The serranid fish Liopropoma lunulatum (Guichenot, 1863) and Plectropomus laevis (Lacépède, 1801) were recorded from Cochin fisheries harbour, Kerala in March 2012, constituting new records for Indian waters. Morphometric and meristic characters of the specimens were similar to those reported elsewhere for the species. Distinguishing characters and colour patterns of the two species are discussed. The present record indicates a marked extension of their range of distribution from their type localities.

The first record of an adult male of French angelfish Pomacanthus paru (total length = 295 mm; total weight = 855.3 g) in the coastal waters of Rio de la Plata mouth, Argentina is here reported. This finding extends the known limit to about 1200 km from the previous reported southernmost distribution of this tropical fish.

Four larvae of Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) were collected during a larval survey for Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in true inshore and shallow locations in the Norwegian fjord system Skjerstadfjorden. This observation contributes to the previous 57 larval specimens ever found for Atlantic halibut and is in accordance with earlier findings from aquaculture research on an ontogenetic change in phototaxi during larval development in this species. The catch sites indicate that shallow water in fjord systems may be of importance as nursery areas for early life stages of Atlantic halibut along the Norwegian coast.

A specimen of bigscale jawfish, Opistognathus macrolepis (Perciformes: Opistognathidae) was collected from the travelling water screen of Madras Atomic Power Station pump house, located at Kalpakkam, south-east coast of India. Opistognathus macrolepis was previously known only from central west Pacific, from the Gulfs of Thailand and Carpentaria, Australia. The present study reports the first record of its occurrence in the Indian Ocean from the east coast of India and constitutes a new addition to the Indian coastal ichthyofauna.

A new deep-sea fish is reported for the tropical eastern Atlantic. The rare chiasmodontid Kali macrodon was caught for the first time in Cape Verdean waters during an oceanographic survey in September 2009. This record provides the fifth occurrence for the species in the north-eastern Atlantic and represents the third specimen ever caught in tropical waters.

A large specimen of a female large-eyed rabbitfish, Hydrolagus mirabilis, known previously only from the eastern and western Atlantic, was recorded for the first time in the eastern Mediterranean. Its morphometric and meristic characteristics are reported.

The Indo-Pacific fish species Vanderhorstia mertensi was found, for the first time, off the Israeli coast in the Mediterranean. This shrimp-associated goby was reported so far only from the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Its presence verifies the status of V. mertensi as an Erythraean alien.

Rullierinereis ancornunezi is recorded for the first time from British waters. Specimens were discovered at two sites: near the Isles of Scilly at the extreme south-west of the country and near the Isle of Wight in the English Channel.

To date the occurrence of Mayerella redunca has only been reported from the northern Gulf of Mexico (USA) and southern Caribbean (Venezuela). Based on samples collected from the continental shelf of Yucatan, this paper provides the first record of M. redunca from the southern Gulf of Mexico (Mexico), along with its main morphological features.

The present paper reports new distributional record of Ablabys binotatus from India. A single specimen measuring 89 mm standard length was collected from a trawler operated in the Gulf of Mannar off the south-east coast of India during November 2007. Comparison of morphometric and other characters with the holotype and other reported specimens confirms the identification.

The false killer whale Pseudorca crassidens is currently documented from only six eastern tropical Atlantic (ETA) range states, five of which are evidenced by strandings, by-catch or skeletal remains rather than at-sea sightings and consequently provide no information on habitat or behaviour. Here we report six false killer whale records from cetacean surveys carried out off Gabon (four records) and Côte d'Ivoire (two records) between 2002 and 2012, providing the first at-sea sightings in those two existing range states. All six sightings were located in continental shelf waters (≤103 m depth) and in relatively nearshore (mean = 13.9 km) habitat. Forty-three false killer whales were photo-identified during three encounters on the Gabonese shelf; seven individuals were matched between 2002 and 2006, including two individuals that were present during all three sightings. Observations included predation of Atlantic sailfish Istiophoms albicans and two occurrences in proximity to humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae. Whistles recorded during one sighting had simple structure, short duration and a mean fundamental frequency of 7.8 kHz. These are the first verified records of false killer whales using continental shelf waters in the ETA, indicating that the species occupies neritic habitat in the region in addition to its previously-documented oceanic habitat. The re-sightings of marked individuals between sightings and years suggest that at least some individuals exhibit a degree of site fidelity to Gabonese shelf waters. Further information on distribution, abundance, movements, population structure and mortality rates are required for effective management of the species in the ETA.

We present here the most updated list of sea urchins for Puerto Rico. We report, for the first time, the occurrence of the irregular echinoids Paraster floridiensis and Clypeaster subdepressus for the island. These reports increase the number of shallow water echinoid species for Puerto Ricoto to 19 and expand the known regional distribution range for both species.

Several morphotypes of the relatively large bacterium, Epulopiscium sp. were collected from the intestines of three species of surgeonfish (genus: Acanthurus) from shallow waters around the island of St Thomas, in the eastern Caribbean Ocean. This was the first comprehensive study of any of these bacteria from the Atlantic Ocean. They were chemically fixed at the University on St Thomas Island, Virgin Islands and sent to the first author (J.N.G.). Each sample was examined under phase-contrast microscopy with a light microscope. Most cells contained two daughter cells that were very phase-bright; hence, were likely true endospores. They varied from very small, at the ends of the cell, to one-third the length of the cell length to overlapping at the centre. A few contained only one daughter cell or endospore. Based on their sizes, shape, and number of daughter cells, they best fit two of the morphotypes described previously.

A video clip from the Galápagos Archipelago confirms the first recording of the smalltooth sandtiger shark, Odontaspis ferox, in these islands. Further sightings of this species in the eastern Pacific will likely follow, considering that other, relatively nearby islands lay within reach of the Equatorial Counter Current and North Equatorial Current, which connect some already reported sightings.

Mesozooplankton was studied during 2008 in coastal waters of the İskenderun Bay in order to determine seasonal changes in abundance, biomass, community structure and their relationship with environmental factors. Samples were collected seasonally at five stations using WP-2 net of 200 µ mesh size by vertical hauls. A total of 23 planktonic groups including 30 copepod species, 4 cladocerans and 4 chaetognaths were identified. Copepods were the most important group during the whole period of survey. Penilia avirostris was found to be dominant in spring, while Paracalanus parvus in summer and winter, and Acrocalanus gibber in autumn. Mesozooplankton abundance varied from 438 ind m−3 (autumn) to 7163 ind m−3 (spring), while biomass varied between 2.2 mg m−3 (summer) and 52.9 mg m−3 (autumn). Differences in abundance and biomass between seasons were statistically significant (P < 0.01). Clear seasonal distribution patterns were observed in the area. Two peaks in abundance were defined: a major peak in spring and a second minor one in autumn. It seems that the trophic element was the main factor affecting the density distribution of zooplankton populations, whereas species distributions were more affected by hydrographical parameters, namely: seawater temperature and salinity.

We monitored the long-term residency of reef-associated ballan wrasse and sand-dwelling rays captured at the site of a potential future Marine Protected Area (MPA: Portelet Bay, Jersey) by implanting them with small transmitters and deploying underwater receivers inside the bay. Individual fish were detected at Portelet Bay for up to 618 days, but there were species-specific differences in residency and detection patterns. Ballan wrasse were year-round residents at the study site where they exhibited distinct, rhythmic, diel, tidal and seasonal patterns of behaviour, whereas rays were occasional visitors to Portelet Bay with no discernible pattern to their visits. Results indicate relatively small MPAs (<0.5 km2) that with suitable habitat could provide effective, long-term protection for ballan wrasse, but would likely be of little conservation benefit for rays. Our findings emphasize the importance of quantifying fish movements when planning MPAs which intend to protect multi-species assemblages of coastal fishes.

The aim of this study was to apply indicators for monitoring the impacts of harvest in a recreational surf clam fishery. We investigated trends in abundance, biomass and size structure and proportion of sexual maturity for the pipi (Donax deltoides) in Venus Bay, Australia. The surf clam stock was sampled during the peak harvesting season in the Australian summer (November to February) at four sites exposed to varying degrees of recreational harvest. Sampling was based on three transects at each site; with 0.027 m3 (0.3 m × 0.3 m × 0.3 m) quadrats stratified within transects by tidal position. Restricted maximum likelihood mixed model analyses were used to examine fixed effect combinations after including a priori random effect for transect within site. Results demonstrated that relative abundance varied significantly (P = 0.0090) among sampling months but not among sites. Relative abundance declined across the peak summer harvest season. The proportion of maturity varied significantly (P = 0.00026) among sites whereas relative biomass varied significantly (P = 0.0043) among months by sites. Relative biomass and the proportion of maturity were considerably higher at the site exposed to minimal harvest compared to other sites. This study demonstrates that a suite of indictors including biomass, size–frequency and proportion of maturity are likely to provide a more accurate assessment of stock status in recreationally fished surf clam populations, than relative abundance. This highlights the need to develop methods to estimate relative biomass in surf clam populations that are not exploited commercially.

Carpet shell clam populations on the Tunisian coastline are susceptible to several microbial pathogen challenges. In this study we report the results of five years' surveillance, conducted from January 2004 till June 2009, for detection of Perkinsosis and brown ring disease (BRD). The survey covered three sites of natural populations of Ruditapes decussatus in a Tunisian lagoon, the North Lake of Tunis. Perkinsosis was detected preferentially in winter periods from the external and marine site, BRD was detected more frequently in the summer periods in a more proximal collection site (in the lake) and was positively correlated with concentrations of heterotrophic Vibrio sp. Our results suggest that several factors other than temperature and salinity might explain spatial distribution variability and natural intensities for these infections in carpet shell clam populations.