New species and records of anthuridean isopod crustaceans from the Indian Ocean

Twenty four new species of anthuridean isopods are described from a variety of localities in the Indian Ocean, including the granitic Seychelles, Aldabra Atoll, Phuket Island, the Persian Gulf and Zanzibar Island: Family Antheluridae, Anthomuda quadrilineata; Family Anthuridae, Amakusanthura cosmoledo, Apanthuroides aldabrae, Apanthuroides calculosa, Eisothistos andamanensis, Eisothistos corallina, Heptanthura phuket, Malacanthura arabica, Mesanthura quadrata, Panathura indica, Pendanthura picardi, Pendanthura seminigra, Pendanthura siamensis, Quantanthura andamanensis; Family Hyssuridae, Neohyssura gladia, Xenanthura victoriae; Family Paranthuridae, Accalathura hastata, Accalathura phuketensis, Accalathura wardae, Leptanthura calcis, Leptanthura maheensis, Paranthura algophila, Paranthura seychellensis, Paranthura urodentata. Of the 15 genera represented, all except two were previously known from the Indian Ocean; Heptanthura and Pendanthura are recorded from the Indian Ocean for the first time. Most of the genera have wide distributions through the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans, while the species tend to be endemic to limited island or coastal regions. The 15 genera are diagnosed and keys or comparative tables to the Indian Ocean species are provided.     

New species and records of Asellota from the Indian Ocean (Crustacea: Peracarida: Isopoda)

In this study of asellote Isopoda from the Indian Ocean, 29 species in 11 genera and seven families are recorded. Twenty-one species are described as new: family Gnathostenetroididae, Maresiella aldabrana ; family Janiridae, Carpias mossambica ; family Joeropsidae, Joeropsis algensis, J. arpedes, J. dimorpha, J. hamatilis, J. lentigo, J. pentagona, J. pleurion ; family Pleurocopidae, Pleurocope wilsoni ; family Pseudojaniridae, Pseudojanira meganesus ; family Santiidae, Santia spicata, S. urospinosa ; family Stenetriidae, Hansenium aldabrae, H. expansa, H. remocarpus ; Mizothenar serratum, Stenetrium assumentum, S. quinquedens, S. zanzibarica, Stenobermuda brucei. The first record of the family Pleurocopidae (Pleurocope wilsoni) and the genus Mizothenar (family Stenetriidae) from the Indian Ocean are included. Diagnoses of the genera and species are provided, and keys to the Indian Ocean species of most of the genera. The material comes primarily from Aldabra Atoll, the granitic Seychelles islands, Zanzibar Island, the Comoro Islands, and Phuket in Thailand. A few samples are from material of the International Indian Ocean Expedition carried out in the mid-1960s.     

XVIII.—The Coleoptera of the Falkland Islands

Summary

A brief review of literature on central Indian Ocean Pseudochromidae is provided, followed by a key to central Indian Ocean species. Two new species, Chlidichthys inornatus and Pseudochromis dilectus, are described.     

A new species of amphipod of the genus Neomegamphopus (Crustacea,Amphipoda, Neomegamphopidae) from Rodrigues,Indian Ocean

A new species of Neomegamphopus Shoemaker is described from Rodrigues, Indian Ocean. The systematics of the Neomegamphopidae from the Indian Ocean is discussed and a key to the species from that ocean is provided.     

Deep sea swimming crabs of the Charybdis miles species group in the western Indian Ocean (Crustacea: Decapoda: Portunidae)

The deep-sea species of the Charybdis miles group occurring in the western Indian Ocean are revised on the basis of recent collections obtained by German and Russian expeditions. Two new species are described, Charybdis meteor sp. n. from the Straits of Bab el Mandeb and Charybdis crosnieri sp. n. from the insular margins and seamounts of the western Indian Ocean, which has been previously identified as Charybdis sagamiensis Parisi, 1916. The C. miles group represents a lineage with a probably relatively recent tendency for submergence which culminated in the formation of C. acutidens Türkay, 1986, a characteristic species of the deep Red Sea water mass.     

The genus Cotylopus (Teleostei: Gobioidei) endemic to the rivers of islands of the Indian Ocean with description of a new species from Mayotte (Comoros)

Cotylopus rubripinnis, new species, is described on the basis of nine specimens collected from the Island of Mayotte (Comoros), Indian Ocean. Cotylopus rubripinnis differs from the only other known species in the genus (C. acutipinnis Guichenot, 1863) in usually having fewer scales in lateral (LS), transverse back (TRB), transverse forward (TRF), and zigzag series (ZZ), and in having pectoral, dorsal and caudal fins reddish. The genus was previously only known from the Mascarene Islands (Réunion and Mauritius). The discovery of a second species for that rare and endemic genus 1400?km farther to the north‐west in the Indian Ocean is discussed.     

Calanoides natalis Brady, 1914 (Copepoda: Calanoida: Calanidae): identity and distribution in relation to coastal oceanography of the eastern Atlantic and western Indian Oceans

Until recently, Calanoides carinatus s.l. was assumed to be very widespread in the upwelling systems of the Atlantic, Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Molecular data, reported here, show that Calanoides from the eastern Atlantic and Arabian Sea are one species and distinct from C. carinatus s.s. The name Calanoides natalis Brady, 1914 is available for this species, which is fully re-described. The illustration by Brady of the male fifth leg and the currently reported genetic data lead us to conclude that C. natalis is distributed from the Bay of Biscay southwards along the eastern Atlantic, around the Cape of Good Hope, and northwards along the western boundary of the Indian Ocean as far as the Arabian Sea. A by-product of this study is the recognition that Calanoides macrocarinatus is a junior synonym of Calanoides brevicornis. Females of C. natalis are easy to distinguish morphologically from C. carinatus s.s. but are more similar to C. brevicornis, apart from size differences. From physical oceanographic evidence we conclude that the Indian Ocean is currently the upstream part of the distribution of C. natalis. Calanoides philippinensis is known to extend into the eastern Indian Ocean at tropical latitudes. It is not known if it is C. philippinensis that has been recorded along the western coast of Australia. An apparently undescribed species of Calanoides occurs on the eastern Australian coast.     

A revision of the family Deckeniidae Ortmann, 1897 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Potamoidea), with description of a new genus (Gecarcinucidae: Gecarcinucoidea) from the Seychelles,Indian Ocean

The family Deckeniidae Ortmann, 1897, is revised and only 2 East African species are recognised, D. imitatrix Hilgendorf, 1869, and D. mitis Hilgendorf, 1898. The identity of the poorly known species from Seychelles, Indian Ocean, Deckenia alluaudi A. Milne Edwards and Bouvier, 1893, is clarified. This species is redescribed, assigned to a new genus (Seychellum gen. nov.), removed from the Deckeniidae sensu stricto and transferred to the family Gecarcinucidae Rathbun, 1904.     

Apodidymochelia,a new genus of gammaridean amphipod from the tropical Atlantic Ocean (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Didymochellidae)

Apodidymochelia castellata, new genus, new species is the second genus and fourth species in the rare and poorly known family Didymocheliidae. Apodidymochelia is separated from Didymochelia primarily on mandible structure. This record extends the known range of the family into the Atlantic Ocean.     

Some helminth parasites of marine fishes of South Africa: Santeria rubalo gen. et sp. nov. (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae)

A new genus and species, Santeria rubalo, is described from the sparid fish Cheimerius nufar from the south-western Indian Ocean. It is placed in the cryptogonimid subfamily Neochasminae and is distinguished from Paracryptogonimus and Apophallus mainly by its oral spination, which consists of six to eight annular rows of spines.     

Corals and reefs of Cosmoledo and Aldabra atolls: Extent of damage,assemblage shifts and recovery following the severe mortality of 1998

An updated list of over 200 species of corals from Cosmoledo and Aldabra atolls is presented, which more than doubles previously known species diversity, and establishes these atolls as amongst the most species-rich in the Western Indian Ocean. However, partly this is an artefact of a new method of recording with digital cameras, described here, which greatly improves recording efficiency. This is the first underwater study of Cosmoledo, and the first for Aldabra outside the expedition reports cited. The survey extended to >30 m depth, and comes after the 1998 massive coral mortality. Coral cover was virtually eliminated at that time to about 8-10 m depth in Cosmoledo on seaward slopes, below which coral mortality was only about 50%. Mortality was selective regarding different species, genera and families. Cosmoledo's lagoon of >150 km² is shallower than the 'critical depth' of 8-10 m, resulting in an almost complete elimination of corals. To compare these atolls with other reefs in the region, critical depths are summarized for over 25 Indian Ocean locations. New coral recruits are abundant in the shallows of Cosmoledo and Aldabra 4 years later, though cover remains very low. Much bare rock remains (with turf algae) and some genera such as Acropora, previously apparently abundant, remain relatively very scarce. Apart from Porites, whose higher survival is now well documented, the best survivors from the 1998 mortality, and the most successful recruitment of new corals, are of faviids. Soft corals remain extremely scarce in all locations examined above the 'critical depth'. It is predicted that there may be a shift in the identity of the main species of corals in these atolls for many years.     

Discovery of the freshwater genus Sicyopus (Teleostei: Gobioidei: Sicydiinae) in Madagascar,with a description of a new species and comments on regional dispersal

In the Indo-Pacific area, insular rivers are mainly colonized by gobiids of the Sicydiinae subfamily. These species spawn in freshwater, where the free embryos drift downstream to the sea before returning to rivers to reproduce; they are amphidromous. These gobies are the greatest contributors to the fish diversity and have the highest levels of endemism. Among the nine known genera of Sicydiinae, only two have been found in the West Indian Ocean, and only one (Sicyopterus) is known from Madagascar. Recently, two surveys discovered a new species in the genus Sicyopus. Sicyopus lord sp. nov. differs from other species by a combination of characters that includes a particular colour pattern, similar in both sexes; more scales than its congeners in lateral series (35–43), transverse back series (12–18) and a shorter caudal fin length in male fish. This paper describes the new species and discusses the presence of this genus in Madagascar.     

New genera and species of the Synchelidium group (Amphipoda: Oedicerotidae) from Asia-North Pacific

Four new species and two new genera belonging to the family Oedicerotidae are reported from Korea and Vietnam. Two new genera, Orthomanus and Imbachoculodes are described, with three new species, namely Orthomanus koreanus gen. et sp. nov., Imbachoculodes namhaensis gen. et sp. nov. and Imbachoculodes vietnamensis gen. et sp. nov. The monotypic genus Orthomanus is characterized by the very short carpi and transverse palms of gnathopods 1 and 2, the reduced dactyli on pereopods 3–6, and the greatly enlarged distolateral spine-tooth on the outer plate of maxilla 1. Imbachoculodes has slender gnathopods 1 and 2 with elongated carpi, pereopods 3 and 4 with elongated dactyli, and a narrow basis of pereopod 7. The fourth new species, Sinoediceros hwanghaensis sp. nov. has a greatly reduced flagellum on antenna 2, a broadened meri on pereopods 3 and 4, and an elongated maxilliped outer plate. Keys are provided to 1) the North Pacific genera of the Synchelidium group, 2) species of Imbachoculodes, and 3) species of Sinoediceros.     

Amphipoda from the South Pacific: Niue Island

A new family (Epimerellidae) and a new genus (Enisella) are characterized. Keys are provided to the families of the Oppioidea and to the genera and species of the new family.     

Biodiversity and biogeography of non-marine Mollusca on the islands of the Southern Ocean

There are no terrestrial and freshwater molluscs associated with Continental nor Maritime Antarctica. The malacofaunas of the cool-temperate and sub-Antarctic islands of the Southern Ocean are extremely depauperate, comprising a mere 68 site-records of 51 species from 27 genera in 13 families. The South Atlantic records are confined to the Falkland Islands, which harbour nine species (one bivalve, five pond snails and three terrestrial aliens), and South Georgia, where there is one Notodiscus sp. (Charopidae). The fauna of the South Indian Ocean islands of Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen and Heard, comprises two alien slugs and endemic Notodiscus hookeri (Charopidae). The majority of species occur on the South Pacific Ocean Islands of Macquarie, Campbell, Auckland, Snares, Antipodes, Bounty and Chatham to the south and east of New Zealand. The Chatham fauna is dissimilar to that on the other South Pacific Islands, though both represent vicariant remnants of common South Pacific Is./New Zealand Athoracophoridae, Charopidae and Punctidae. There is, other than the broad South Indian Ocean distribution of Notodiscus hookeri, little evidence of Holocene dispersal and colonization. Indeed the Southern Ocean is an effective barrier and the different regional (South Atlantic/Indian/Pacific) faunas are principally vicariant and derived from local survivors of Pleistocene glaciation.     

Water mites of the family Hygrobatidae Koch from southern Africa (Acari: Hydrachnidia)

New records are given of the water mite family Hygrobatidae (without the genus Atractides) from southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Namibia). In addition to one new subgenus of the genus Hygrobates, namely Inflatibates, four new species are described, namely Hygrobates draconicus, H. laceratoides, H. okavangoensis, and H. inflatipes as well as one new subspecies, namely Hygrobates spathuliferus cederberg. The following synonyms are established: the subgenus Capobates Thor with Hygrobates Koch, Hygrobates sanguineus transvaalensis K. O. Viets with Hygrobates spathuliferus (Lundblad), and Ambiguobates permixtus agnewi K. O. Viets with Ambiguobates permixtus K. Viets. The male of Australiobates pilosus (K. Viets) is described for the first time. The synonymization of Diversibates with Australiobates can now be confirmed. Finally, keys are given for the known genera of southern Africa, as well as for all known species of the genus Hygrobates from southern Africa.     

New ascothoracid crustacean endoparasites of Scleractinia

The ascothoracid crustacean genus Petrarca, endoparasites of scleractinian corals, is reviewed and revised. Petrarca bathyactidis, the type-species, is partly redescribed. The range of P. okadai is extended to East Africa. Three new species of Petrarca are described: P. indica in Flabellum deludens from the Indian Ocean near Ceylon; P. morula from Turbinaria sp. in the Banda Sea; P. azorica in Enallopsammia rostrata from the North Atlantic. Zibrowia auriculata gen. et sp. nov. infests Balanophyllia carinata off East Africa, and the same species appears to live in Tubastraea micranthus off East Africa and Dendrophyllia sp. at Réunion and in the Comoros. Unlike other ascothoracids, eggs and larvae are not brooded within the carapace valves, though they may be attached to them externally. Nauplii of P. okadai and Z. auriculata are described; they are generalized with familially distinct features. Adults of both genera have an overall neotenic appearance. They always occur in galls in groups of two or more, suggesting simultaneous infestation. Ahermatypic corals or their close hermatypic relatives seem to be preferred hosts, and Petrarca has a wider geographic and depth range than confamilial genera.     

A redescription of the genus Cyrebion Fairmaire, 1891, with notes on related taxa and distribution (Coleoptera: Cantharidae)

Eight new species and one new record of Elasmopus Costa, 1853 are described from Australian waters including the extended offshore territories of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Indian Ocean), Christmas Island (Indian Ocean), Ashmore Reef (Timor Sea), Norfolk Island (Tasman Sea) and Lord Howe Island (Tasman Sea). Range extensions are reported for seven described Australian species. Twenty-three species are now known from Australian waters. Elasmopus arafura sp. nov., E. carteri sp. nov., E. hyperopia sp. nov., E. leveque sp. nov., E. mcluerensis sp. nov., E. otus sp. nov., E. shepherdi sp. nov. and E. woodjonesi sp. nov. are described herein.