The new occurrence of a mytilid, Modiolus barbatus is recorded for the first time in Kerala based on a single specimen associated with the seaweed, Ulva lactuca in the intertidal zones of the Vizhinjam coast. The distributional range of this species is extended from the south-eastern coast to the south-western coast of India. Currently, seven species of the genus Modiolus, including Modiolus barbatus, are recognized from the Indian coast.

Studies of the feeding habits of sea turtles are important in identifying their feeding grounds and preferred prey, thus helping with management decisions regarding habitat protection. The present study describes, for the first time, the feeding habits of the sea turtles Caretta caretta and Lepidochelys olivacea in Rio de Janeiro State, south-eastern Brazil (22°06′S–22°55′S). The stomach contents of five C. caretta and five L. olivacea recovered between 2009 and 2010 were analysed to identify the prey species. A common feeding pattern was noted for both species, with bottom-dwelling prey (fish, crustaceans, molluscs and echinoderms), common in shallow environments, constituting the main food items. All fish and brachyuran crustacean species identified in the stomach contents were by-catch in small-scale shrimp fisheries that operate along the study area. The coastal waters of Rio de Janeiro State represent a new feeding ground for L. olivacea, expanding its preferential habitat during the non-reproductive period. The results provide strong evidence for the likelihood that sea turtles are interacting with fisheries due to an overlapping between feeding and fishery grounds. An evaluation of carcasses washed up on beaches is needed for a better understanding of the effects on the population dynamics of sea turtles.

New records of fish species are reported from New Caledonia, including Polyipnus aquavitus Baird, 1971 (Sternoptychidae), Porogadus melampeplus (Alcock, 1896) (Ophidiidae), Hoplichthys citrinus Gilbert 1905 (Hoplichthyidae), Plectrogenium nanum Gilbert 1905 (Plectrogeniidae), Lioscorpius trifasciatus Last, Yearsley & Motomura 2005 (Setarchidae), Neomerinthe megalepis Fowler 1938 and Phenacoscorpius megalops Fowler 1938 (Scorpaenidae), Ocosia apia Poss & Eschmeyer, 1975 (Tetrarogidae), Hoplostethus atlanticus Collett 1889 (Trachichthyidae), Zenion longipinnis Kotthaus, 1970 (Zeniontidae), Plectranthias foresti Fourmanoir 1977, Plectranthias pelicieri Randall & Shimizu, 1994, Plectranthias rubrifasciatus Fourmanoir & Randall, 1979 and Rabaulichthys squirei Randall & Walsh, 2010 (Serranidae), Synagrops philippinensis (Günther 1880) (Acropomatidae), Stegastes insularis Allen & Emery 1995 (Pomacentridae), Cirrhilabrus rubrimarginatus Randall 1992 (Labridae), Pteropsaron neocaledonicus Fourmanoir & Rivaton, 1979 (Percophidae), Centrodraco ornatus (Fourmanoir & Rivaton, 1979) and Draconetta xenica Jordan & Fowler 1903 (Draconettidae), and Acanthurus maculiceps (Ahl 1923) (Acanthuridae). A record of Plectropomus maculatus (Bloch 1790) (Serranidae) from Grande Terre, New Caledonia is confirmed. This paper also includes new depth records of Zenion longipinnis, Plectranthias rubrifasciatus, Synagrops philippinensis, Centrodraco ornatus and Draconetta xenica.

Two chaenopsid fishes, Neoclinus chihiroe and Neoclinus lacunicola, were collected from Sadogashima Island, the Sea of Japan. The collected specimens represent the northernmost records of the two species and the first voucher specimens from the Sea of Japan. Morphological information and colour photographs, including underwater photos, of these specimens were provided. Additional photographic evidence from Tobi-shima Island, ~100 km north-north-east of Sadogashima Island, further extended the northernmost record of Neoclinus lacunicola.

A new species of stephid calanoids copepod Stephos grieveae sp. nov. was collected from an anchialine cave on Mljet Island (Croatia). The new species can be distinguished from other Stephos spp. by a combination of the following features: last pedigerous somite slightly asymmetrical, female genital double-somite symmetrical in ventral view, about as long as wide, single operculum; antennules of both sexes are symmetrical, 24-segmented and very long, reaching almost to end of anal somite; antennal exopod 7-segmented; maxillule displays 13 armature elements on praecoxal arthrite; female fifth legs symmetrical, uniramous and 3-segmented, terminal segment very long armed with spinules distally along inner and outer margins, single small spine on anterior surface and spiniform process laterally; male fifth legs are uniramous and asymmetrically, right leg 4-segmented and left 5-segmented, segment 4 not swollen and segment 5 simple, crescent shaped and is connected to segment 4 at approximately one quarter of its length. The shorter part of segment 5 tapers into a heavy process, while the longer part forms a club-shaped, curved extension.

The sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, is a common coastal shark in the regions of the world where it occurs. Here, the first documented record of the sandbar shark is reported from north-western Indian waters, off the coast of Gujarat. Two specimens, one male and one female, were recorded and landed by a trawl vessel in Porbandar on 23 October 2014, measuring 610 and 760 mm in total length, respectively. This occurrence represents the first confirmed record of C. plumbeus in both western and eastern Indian waters.

The alien nudibranch Polycera hedgpethi Er. Marcus, 1964, has been found in the Gulf of Cádiz (El Portil, Huelva). The present record in the Gulf of Cadiz could be considered an opportunity to connect the isolated Eastern Atlantic records for this species with those from the Mediterranean, even taking into consideration the possible unreported presence of this species along the North African Mediterranean coast. The collected specimens exhibited reproductive behaviour, suggesting the possibility of future additional records for this locality.

Diplosoma gumavirens specimens were collected from the Penghu Islands, Taiwan. This is the first record of photosymbiotic ascidians in the Taiwan Strait, where the minimum water temperature in the winter is <16°C because of intrusion of the China Coastal Current.

The interaction between baleen whales and longline fisheries is poorly known worldwide and likely underestimated. This article presents one of the most severe scenarios of this interaction; an incident that resulted in the severe mutilation of the entire fluke of a whale and probably lead to its death. Considering the characteristic of the fluke, we strongly suggest that the fluke belonged to a small balaenopterid, most likely a dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). The episode reported here seems to be the first in its nature involving a baleen whale entangled in longline fishing gear off the Brazilian coast, and so, it represents, at the very least, the need for further investigation into the magnitude of such interactions in the south-west Atlantic Ocean.

Spawning of Cassis tuberosa is recorded and described for the first time, based on observations carried out in the Tamandaré reefs, north-eastern Brazil. The specimen was laying over gravel substrate surrounded by macroalgae at a depth of 2 m. Cassis tuberosa uses an algal frond of the genus Padina to lay its eggs. The oothecae consists of approximately 200 vasiform capsules, orange in colour. The spawn of Cassis tuberosa is quite similar to that produced by its congener, Cassis madagascariensis; however, Cassis tuberosa spawns in the soft substrate provided by algal fronds while Cassis madagascariensis utilizes coarse, carbonate sand. Considering that Cassis tuberosa is the target of multiple commercial purposes, to expand our knowledge about its biology could contribute towards protecting the essential habitat of reproductively active individuals.

During an aerial survey on 30 December 2014 in the Danish Wadden Sea, a newborn grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) with umbilical cord was observed at a sandbank located north of the island Rømø together with the mother. This is the first report in the scientific literature on grey seals breeding in the Danish Wadden Sea since the species disappeared from the area in the 16th Century.

The rare pilumnoid crab, Dentoxanthus iranicus Stephensen, 1946 (Galenidae), is recorded from Gujarat state in India for the first time. Originally described from a small female (Gulf of Oman), and subsequently reported twice from Pakistan on the basis of two males and a female, the species is not well known and has never been described to modern standards. On the basis of the present male specimen from India, as well as a previously unreported male specimen from Pakistan, the species is redescribed and its systematics discussed.

Gelatinous zooplankton including salps are an important but often overlooked component of marine ecosystems. This study documents a bloom of Salpa fusiformis at five locations to the north of mainland Scotland. The bloom was observed at Sula Stack, Sula Sgeir, North Rona and at two other locations to the west coast of the Orkney Islands. Salp blooms have the potential to deplete phytoplankton biomass, impacting on other zooplankton, including copepods and fish larvae. New records of two rare salps Cyclosalpa bakerii and Thetys vagina are also documented from North Rona and Skirza Head, Caithness. These specimens were observed in the aggregate (sexual) form. These observations represent the second record in the UK of C. bakerii and the third and fourth records of T. vagina.

Review of the available literature and the results of the present study revealed that 17 specimens of Isurus oxyrinchus were caught between 1950 and 2013. Nine (52.9%) of these verified 17 catches were recorded after 2000. Catches of I. oxyrinchus off Turkey's coast include specimens ranging from new-borns (65 cm total length) to huge adults (585 cm total length). A new-born female caught off the coast of Foça on 19 May 2015 represents the smallest free-swimming specimen of I. oxyrinchus ever recorded in Turkish waters. The occurrence of a new-born shortfin mako shark off Foça's coast provides new evidence to support the possibility of a mating region of lamniform sharks, including I. oxyrinchus, in the northern Aegean Sea. The seasonal occurrence of both young and adult shortfin mako sharks off Turkey's Aegean and Mediterranean coasts should be monitored to clarify whether the shortfin mako shark is a resident or a vagrant species along the aforementioned coastline.

The pea crab Nepinnotheres villosulus is recorded for the first time from Sonmiani, Pakistan. It was found in six species of clams, Meretrix casta, Marcia recens, Callista umbonella, Gastrana multangula, Protapes cor and Psammotreta angulata and in one species of blood cockle, Anadara antiquate, with the highest prevalence in Meretrix casta. In some clams, both male and female crabs were found inside the host. More than 60% of female crabs were soft-shelled and ovigerous.

The batrachoidid Amphichthys cryptocentrus is an estuarine reef-associated species, characterized by a body of a uniformly dark background colour and head greatly depressed. We report colour abnormalities for this species, based on two specimens collected in the south-western Atlantic. Additionally, morphometric data and information about the species’ feeding habits and reproduction are provided. One specimen (most of the body was non-pigmented) exhibited small dark spots over a uniformly white body, but eyes were normally pigmented. Another specimen (totally non-pigmented) was oculocutaneous albino, lacked body pigmentation and eyes were pink-reddish translucent. Potential effects of these colour abnormalities on their ecology and behaviours are discussed.

We report the presence of the non-indigenous species (NIS) Celleporaria brunnea (Bryozoa, Ascophora) in the Central Mediterranean. It was found in the Gulf of Taranto (Ionian Sea, southern Italy), which represents one of the most important hotspots for NIS in the Mediterranean. Using PVC plates as species collectors, immersed in different times of the year, we observed a recruitment of C. brunnea during the warmer period of the year from July to October. This work highlights a range expansion of C. brunnea and provides information about its autoecology traits in the host environment.

Porites panamensis is the scleractinian coral with the widest latitudinal distribution in the eastern tropical Pacific. Here, we report the occurrence of P. panamensis in an estuarine environment of the central Pacific coast of Colombia at the rocky reef of Los Negritos, Málaga Bay. Porites panamensis seems to withstand a wide range of environmental settings, including areas with unfavourable conditions for the survival of most other corals. Such wide tolerance may explain its broad latitudinal distribution in the eastern tropical Pacific.

A red algal species, Polyneura bonnemaisonii (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta), is described for the first time in the Atlantic Ocean of Morocco. This is also the first reference of the occurrence of this species in Africa. This species was collected in the lower intertidal to subtidal zones, from Hyayda (north-west of Morocco). The Moroccan specimen is studied in detail and compared with other closely related species. Habitat, geographic distribution, description and illustration of the macroscopic and microscopic characters are presented and discussed in this work.

In the North Sea, observations of the solitary coral Caryophyllia smithii are mostly limited to the north-east coast of the United Kingdom including the Shetland and Orkney islands. To date, C. smithii has not been reported from far offshore locations in the North Sea south of 57.7°N. Distribution of this species appears limited by the restricted availability of natural hard substrata in the central southern North Sea. There are, however, many artificial hard substrata in this area in the form of shipwrecks and offshore oil and gas installations. These may provide stepping stones for C. smithii to expand its distribution. Here we report the first sighting of C. smithii in the central southern North Sea on an unidentified wreck on the Dogger Bank. This is the first offshore observation of any hard coral in the central southern North Sea.