. pensilis has been established in this region. This report also provides the first record of A. pensilis from Pakistan and is the first report of a hydroidomedusa from the region. This species is distributed in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea.

Pomacanthidae is a family of coral reef fish that consists of approximately 74 species. Ten species of these fish have been identified in the Persian Gulf, one of them being yellow-bar angelfish (Pomacanthus maculosus). The phylogenetic relationship of these fish was studied using 10 samples collected from three regions of Iran: Larak Island, Lengeh Port and Genaveh Port. To analyse mtDNA, 760 base pairs of the cytochrome b gene were amplified and sequenced. The target region of the mtDNA was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and then PCR products were analysed by the phylogenetic analyses of the DNA sequences based on Phylodraw and ClustalW software. Samples were aligned together and with other cytochrome b gene sequences of angelfish from GenBank. Comparison of the phylogenetic trees indicated that all samples belong to a monophyletic group, while comparison of the phylogenetic tree obtained from the cytochrome b gene of P. maculosus samples from the Persian Gulf and other angelfish in GenBank, showed that P. maculosus is closer to Pomacanthus semicirculatus and Pomacanthus imperator than other species of GenBank.

In the Bay of Douarnenez, in a reference area surveyed for echinoderms, the relative abundance of epifaunal ophiuroids (Ophiothrix fragilis and Ophiocomina nigra) was estimated by dredging and video surveys. Two surveys were undertaken in 2008 and 2011, following a protocol similar to that used in a long-term survey conducted in the 1980s. The data were then compared between the two periods. The present observations demonstrate a recolonization of this site by these ophiuroids, which had almost disappeared between 1983 and 1988. However, although the mean densities of Ophiothrix fragilis were similar to those found prior to this general ophiuroid decrease, Ophiocomina nigra densities were much greater. This latter species not only increased significantly in density and bottom coverage in the reference area, but also showed strong juvenile recruitments on maerl beds and colonization of other bottoms of the bay at very high densities according to a geostatistical analysis. Further studies would be necessary to establish whether or not there is a cause-and-effect relationship between the increase of green algae in the bay and the development of this opportunistic species.

Thirty-eight specimens collected along the intertidal zone from the southern Pacific of Mexico were examined, resulting in the extension of the distribution ranges for Eucinetops lucasii Stimpson, 1860 from Mazatlán, Sinaloa to San Agustín Bay, Oaxaca (approximately 1488 km southward), E. rubellulus Rathbun, 1923 from Maruata, Michoacán to La Tijera Beach, Oaxaca (802 km southward), and Uca musica Rathbun, 1914 from San Blas, Nayarit to La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve, Chiapas (1763 km southward).

A large often greenish-appearing type of leptocephalus larva has been observed and photographed or filmed by divers at 4 different locations within the Indonesian Archipelago from 2008 to 2011, and this paper documents these sightings and evaluates what can be learned about this type of unusual eel larvae. These leptocephali (~300–400 mm long) appear to be exceptionally large metamorphosing larvae of some type of moray eel of the family Muraenidae. Because of the morphological similarities between these larvae and ribbon eels, Rhinomuraena quaesita, they are hypothesized to be their larvae, which have never been distinguished among leptocephali of the Muraenidae. These leptocephali were observed at Sangeang Island, in Lembeh Strait adjacent to north-eastern Sulawesi Island, in two different years at Ambon Island, and on two consecutive days at Bali, between December and June of 4 different years. All observations of the large leptocephali were at depths shallower than about 23 m in areas with mixed coral rubble or coarse sand and silt substrates during daylight hours. The larvae used various styles of anguilliform swimming and swam near the bottom or in the lower water column while being observed. One larva tried unsuccessfully several times to enter small crevices. They were all at the metamorphosing stage and may have been entering coastal habitats to find a hiding place where they could transform into juvenile eels. Further studies are needed to clearly identify these large leptocephali and to learn about their life history.

Numerous specimens of Ophistognathus panamaensis were observed along the coast of Oaxaca in western Mexico and one specimen was collected by Hawaiian sling in the coral reef zones of Huatulco, Mexico in November 2012. Therefore, this paper reports for the first time the occurrence of O. panamaensis in Mexico and extends its previous distribution by 1245 km north of the Eastern Pacific equatorial zone.

Three marine hydroid species, Garveia grisea, Eudendrium glomeratum and Eudendrium merulum, widely spread and abundant in the Mediterranean Sea and with scarce records elsewhere, are reported for the first time from the Moroccan Atlantic coast. As part of a project studying the distribution of the hydroid assemblages from 0 to 30 m depth in the Strait of Gibraltar and the nearby area, the new records reported in the present contribution widen the known biogeographical distribution of these three species.

Fleshy macroalgae are becoming a dominant benthic component on Caribbean coral reefs, with increased abundance and frequency across all reef zones. Over the past two decades, the brown alga Lobophora variegata has proliferated on shallow and deep reefs in Curaçao, former Netherlands Antilles. This alga provides a living substrate for a diverse epiphytic community. Here we report on Neosiphonia howei (Rhodomelaceae: Ceramiales), growing epiphytically on L. variegata over a broad depth gradient (6.5 to 40 m). Although N. howei has been reported as a typical epiphyte in shallow water, it was commonly found on L. variegata blades on the reef slope in all fertile stages. This epiphyte anchored deeply into the host tissue, suggesting hemiparasitic behaviour. The spread of L. variegata may have increased the depth-range of N. howei and the exact nature of the interaction between N. howei and its host deserves further research considering the importance of fleshy macroalgae on coral reefs.

A mimic octopus Thaumoctopus mimicus is documented for the first time in Australian waters off Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia during a low tide on 4 June 2012. One adult was found and this suggests that their geographical distribution is larger than currently documented.

A total of ten coral species are reported from the Capo Rizzuto (Calabria) Marine Protected Area on the Ionian coast of Italy. Two species, Polycyathus muellerae and Paracyathus pulchellus, are new records for the Ionian Sea, a finding that expands their current known distribution range. Eight species are new records for the Ionian coast of Italy. Another species, Astroides calycularis, was identified from a photograph taken in the area, but its presence was not confirmed in the field. The solitary zooxanthellate coral Balanophyllia europaea was found associated with the yellow encrusting coralline alga, Lithophyllum pustulatum, which represents a novel observation requiring further investigation.

Ophiuroidea represents the dominant invertebrate group in Patagonian scallop fishery by-catch in the south-western Atlantic. This study presents information that brings forward the spatial patterns and abundance of the most abundant species in the benthic community associated with this fishery at the shelf-break front in the Argentine Sea, between 37° and 44°S during the period 2002–2005. Ophiactis asperula, Ophiacantha vivipara, Ophiura (Ophiuroglypha) lymani and Gorgonocephalus chilensis show a latitudinal and bathymetric distribution pattern, explained by their natural distributional ranges and feeding habits. Our results indicate that the abundance and distribution of these species are not related to scallop fishing activities.

Here we report on the first record of the family Microzoanthidae (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia) from Palau, and by extension in Micronesia. Unusually, the species Microzoanthus kagerou was found not in a coral reef environment as has been previously reported elsewhere, but instead inhabiting shaded seawater outflow pipes at the Palau Maricultural Developmental Center on Malakal Island, Koror.

The first occurrence of the Tranquebar scallop Volachlamys tranquebaria in the Vellar estuary, south-east coast of India is reported with photographs.