In recent years an increased shift in the geographical range of species has been documented, which coincides with global warming. On the Portuguese coast the raising of sea-surface temperatures and salinity has also been affecting the intertidal species range. The aim of the present study was to assess changes in the wood boring community present in the Tagus Estuary by comparing data from present surveys with historical records from the 1960s and 1970s. A shift in the activity of wood boring species was observed in the Tagus Estuary. In recent surveys, the main agents of wood destruction in the Tagus were Limnoria tripunctata and Limnoria quadripunctata. In the 1960s and 1970s only L. tripunctata was reported as occurring in the Tagus estuary but it was not considered at threat to wooden structures exposed in the sea. The present predominance of limnoriids in the Tagus might be related to several factors but possibly the most important was the increase in salinity in the area, as limnoriids appear to be restricted to waters with salinities closed to that of seawater. The teredinid species also changed in the area. In the 1960s and 1970s Teredo navalis was reported as the only teredinid species occurring in the Tagus. In recent surveys however, this species was not found, instead two other teredinid species were present Lyrodus pedicellatus and Nototeredo norvagica. The absence of T. navalis in recent surveys might be related to competition with L. pedicellatus.

Abundance patterns of intertidal caprellids associated with the alga Corallina elongata were studied along the Iberian Peninsula. Nineteen stations were selected. The Mediterranean coast showed higher seawater temperature and conductivity and lower dissolved oxygen and turbidity than the Atlantic coast. Cover of C. elongata was negatively correlated with seawater temperature and decreased towards the Mediterranean sites. Number of caprellid species and abundances were higher in stations in the Strait of Gibraltar, probably related with the currents' dynamic around this area. In general, caprellids associated with C. elongata were more abundant along the Mediterranean than along the Atlantic, in spite of the lower algal cover in Mediterranean stations. Caprella hirsuta and C. liparotensis were restricted to the Mediterranean coast whereas C. penantis was only found in the Atlantic and the Strait of Gibraltar. Although C. grandimana has been reported along the Mediterranean, its presence on Corallina elongata was restricted to the Strait of Gibraltar. Oppositely, Caprella liparotensis, which usually inhabits Atlantic and Mediterranean intertidal ecosystems, was only present in the Mediterranean and did not coexist with C. penantis along the Atlantic. Probably, competence process among C. grandimana, C. hirsuta, C. liparotensis and C. penantis are regulating the distribution patterns on the intertidal alga Corallina elongata. On the other hand, canonical correspondence analysis showed a clear preference of Caprella penantis at sites with high oxygen concentrations, whereas C. hirsuta was mainly influenced by higher temperature and conductivity.

During a 2005 scientific cruise in Storfjord in Møre, Norway, a previously undescribed co-occurrence between the wood boring bivalve Xylophaga dorsalis and the pogonophoran annelid (Sibglinidae) Sclerolinum brattstromi was discovered. The pogonophoran was lining burrows made by the bivalve, and surrounded it in a glomerulus-like structure. Based on observations, we hypothesize that the deep burrows of X. doralis produce an environment favourable to S. brattstromi. Interestingly, both bivalve and annelid are dependent upon symbiotic microorganisms, and thus raising the possibility that the relationship between these species is driven by their bacterial symbionts, or their utilization of the common redox boundary.

The present paper reports the occurrence of Polyonyx gibbesi in Argentinean shelf waters and extends its distribution southwards in the western Atlantic. Forty-four specimens of P. gibbesi were found in stomach contents of the narrownose smoothhound shark Mustelus schmitti during November 2008.

Here we report the use of Epinephelus itajara by Decapterus macarellus as a protection from Caranx latus predation attacks.

Suctorian epibionts Thecacineta calix attached on the cuticle of nematodes Desmodora sphaerica and D. pontica are reported here from the deep-sea hexactinellid sponge Pheronema sp. from the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean). The epibiont T. calix is reported here for first time from the Andaman Sea.

Events of mass mortality of marine fish have been reported to occur world wide, mainly in coastal regions of continental shelves. Here we report an event at Trindade Island, located 1160 km from the Brazilian coast. Melichthys niger was the species most commonly seen affected. Twenty-four other species were found washed ashore. Victims were demersal (72% of species), pelagic (20%) and benthonic species (8%), comprising eight trophic categories. There is evidence that fish kills have occurred at Trindade since at least the 1990s. Mortality events mainly involving primarily Balistidae (Trindade, Maldives and Ascension), Chaetodontidae (St Helena) and Serranidae (Ascension) have been reported for other isolated oceanic localities with low human occupation. It is possible that blooms of toxic algae, under certain conditions cause cascading intoxication along the trophic web. A second hypothesis is that seasonal upwelling events of anoxic or hypoxic waters may be implicated.

An initial inventory of the dolphins and whales occurring in Guinea's coastal waters is documented primarily from specimens and photographic evidence obtained from strandings and by-catches. Seven species are fully validated, four odontocetes, Tursiops truncatus, Sousa teuszii, Stenella frontalis, Kogia breviceps and three balaenopterid whales: Balaenoptera brydei, Balaenoptera acutorostrata and Megaptera novaeangliae. Another three reported species (Globicephala macrorhynchus, Steno bredanensis and Delphinus delphis) are insufficiently supported but thought to be valid. Small cetaceans landed as by-catch and a stranded whale were used for human consumption, but no evidence of substantial takes, directed or by-catch, was found. However, concern is raised about even minimal takes of the vulnerable Atlantic humpback dolphin. The seasonal presence of three confirmed humpback whales, two strandings (July and September) and a sighting (October), is synchronous with the species' southern hemisphere wintering/breeding season in low latitudes. We hypothesize that these whales may comprise the north-westernmost range of the population that breeds/overwinters in coastal waters of the Bight of Benin, northern Gulf of Guinea.

Cetaceans were surveyed using ship transects across the seas of Raja Ampat (West Papua) in November and December 2007. Sighting effort reached 120 hours, over a total distance of 1561 km. The most common cetacean sighted was the spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris (~0.238 individuals/km) most frequently in pods of 15–20 individuals, in relatively-shallow to deep waters (82–2310 m). All those spinner dolphins that were positively identified from photographs were of the pelagic form (S. l. longirostris). Other cetaceans sighted were the short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus, Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus, the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops sp., the false killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens and the sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus.

Knowledge of the whale shark, Rhincodon typus, in the south-east Atlantic off the coast of West Africa is limited to several bycatch and stranding records. Ten at-sea sightings of whale sharks from Angola (N = 9) and Nigeria (N = 1) are presented, consisting of nine sightings from offshore platforms and a single record from a helicopter. Eight of the records were from oceanic waters exceeding 1000 m, while single records originated from shelf-edge and continental shelf waters. The records support a year-round occurrence of whale sharks in offshore West African waters, although the majority (N = 8) of sightings occurred during the spring and summer months between September and January. Most sightings (N = 8) were of whale sharks estimated to be in the 5–7 m length-range. These records represent the first verified at-sea sightings in the West Africa region providing novel information on behaviour and distribution, and also confirm Nigeria as a range state for the whale shark.

Polycera hedgpethi and Godiva quadricolor are two species of nudibranchs widely spread along the Indo-Pacific by shipping. The first of these two species was originally described from Californian coasts, while the second was described from temperate South African coasts. Records of both species outside the Indo-Pacific are scarce, but have already been recorded in the Mediterranean (Gulf of Naples and Adriatic, Italy; French coasts). Moreover, G. quadricolor in the Mediterranean has been misidentified and its significance misinterpreted. In this paper, we provide new records of a significant number of specimens of both species from the region of Agadir (Morocco, Atlantic), as well as that of an additional specimen of G. quadricolor from the Bay of Algeciras (Strait of Gibraltar). This last species is recorded for the first time for the Moroccan and Spanish fauna and P. hedgpethi is also new for the Moroccan fauna. The shipping activities carried out in the areas where the specimens reported in this paper have been collected, as well as their habitual eutrophic conditions, lead us to the expectation of the settlement in the near future, if not yet, of well-established populations of both species.

The presence of the Gorgona guitarfish, Rhinobatos prahli, in new zones of the Colombian Pacific coast is registered. The current unique Colombian record of the species corresponds to its description from Gorgona Island in 1995. This paper gives new information on the species on the tropical eastern Pacific coast; and contributes to the knowledge of the habitat used by this species in these zones.

Percnon gibbesi is an opportunistic feeder, feeding primarily on algae, of the shallow infra-littoral rocky shores. It was first observed in 1999 in the Mediterranean Sea and has rapidly spread since then. The range expansion of the species in the Aegean and Ionian Seas was recorded and evidence of its further establishment in Greek waters was provided. Established populations were observed in areas where it had not been previously reported: the Saronikos Gulf (central Aegean Sea), Chios Island (central Aegean Sea), Milos Island (central Aegean Sea), Zakynthos Island (central Ionian Sea) and Syvota (north-eastern coast of the Ionian Sea). The species was also observed in new sites in the Messiniakos Gulf, Crete and Rhodes Island, where it had been previously reported. The species keeps spreading in the Mediterranean Sea with a high rate of expansion.

Knowledge of bryozoan larval types is limited to a relatively small number of species. Further information is needed to establish traits of evolutionary significance and thus advance bryozoan taxonomy. Morphological classification of bryozoan larvae has previously focused on electron microscopy, epi-fluorescence microscopy and lightfield microscopy methods. These are either relatively time consuming and require fixed material, or they fail to reveal surface features of larvae. A method is presented here, based on confocal laser scanning microscopy, which allows in vivo 3-D imaging of larvae. The method could also be used for imaging other marine invertebrate larvae of comparable size.

The short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) is regarded as notably rare or absent from the northern North Sea, but recent evidence suggests a rising frequency of the species in these waters with increasing regional sea temperatures. The following paper documents the presence of D. delphis in the Moray Firth in north-east Scotland and provides the first evidence for the sustained occurrence of these delphinids in this region during the warmer summer months at least. Sightings were collated during systematic surveys of the outer Moray Firth between 2001 and 2009 by independent research teams from the CRRU and WDCS. A total of 13 encounters (with group sizes ranging from 2 to 450+ animals) were recorded with the species across this period, the first of which was in June 2006, with annual encounters being logged thereafter between the months of May and August from 2007 to 2009 inclusive. The animals were recorded in water depths of 51 to 209 m (mean depth: 88.6±42.2 m) and at a distance from shore of 5 to 32 km (mean distance: 16.6±8.0 km). New born calves were observed in June and July, and photographic recaptures of identifiable ‘marked’ adults were determined in 2009. The consistent presence of common dolphins in the outer firth post 2005 and the recapture of recognizable individuals suggest a comparatively recent colonization of these waters by the species over a relatively short period of time. The impacts resulting from such a range expansion upon the existing cetacean community and the subsequent implications for management are discussed.

The present paper reports the first record of occurrence of the flat toadfish Colletteichthys dussumieri in the estuarine waters of India and the warmer waters of the coasts of the Arabian Gulf to India and Sri Lanka. It is often misidentified as Allenbatrachus grunniens (Linnaeus, 1758). Discrepancies in meristic and morphological characters were observed.

The barber goby Elacatinus figaro, native to the Brazilian Atlantic coast, is endangered due to over-exploitation by the ornamental industry. It is expected that once the technology for juvenile production is mastered, one could reduce fishing pressure by commercializing fish raised in captivity and stocking enhancement programmes can be established. This work was carried out in order to describe natural breeding, embryonic development and larviculture of barber goby in the laboratory. The first spawning was observed 24 days after the pairs were formed, thereafter barber goby spawned every 8 to 10 days at 26°C. Fecundity ranged from 430 to 1020 eggs per clutch with average hatching rate of 69 ± 16%. Fertilized eggs are elliptical in shape and present adhesive filaments at the proximal end and five protuberances at the distal end. Egg length averaged 1.81 ± 0.1 mm and mean width was 0.61 ± 0.03 mm. The embryonic developmental period lasted 7 days and newly hatched larvae measured 3.15 ± 0.07 mm, showing positive phototaxis. Larvae were fed with rotifers Brachionus plicatilis in green water culture along with the microalgae Nannochloropsis oculata from 1 to 20 days after hatching (DAH). Artemia nauplii were added to the diet 15 DAH, and 5 days later rotifers were no longer offered. The results of the present study demonstrate the viability to produce naturally spawned eggs of the barber goby E. figaro in captivity. Larvae settle to the bottom 28 to 35 DAH, when total length was equal to 8.5 mm in average.

Estuaries often show clearly recognizable changes in the distribution of organisms along environmental gradients from riverine to fully marine conditions. Surveys performed along the horizontal axis of the Plym and the Yealm Estuaries identified patterns of distribution and abundance of intertidal barnacles and provided a new assessment on the dominance exhibited by the non-native species Elminius modestus in these estuaries. Elminius modestus occurred furthest up in estuaries and was dominant along most of their length, with the exception of few sites closest to the sea; Chthamalus montagui had the most restricted degree of penetration up-estuary; and Semibalanus balanoides occurred at low abundances, with limits of penetration located between those of C. montagui and E. modestus. At many sites, E. modestus was the only barnacle species found. There were changes in the relative abundances of these three species in several particular locations within the Plym and the Yealm in comparison to previous accounts made in the last decades, which, in most cases led to increased dominance of E. modestus. This was mainly due to reductions in the abundances of S. balanoides. Physico-chemical conditions experienced after settlement, especially deposition of silt, exposure and salinity regime contribute to the patterns described here.

A morwong (Nemadactylus bergi) specimen was caught in May 2009 by a commercial trawler in Falkland Islands waters, outside its normal sub-tropical distribution. This extends its southwards range, possibly as a result of ongoing global warming.

Most studies and records of cleaning symbiosis between reef fish originate from shallow waters, ranging about 1–30 m depth. We record herein the wrasse Bodianus pulchellus and the goby Elacatinus phthirophagus cleaning below 60 m depth in the tropical south-western Atlantic. The wrasse was recorded cleaning two large piscivorous clients (a jack and a grouper) and the goby was recorded cleaning a grouper. Cleaning interactions between deep-reef fish and both of these cleaners may be expected at depths even greater than those reported here.