Although both Siganus luridus and Siganus rivulatus have been reported from the Maltese Islands in the literature, and on internet sites and databases, there do not seem to be any specific records of S. rivulatus from these islands. In order to address the question whether both or only one of these alien siganids occur in the Maltese Islands, all records of siganids collected or photographed in Maltese waters were evaluated. Thirteen records comprising at least 33 specimens supported by photographs or specimens and 25 records of 48 individual rabbitfish identified in the field were all S. luridus. This suggests that S. rivulatus does not occur in Maltese waters.

This study has been conducted in order to identify the present species in the northern part of the Persian Gulf. Samples were collected on the sub tidal zone of Larak Island (Persian Gulf) via SCUBA diving in July 2011. The literature review on the distribution revealed that this is the first report of Holothuria hilla from Larak Island. The species identification was made using morphological keys and review of their ossicles.

From samples taken during the oceanographic cruises TALUD IV–X in the southern and central Gulf of California, Mexico, 291 specimens of Lucinoma heroica were obtained in a depth interval of 731 to 991 m. The species occurred under conditions of severe (<0.1 ml l−1O2) and moderate hypoxia (0.1–0.5 ml l−1O2). The correlation between height and length of the shell showed isometric growth with a trimodal size distribution, showing an average interval of 3.75 mm to 47.40 mm in height and 4.96 mm to 54.00 mm in length. Small individuals (≤20 mm) were distributed in a moderate hypoxic environment, while the larger (>35 mm) tolerated an almost anoxic habitat. Medium-sized specimens (21–35 mm) were found in concentration close to 0.2 ml l−1O2. Average density was 1.532 ind l−1 in infauna samples (dredge and core) and 0.002 ind m−2 in epifauna samples (benthic sledge).

The ammotheid pycnogonid Ammothea hilgendorfi was first recorded outside its native range of the Pacific Ocean in 1978 in southern England and in the Lagoon of Venice in 1979 to 1981. Both occurrences are attributed to anthropogenic dispersion by shipping. Subsequently, it has spread further in the UK to Dorset and, most recently, to Essex. The world distribution of this species and the history of its occurrence outside the Pacific are reviewed, and hypotheses for its recent spread in the UK, via recreational boating, are presented.

During a routine survey, the scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini was caught from Nagapattinam coastal waters, south-east coast of India. It is the second time this species has occurred after a long period along the Indian coast, and this substantiates the possibility of its entry from another place.

We document the composition by sex and size of 105 long-beaked common dolphins (57 males and 48 females) from a die-off in January–February 1995 in the upper Gulf of California, Mexico. Total length of males ranged from 191.2–264.7 cm and those of females ranged from 170.0–252.4 cm. These are the largest Delphinus reported to date anywhere in the world.

Qeshm Island is the largest island of the Persian Gulf. It is located in the north-eastern part, near the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. Between 2007 and 2010 by support of the Persian Gulf Biotechnology Research Center a collection of the two most dominant macrobenthic fauna groups (Gastropoda and Crustacea) was gathered around the island. A total of 28 intertidal stations were investigated, including four basic habitat types (rocky, sandy, mud flats and mangrove forests), which resulted in a large diversity of species encountered. The present report provides a summary of the collected taxa. A total of 123 taxa belonging to Crustacea and Gastropoda are recorded in the present study. Identification of the species up to the lowest possible level was attempted; about 88% were identified up to species level. In total, 109 species have been identified. Rocky sites were the most diverse intertidal habitats in the island.

In this study we present data on 46 strandings of Bryde's whales along the coast of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro States, south-eastern Brazil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the stranding pattern of Bryde's whales in south-eastern Brazil. The results show a relationship with annual increasing of strandings in a 20 year period of data collection (1990–2010). No significant seasonal trend was observed among four seasonal categories, but most whales stranded during winter (July–September). Males stranded more frequently than females. There was a significant trend in strandings of sexually mature whales (>11.12 m; 53.6%), but juveniles (≤8 m; 21.9%) were also relatively common. The present work confirms that Bryde's whales are common on the south-eastern Brazilian coast. Some discrepancy in published results from sightings and our results on strandings (e.g. seasonal pattern) was observed and may be related to environmental condition and the presence of inshore and offshore populations with differences in life history and behaviour. No whales showed signals of impact caused by human interactions, despite the potential threats in the study area. Future studies comparing morphology with genetics are suggested to be carried out to elucidate the taxonomic status of the Bryde's whales in Brazil.

The western Atlantic pontoniine shrimp Ascidonia miserabilis is reported for the first time from Atol das Rocas, off Rio Grande do Norte, representing the first record of this species and the genus Ascidonia for Brazil and the south-western Atlantic. In addition, its geographical range in the Caribbean Sea is extended to Honduras and Panama. All specimens of A. miserabilis were collected from inside cryptic ascidians, Acidia spp., in very shallow water (1–2 m). Illustrations of the previously unknown colour pattern of A. miserabilis are provided for the first time.

The present paper reports the first record of occurrence of longfin escolar Scombrolabrax heterolepis in the Indian waters. A single specimen measuring 188.5 mm standard length was collected from a commercial deep-sea shrimp trawl by-catch operated at 220 to 350 m depths in the Arabian Sea off Trivandrum during October 2010. The specimen is described and figured.

For the first time, we report the occurrence of the irregular echinoid Cassidulus caribaearum (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) in Puerto Rico. This is also the first record of this species in the Greater Antilles. Until then it had only been observed in Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Belize, San Marteen and the US Virgin Islands. This novel information increases its previously known distribution range and represents the sixteenth shallow water echinoid occurring in Puerto Rico.

The genus Acantholaimus (Chromadoridae: Nematoda) is one of the most species-rich deep-sea nematode genera. The descriptions of two new species and supplemental descriptions of five known species from the Angola Basin (south-east Atlantic Ocean) and a depth of about 5500 m are given. Acantholaimus formosus sp. nov. is characterized by a spindle-shaped body with narrow elongated anterior end, the position of amphideal fovea on the apical tip of the body and by robust rugae and onchia. Acantholaimus skukinae sp. nov. is characterized by its cylindrical body shape; short outer labial, cephalic, cervical, and somatic setae; large amphideal fovea; the position of its amphideal fovea (situated relatively far from the head end); and relatively small onchia. Acantholaimus angustus was previously found in the Peru Basin (central-eastern Pacific) and the Clarion–Clipperton Nodule Province (Equatorial Pacific), about 13,000 km apart from the nearest previous location of finding. The type location of A. verscheldi is the Kenyan coast of the Indian Ocean. New specimens of this species were found about 8000 km apart from the type location. Acantholaimus akvavitus, A. iubilus and A. quintus were previously found in different parts of the Atlantic and the Pacific.