Why are there so few “far southern” myriapods?

There are no extant Antarctic myriapods. The “far southern” islands south of latitude 45° S together with the isolated (south Atlantic) Tristan da Cunha, Gough, (south Indian) St Paul, Amsterdam and (south Pacific) Chatham islands (at 37 to 44° S), harbour only 33 native, introduced and partly identified taxa, including 17 Chilopoda, 11 Diplopoda, two Pauropoda and four Symphyla. The myriapods confined to the extreme edge of the Southern Ocean are entirely derived from pre-glacial Tertiary relicts or post-glacial anthropogenic introductions and show no evidence of co-occurring sibling taxa. This unusual distribution pattern provides a useful “no dispersal/no speciation” benchmark that can be applied to other far-southern non-marine invertebrates where the distinction between pre-glacial and post-glacial endemic taxa is not so clearly defined.     

New records for hermatypic corals (Anthozoa: Scleractinia) in the Gulf of California,Mexico, with an historical and biogeographical discussion

This paper reports range extensions for seven hermatypic coral species in the Gulf of California. An analysis of the distribution and fossil record of the 12 hermatypic species of the Gulf shows that the coral communities of the Gulf are the oldest ones in the eastern Pacific. Two species have been recorded in the Gulf (or nearby) since the Pliocene and several other species since the Pleistocene. The uninterrupted fossil record falsifies the hypothesis of a total extinction of reef corals in the eastern Pacific during the Pleistocene. The fossil evidence and temperature calculations support the conjecture that the Gulf of California was a refuge zone for corals and other warm-water biotas during the same epoch. Also it is suggested that some species of the genera Porites may have an Atlantic origin, contrary to the accepted idea of an exclusive Indo-Pacific origin of the eastern Pacific coral fauna.     

Ampithoid amphipods from the South Pacific: Papua New Guinea,French Polynesia and New Caledonia

This paper documents 13 known and seven new species of Ampithoidae from three South Pacific locations: Papua New Guinea; the Austral Isles, French Polynesia; and the Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia. The new species Ampithoe ricaudyana, Ampithoe takeuchii, Cymadusa lituus, Cymadusa paradisaea, Plumithoe boulari, Sunamphitoe kanaka and Sunamphitoe tjiboui are described. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:590B4276-1DFA-40C1-B562-A7B5FC1E6A5C     

The systematics of the dusky striped squirrel,Funambulus sublineatus (Waterhouse, 1838) (Rodentia: Sciuridae) and its relationships to Layard's squirrel,Funambulus layardi Blyth, 1849

The systematics of the dusky striped squirrel, Funambulus sublineatus (Waterhouse, 1838 Waterhouse, GR. 1838. On a new species of squirrel … Sciurus sublineatus. Proc Zool Soc Lond. (part VI), : 19–20.  [Google Scholar]) are reassessed against new evidence following a revision of its genus, Funambulus Lesson, 1835 Lesson, RP. 1835. Illustrations De Zoologie, ou Recueil De Figures D'animaux peintes d'aprés nature, Paris: Arthur Bertrand.  [Google Scholar]. Mitochondrial DNA suggests that the Sri Lankan subspecies of F. sublineatus is the sister taxon of Funambulus layardi Blyth, 1849 Blyth, E. 1849. Note on the Sciuri inhabiting Ceylon and those of the Tenasserim provinces. J Asiatic Soc (Bengal), 18(1): 600–603.  [Google Scholar], despite its phenotypic similarity to the nominate species. Morphological and mtDNA evidence is presented for these species plus additional mtDNA data from Funambulus palmarum (Linnaeus, 1766 Linnaeus, C. 1766. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis, 12th, Holmiae: Laurentii Salvii.  [Google Scholar]) and Funambulus pennantii Wroughton, 1905 Wroughton, RC. 1905. The common striped palm squirrel. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc, 16: 406–413.  [Google Scholar]. Morphometric data indicate that the two taxa conventionally considered subspecies of F. sublineatus are sufficiently distinct for them to be ranked separately, resulting in two further endemic mammal species in India and Sri Lanka and an increase in Funambulus diversity. The name of the Sri Lankan species changes to Funambulus obscurus (Pelzeln and Kohl 1886 Pelzeln, Av and Kohl, FF. 1886. Ueber eine Sendung von Saugethieren und Vogeln aus Ceylon. Verhandel zool bot Ges Wien, 35: 525–528.  [Google Scholar]). Whether the mtDNA phylogeny is a true reflection of F. obscurus and F. layardi remains unresolved pending further data.     

Sipuncula from Hainan Island (China)

Sipunculans from shallow depths ranging from 0 to 44 m, collected by two Chinese-German expeditions to Hainan Island (China) during the years 1990 and 1992, are recorded. Seventeen species in eight genera and five families are recognized from the total 271 individuals collected. An analysis of the sipunculan literature has shown that 10 of these species are new records for Hainan. Among them, Phascolosoma (Phascolosoma) meteori (Hérubel, 1904) also represents the first record for the Pacific Ocean.     

Deep-sea ascidians from the eastern Pacific collected during the Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program

Six species of solitary ascidian are recorded from 1335–6489 m off the coast of northern Peru. They confirm the wide distribution of species from abyssal basins. Variations occur in the previously described morphology, and in Dicopia hians suggest a relationship with the Corellidae.     

Four new species of Hargicotyle Mamaev, 1972 (Diclidophoridae) parasites on sciaenid fishes from Peru and Chile

Hargicotyle magna sp. nov., Hargicotyle paralonchuri sp. nov., Hargicotyle sciaenae sp. nov., from the gills of the Sciaenids Sciaena fasciata, Paralonchurus peruanus and Sciaena deliciosa, respectively, and Hargicotyle menticirrhi sp. nov. from the gill and mouth of Menticirrhus ophicephalus are described from the northern Chilean and central Peruvian coast. Distinct characteristics of the new species are the distribution of the vitelline follicles; the number and distribution of the testes, the size, shape and number of larval hooks; and the presence of one or two suckers in each clamp.     

Some copepods parasitic on elasmobranch fishes from the Peruvian coast,with the description of two new species of Eudactylina van Beneden, 1853 (Eudactylinidae) and four new records

Six species of copepods parasitic on elasmobranch fishes from the Peruvian coast has been recorded. Two of them, Eudactylina peruensis and E. myliobatidos parasitic on Rhinobatos planiceps (Rhinobatidae) and Myliobatis chilensis (Myliobatidae), are considered new species. New geographical and host records for Pseudocharopinus narcinae Pillai, Pseudocharopinoides myliobatidos Castro and Baeza, Perissopus oblongus (Wilson) and Trebius latifurcatus (Wilson) are included, as also is a checklist of copepod species parasitic on elasmobranch fishes from the coast of the South American Pacific.     

New and little‐known species of Didemnidae (Ascidiacea,Tunicata) from Australia (Part 3)

The majority of the 58 species discussed, including 10 new species, were collected by scuba divers at 5–10?m in waters around Australia. Species are from Leptoclinides (11), Polysyncraton (11), Didemnum (19), Trididemnum (7), Lissoclinum (8), Clitella (1), and Diplosoma (1), and new species are in all except Trididemnum and Diplosoma. Additional characters (including a pyloric vesicle reported previously in the Holozoidae and several unrelated didemnid taxa) have been detected for the monotypic genus Clitella Kott, , which is recorded for only the second time. A review of known Australian ascidian species confirms the Didemnidae as the most speciose ascidian family in these waters. In this family, there appears not to be appreciable gene flow between tropical and temperate waters and few species have a continuous tropical–temperate range. A preponderance of Western Pacific non‐indigenous species is in the north, while indigenous species, some probably isolated from related tropical ones, are dominant in the temperate waters of the southern half of the continent. Although intraspecific variation and convergence obscures species differences, some aspects of the living organisms detected in in situ photographs contribute to identification. Keys to Australian didemnid species described since the publication of the Australian Ascidiacea part 4, Didemnidae (Kott ) are included.     

Stephonyx californiensis sp. nov. (Amphipoda: Lysianassoidea: Uristidae), a new bathyal scavenger species from the Central Gulf of California,Mexico, and comments on the bathymetric and geographic distribution of the Stephonyx species group

A new species of scavenger amphipod of the genus Stephonyx is described and illustrated. The specimen was caught at 1150 m depth with a modified rectangular lobster trap positioned on the sea bottom in the central Gulf of California, Mexico. The new species is characterised by the absence of eyes; the lateral cephalic lobes medially developed and acute; antennae subequal in length; gnathopod 1 chelate, dactylus simple with three distal stout setae, inner margin sinuous with minute setae; gnathopod 2 subchelate, carpus with ventral margin crenulate, propodus subovate, palm deeply excavate, and dactylus slightly shorter than palm; maxilliped inner plate laceolate, with seven marginal nodular robust setae, distally; telson, each lobe with two dorsal robust setae, distal margin truncated, with one penicillate and two simple setae, in addition to two short spines. Stephonyx californiensis sp. nov. is morphologically similar to S. arabiensis, S talismani, S. laqueus and S. perexcavatus. The new species increases the number of Stephonyx species around the world to 14, with one species inhabiting from the continental shelf to abyssal depths (to 3000 m), 11 species occurring in bathyal depths (201–2000 m), and two other species restricted to abyssal depths (2001–4000 m).

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:346C3B15-E56A-4E17-9C5F-C9FDBB2AED92     

Biogeography of coastal and anchialine amphipods of Ascension Island,South Atlantic Ocean

Over 8000 amphipods were examined from coastal (primarily intertidal) and anchialine pool habitats of Ascension Is. Twenty-seven species, of which 14 are undescribed, were identified. Comparison of species from Ascension with amphipods found in possible source areas suggests that most colonization of the island by these animals has been via the Benguela Current. Possible western Atlantic faunal contributions are significantly lower than for other marine taxa that have been studied at Ascension, all of which are generally characterized by having dispersive larval stages. The high proportion of apparently endemic species, which exceeds that described for amphipods of other oceanic islands, is probably due to both the island's isolation and incomplete faunal surveys in possible source areas. Amphipod species diversity is low, a probable consequence of the size, isolation, youth and low habitat variability of Ascension Is. Consistent with other Atlantic islands that have been studied, nestlers predominate (56% of the species), with tubicolous species (33%) of secondary importance and inquilines (11%) making only a minor contribution. Three species occur in the anchialine pool habitat. Rather unexpectedly, caprellid amphipods are absent.     

A record of Randiella from New Caledonia,the first known occurrence of the marine interstitial family Randiellidae (Annelida; Oligochaeta) in the South Pacific Ocean

Five specimens morphologically indistinguishable from Randiella caribaea Erséus and Strehlow, 1986, previously known only from the Caribbean in the Atlantic Ocean, are reported from a sandy beach at Touhou, New Caledonia. The new material reveals that R. caribaea and probably also the closely related R. minuta Erséus and Strehlow, 1986 have dorsal spermathecae, an assumedly apomorphic condition vis-à-vis the lateral spermathecae of the other species of Randiellidae. The number and position of the gonads in this family are unclear, but the new material of R. caribaea appears to have at least one testis in segment X and one ovary in segment XII.     

The genus Bathysiphon (Protista,Foraminiferida) in the northeast Atlantic: SEM observations on the wall structure of seven species

The structure and composition of the test wall in seven species of Bathysiphon, a genus of large, tubular agglutinated foraminifers (Astrorhizacacea), have been studied using high-resolution SEM. In all cases the wall is composed mainly of quartz grains and varying proportions of sponge spicules which, in some species, show a characteristic orientation within the wall. Three species, B. capillare, B. flavidus and B. rufus, have a well-defined, but very thin (1 μm) outer layer consisting of flat-lying or imbricated plate-like mineral grains. Bathysiphon stictus has a less well-defined surface veneer of tiny mineral grains while in B. major the surface layer is composed of dark-grey or dark-brown particles of an indeterminate nature. The test fabric is rather open and, in all species, the intergranular spaces are partly occupied by an organic cement which forms either a meshwork of fine, branching and anastomozing fibres or shorter, column-like strands. All species also have an inner organic test lining. Thus, the basic structure and composition of the test wall is fairly uniform, but some features show interspecific variability. Some incidental observations on the organization of the protoplasmic body are also reported.     

Deep-sea tanaidaceans (Crustacea: Peracarida) from the Albatross cruises 1885-86 with keys to the suborder Neotanaidomorpha

Previously unidentified tanaidacean material from the US Albatross cruises 1885–86 revealed a number of new species. Most species belonged to the suborder of Neotanaidomorpha, of which two new species were found. Neotanais gardineri n. sp. is described. The species N.insolitus is transferred to the genus Venusticrus. Additional information of previously described species of Neotanais is given. The existence of a cheliped ischium within the Neotanaidae is noted. A species list for the new material from the Albatross Expedition is given as well as complete keys to the females of the suborder Neotanaidomorpha. Species of the suborder Tanaidomorpha were also found. The new species Collettea wilsoni is described (Family indet). Also found were two undesribed species of Anarthruridae (Anarthrurinae), as well as a large number of Agathotanais ingolfi.     

New bariliin cyprinid fishes from West Africa,with a consideration of their biogeography

Five new species of bariliin cyprinid fishes are described from West Africa. Three belong to the genus Leptocypris and two to Raiamas. One species of each genus is from Guinea (Konkoure river) and from Sierra Leone (Taia and Little Scarcies rivers), the other, a Leptocypris, is from Cameroon (Cross River). A taxon of indeterminate generic identity from Guinea is also described. The phylogenetic relationships of the bariliins are hypothesized and in this light their geographical distribution is compared with that of other cladistically analysed African freshwater fish groups. The significance to West African fish distribution of the Togo-Benin (Dahomey) Gap is discussed.     

New deep-sea Nannastacidae (Crustacea,Cumacea) from the Eastern Pacific collected by R.V. 'Vema'

Five new species of Procampylaspis Bonnier, 1896 (P. cornuta, P. jonesi, P. ledoyeri, P. muradianae and P. spinosa) and a new genus and species, Vemacumella heardi, are described from material collected by R.V. ‘Vema’ from the eastern Pacific coast of South America from 1958 to 1962. The new species of Procampylaspis are compared to congeners from the Atlantic. Vemacumella n. gen. is closely related to Styloptocuma Bacescu and Muradian, 1974, but also possesses a few characters in common with Cumella Sars, 1865; Bate, 1856.     

Five new species of Monocelis Ehrenberg, 1831 (Platyhelminthes: Proseriata) from eastern Australia

Six species of the genus Monocelis Ehrenberg, 1831 have been found in eastern Australia. All are new to science. Five of them are formally described here. Three species (M. rupisrubrae sp. nov., M. nexilis sp. nov., and M. corallicola sp. nov.) have two clearly set pigmented eyespots lateral to the statocyst. They differ in details of the copulatory organ and karyotype. No clear synapomorphies among them or with other species of the genus could be detected. Monocelis beata sp. nov. and M. macrobulbus sp. nov. present extremely elongate, longitudinally oriented copulatory organs. They are sister species, and phylogenetic relationships with M. galapagoensis Ax and Ax, 1977 and M. hopkinsi Karling, 1966 are proposed. Australian Monocelis have distributions limited to recognized biogeographical provinces in eastern Australia: M. corallicola, M. beata and M. macrobulbus in the northern Australian Zone, M. rupisrubrae and M. nexilis in the ‘Overlap Zone’ of the central east coast and Monocelis sp. A in the southern Australian Region.