A new species of stoloniferous octocoral (Cnidaria: Alcyonacea) from the south-western Indian Ocean

A new species of stolonate octocoral referable to the genus Scleranthelia Studer, 1878 (family Clavulariidae), is described from the East London and Durban regions of South Africa. The species is frequently encountered by dredge at depths ranging from 85 to 340 m. Scleranthelia thomsoni sp. nov. has been confused with the northern Atlantic species S. rugosa (Pourtalés, 1867) (= S. musiva Studer, 1878) by previous authors, but a comparison of material representing both species has shown them to be distinctly differentiated.     

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

In this study of flabelliferan Isopoda from the Indian Ocean, 19 species are described as new, in 11 genera and two families: family Cirolanidae, Baharilana koloura, B. lira, Cirolana aldabrensis, C. mimulus, C. somalia, C. undata, Eurydice paxilli, and Metacirolana chemola; family Sphaeromatidae, Cassidinidea clarkae, Cymodoce fuscina, C. lirella, Dynamenella alveolata, D. remex, Heterodina (new genus), H. mccaini, Oxinasphaera brucei, O. furcata, O. tetrodon, Paracilicaea stauros, and Sphaeromopsis sulcifera. Diagnoses of the genera and species are provided, and keys to the Indian Ocean species of most of the genera are provided. The material comes primarily from Aldabra Atoll, the granitic Seychelles islands, Zanzibar Island, and Phuket in Thailand. A few miscellaneous samples from the South African Museum collections, and from the International Indian Ocean Expedition carried out in the mid‐1960s are included.     

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.     

Decapod Crustacea from the International Indian Ocean Expedition: The species of Funchalia (Penaeidae) and their post-larvae

Summary

Information is sparse on the ecology of the larval and juvenile stages of the lobster (Homarus gammarus (L.)). A knowledge of the distribution and particularly the abundance of this species is vital for the development of stock-recruitment theory. Attempts were therefore made to determine the distribution of juvenile lobsters in the field by Scuba diving and the fishing of small mesh traps.

As these initial attempts were of very limited success, lobsters were reared in the laboratory to study their substrate preferences and behaviour. Juvenile lobsters (～8 mm carapace length) selected coarse substrates which offered suitable crevices, or burrowed extensively in fine, cohesive mud. The rock crevice habitat is widely used by adult lobsters, but the construction of complex mud burrows has not previously been described for this genus. The burrowing behaviour of juvenile lobsters and the structure of the burrows are discussed. Juvenile lobsters appear to have wide habitat tolerances enabling them to inhabit a variety of substrate types. The estimation of juvenile lobster abundance is likely to be extremely difficult.     

A new species of Hyalella from Colombia,and the redescription of H. meinerti Stebbing, 1899 from Venezuela (Crustacea: Amphipoda)

The new species H. quindioensis is described from Colombia. This species is close to H. paramoensis Andres, 1988 also in Colombia. Hyalella meinerti Stebbing, 1899 is figured and redescribed. The type locality for this species is Venezuela. However, it has a wide distribution including Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil.     

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.     

A new species of the genus Aspidisca (Ciliophora,Hypotrichida)

The morphology and taxonomy of a new freshwater species of ciliate, Aspidisca jugensis, are described. Special reference is given to the infraciliature of the organism, the variability of 16 morphological characteristics and quantitative data regarding 29 other structural characteristics of this ciliate.     

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.     

Decapod Crustacea from the International Indian Ocean Expedition: larval and postlarval stages of 3 species of Metapenaeopsis Bouvier (Penaeidae: Penaeinae)

Mysis and postlarval stages in the development of Metapenaeopsis mogiensis (Rathbun), M. andamanensis (Wood-Mason) and M. barbata (De Haan) are described and illustrated. Assignment to species of these developmental stages is tentative but supported by their distributions. Postlarvae of Metapenaeopsis resemble those of Penaeopsis but differ in possessing a dorsal abdominal carina. Metapenaeopsis closely resembles other members of the family but they are all differentiated by distinct characters. The diagnostic characters and the resemblances are discussed in this paper.     

New and little-known species of Didemnidae (Ascidiacea,Tunicata) from Australia (part I)

Continuing examination of colonial ascidians in museum collections is revealing further diversity in the family Didemnidae, which abounds in the tropical Indo-West Pacific and around the Australian continent (Kott, 2001). From the present work, it is apparent that much remains to be learnt about this fauna. Of the 45 species discussed in this paper, 16 are new. Larvae are described for the first time for Polysyncraton pedunculatum Kott, 2001 and P. rica Kott, 2001. Amongst the synonymy established in this paper Didemnoides tropicum Sluiter, 1909 is found to be a junior synonym of Lissoclinum patella (Gottschaldt, 1898) and Trididemnum vermiforme Kott, 2001 a junior synonym of T. nobile Kott, 2001. Didemnum nekozita Tokioka, 1967 is found to be a valid species distinct from Polysyncraton cuculliferum (Sluiter, 1909). Prolific replication rates, rapid colony growth, flexibility in growth form and a viviparous habit result in convergence tending to small zooid size, and similar large, increasingly complex colonies found in this family contribute to species diversity around the whole of the Australian continent.     

A new genus and two new species of cirolanid isopod Crustacea from the northern Indian Ocean

A new genus of cirolanid isopod Atarbolana, and two new species, Atarbolana exoconta and Cirolana manorae, are described. Atarbolana is distinguished from related cirolanid genera by having a projecting clypeus, pleon with three free tergites, and cylindrical uropod exopod.

Cirolana manorae is most similar to Cirolana bovina Barnard, and new figures are given for that species.     

On the species of Stemonocera Rondani (Diptera: Tephritidae) from the Indian subcontinent

A new tephritid species from Pakistan, Stemonocera longisystylis sp. nov. Singh, Hancock & Ramamurthy is described and Stemonocera cervicornis (Brunetti) is redescribed with details of external morphology including genitalia and sexual dimorphism. A new combination Acidiostigma discale (Brunetti) is proposed for Acidia discalis Brunetti, previously included in Stemonocera.

http://zoobank.org/73F6BC90-8699-4C0A-9BA7-45349D32A8C3     

Diplogrammus (Climcacogrammus) pygmaeus sp. nov., a new callionymid fish (Pisces,Perciformes, Callionymoidei) from the South Arabian Coast,Northwestern Indian Ocean

Summary

Diplogrammus (Climacogrammus) pygmaeus sp. nov. is described and compared with other species of the genus Diplogrammus. Features which distinguish it from the allied species are as follows: 1. (1)The combination of four spines in the first dorsal fin, eight rays in the second dorsal fin, and seven rays in the anal fin, with a preopercular spine formula of ;

2. (2)the unusually broad snout (seen from above);

3. (3)the anterior spines of the first dorsal fin in the male elongate but not filamentous;

4. (4)colour markings.

     

Decapod Crustacea from the International Indian Ocean Expedition (Larval and post-larval stages of Parapenaeus Smith (Penaeinae)

Summary

Developmental stages of Parapenaeus investigatoris Alcock and Anderson from second protozoea to late post-larva and an incomplete series of P. longipes Alcock and P. fissurus (Bate) are described and figured. Important generic characters of the larvae of Parpaenaeus are two pairs of supra-orbital spines in the protozoeae, a strong hepatic spine, a long dorsomedian spine on the third abdominal segment, ventromedian spines on the anterior abdominal segments and sometimes on the last thoracic segment, a pair of dorsolateral spines on the fifth and sixth abdominal segments and a median spine on the telson.

The species recorded are widely distributed in the northern Indian Ocean, particularly in the Bay of Bengal, but only two specimens were taken south of the Equator and few in the more open parts of the ocean.     

A new species of Glyphidrilus (Microchaetidae: Oligochaeta) from East Africa

Of all of the chrysomelid subfamilies, only the larvae of the Megascelinae, along with those of the Aulacoscelinae remain undescribed. The first instar larva of Megascelis puella Lacordaire from Panama is described, as well as the eggs. Larval characters, eggs and oviposition behaviour are used to relate the Megascelinae with the Eumolpinae in support of what is known to date concerning adult morphology.