One female specimen of blue-spotted stingray, Neotrygon kuhlii was collected from a single day trawl catch along with other species of rays from the Saurashtra coast of Gujarat, India. The present paper describes the first record of the blue-spotted stingray from the State of Gujarat, thereby adding another species to the total recorded species list from the area.

The porcellanid crab Porcellana sayana is, for the first time, reported to have a symbiotic association with the crab Stratiolibinia bellicosa. This is also the first record on the association between the porcelain crab P. sayana and a brachyuran crab on the Brazilian coastline. In addition, this is the second record of association of P. sayana with a Majoidea crab.

Natural feeding on freshly dead spotted sea hares Aplysia dactylomela by reef fish Sparisoma frondosum at wild was registered and described for the first time, from two different observations made on the north-eastern coast of Brazil, South Atlantic.

We surveyed 110 Saccostrea oysters sampled from southern Kagoshima Bay and Wakayama Prefecture to monitor the species diversity of marine benthos using morphological features and DNA barcoding. Prior to the survey, we re-identified 55 Saccostrea oysters sampled from the Yaeyama Islands, a hot spot for Saccostrea species in Japan. Analysis of partial nucleotide sequences from the mitochondrial large subunit of ribosomal DNA (LSrDNA) led to the discovery of the Indo-West Pacific rock oyster S. cucullata-F in Kagoshima Bay, and S. cucullata-C and S. cucullata-F in Wakayama Prefecture. This is the first record of the Indo-West Pacific rock oyster in mainland Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu Islands). We postulate that there may have been a northward shift in the distribution patterns of the species due to global warming, these Pacific rock oysters are relic species from the Middle or Late Pleistocene, or the non-indigenous species were introduced by oil tanker or other industrial activities.

This study aimed at describing the quantitative variations of epiphytic diatoms in Rhodophyta Galaxaura rugosa, collected in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago (north-eastern Brazil), during two annual periods (June 2006 and June 2007). The distribution of epiphytic diatoms in G. rugosa confirmed the occurrence of a quantitative variation/zoning along the thallus of the analysed host, with an increase in density (cells per gram wet weight of seaweed) of apical portions towards the basal parts of the seaweed, regardless of the collection points and the annual periods. The abundance was characterized by individuals with pennate symmetry with raphe, belonging to the Bacillariophyceae class. This fact is the result of the host being collected in an insular environment with great water movement under the direct action of trade winds and ocean currents for most of the year. The study confirmed that in marine ecosystems with strong hydrodynamics, epiphytic flora tends to comprise species with the largest adhesive strength.

This paper provides the most up to date list of the Cuban echinoid fauna. Habitat, depth range, distribution and localities in Cuba are presented for this group. I present here the most recent list of shallow-water sea urchins for the Cuban Archipelago. This catalogue increases the number of shallow-water sea urchins for Cuba to 23 species (subspecies included) distributed in seven orders and 19 genera. I have added the occurrence of the sea urchin Schizaster floridiensis for Cuban shallow waters, and expand the known regional distribution range for this species. Furthermore, I report here two new depth ranges for Schizaster floridiensis and Astropyga magnifica that now begin at ten and two metres depth respectively.

The present study reports on range extension of the suctorian species Praethecacineta halacari and Thecacineta calix to the region of Brunei Bay, Brunei Darussalam, Borneo.

A specimen of the Slimy head Hoplostethus mento was collected at a depth of 650–700 m from off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. This specimen constitutes the first record of the species in Costa Rican waters and a north-west range extension of about 600 km on known distribution. A brief description of the specimen as well as comparative morphometric data and distributional information are provided.

The warty comb jelly, Leucothea multicornis, was noted off the Mediterranean coast of Israel in May and June 2014. Though recorded multiple times in the western and central Mediterranean Sea, this is the first record of the species from the eastern basin. The transient localized blooms and longer-term persistent increases in native and alien ctenophore abundance indicate changes in the structure and function of the Levantine ecosystem.

Lucanicum concatenatum is a chain-forming araphid pennate, assigned to Cyclophorales: Cyclophoraceae on the basis of morphological characters and DNA sequences, resembling Neosynedra, but with platelike plastids and striae mostly undivided by vimines. So far it has only been found growing on blue coral, Heliopora coerulea, but we do not suggest that it is restricted to this habitat. Its phylogenetic position, near Cyclophora, Florella and Astrosyne, requires amendment of the diagnosis of Cyclophorales, which included characters unique to C. tenuis, the only species in the order at that time. The question of the scope and description of the Cyclophoraceae remains unresolved.

The capture of a female of the bramble shark, Echinorhinus brucus, is presented. It was obtained by sport fishing in Venezuela at a depth of 200 m. Morphological identification is confirmed by comparative analysis of the mitochondrial COX1 gene sequence. This is the first record for this species in the Caribbean Sea.

During a faunistic survey in the rocky intertidal of Chabahar Bay (Iranian coast of the Gulf of Oman) in 2014, Ophionereis dubia, was reported as a new species record from this locality. The details on the taxonomic and morphological features as well as on the ecology of this ophiuroid are discussed in the present study and viewed in the light of the species' new appearance at Chabahar Bay.

The north-west Pacific kelp, Undaria pinnatifida, was first discovered in Europe on the Mediterranean coast of France (1971) and introduced to Brittany for aquaculture (1983). In the north-east Atlantic, it occurs in Spain, France, the British Isles, Belgium and Holland. The first UK record was in the Hamble estuary (1994) and it was found off Plymouth in 2003. The UK distribution is presently restricted to the south of England and the northern Irish Sea. We assessed the distribution of U. pinnatifida and native kelps and their allies in Plymouth Sound (at 0 to +1 m relative to Chart Datum). Undaria pinnatifida was widespread along rocky shores, on other hard substrata and grew in the same areas as Saccharina latissima and Saccorhiza polyschides. Undaria pinnatifida was significantly more abundant on vertical substrata than on upward-facing hard substrata. It was almost as common as all of the other kelp species combined on vertical substrata but was outnumbered by native species on upward-facing substrata. Undaria pinnatifida has become the visually dominant macroalga in marinas and has spread to surrounding natural habitats in Plymouth Sound. The extent to which it will outcompete native kelps requires monitoring, especially in conservation areas.

In 1995, Trochammina hadai, a benthic Foraminifera prevalent in Japanese estuaries, was found in San Francisco Bay, California, USA. Subsequent field investigations determined that the species was also present in nearly all of the major ports and estuaries along the western United States. Because of its widespread colonization, it is of interest to determine when T. hadai first appeared as an invasive in the coastal regions of the North Pacific. In San Francisco Bay, the species was not found in 404 surface samples collected between 1930 and 1981. In 1983, however, a grab sediment sample from one of four sites in the southern portion of the bay contained T. hadai. This site was the most northern of the four and contained 12 specimens of the invasive, comprising 1.5% of the assemblage. This is the earliest appearance on record of T. hadai in San Francisco Bay.

The fasciolariid snail Granulifusus poppei was collected for the first time from the Kerala coast, India. The record of the specimen from the Arabian Sea shows the extended distribution of the species from Somalia to India in the western Indian Ocean.

On 19 April 2014, a female goblin shark, Mitsukurina owstoni, was captured in a commercial shrimp trawl in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The shark, estimated to be approximately 5 m in length, was captured at a depth of approximately 490 m and released alive shortly after capture. This specimen represents the second goblin shark ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico.

Hybrid cetaceans have been documented to occur both in the wild and in captivity. Identifying wild hybrid individuals can be problematic in the absence of genetic techniques, but published accounts indicate that intermediate morphological characteristics are often present. Between 2010 and 2013, a land-based and boat-based study of the Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) was carried out in nearshore waters around the Eye Peninsula located on north-east Lewis, Scotland. Three atypical individuals were photographed which exhibited morphological features intermediate between Grampus and the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). These individuals were typically larger in body size than Tursiops, and had a dorsal fin shape and size consistent with Grampus. Two individuals had coloration most similar to Tursiops and the third exhibited extensive white linear scarring consistent with Grampus. The intermediate morphology was most apparent in the head shape, with all three individuals exhibiting a defined (in contrast to Grampus) but very short (compared with Tursiops) rostrum and two having an unusually steep (compared with Tursiops) forehead. On one occasion, one of the atypical individuals was observed within a mixed-species school of Grampus and Tursiops. There were four further sightings of atypical dolphins associated with Tursiops-only schools. Atypical dolphins were not recorded within Grampus-only schools. These observations are consistent with hybridization between free-ranging Risso's and bottlenose dolphins, the first such occurrence to be documented for these species in UK waters. The context and significance of these hybridization events are unknown.

Three brachyuran species of the family Xanthidae, Atergatis ocyroe, Macromedaeus voeltzkowi and Macromedaeus quinquedentatus are recorded from the Iranian coast of the Gulf of Oman. These specimens were collected in 2009 and 2010 from the Iranian waters of the Gulf of Oman. Among these species, A. ocyroe is a new record for the Gulf of Oman and M. quinquedentatus is a new record for the Iranian coast. This is the second record of M. voeltzkowi from the Iranian coast, whereas there is still no record from the Arabian coast of the Gulf of Oman. The diagnostic characteristics of the species and some taxonomic remarks are reported upon in this paper.

The stalked barnacle Dosima fascicularis is reported from Uruguayan waters for the first time based on stranded specimens. It is suggested that the Subtropical Front is the main area of occurrence of D. fascicularis in the South Atlantic and its occurrence on the Uruguayan coast was found to be sporadic and mainly related to singular atmospheric and oceanographic factors that cast ‘blue plankton’ ashore (e.g. easterly and south-easterly winds, and prevalence of tropical waters).

The presence of the sea slug Polybranchia orientalis (Sacoglossa: Caliphyllidae) is recorded for the first time from Vizhinjam, Kovalam and Thirumullavaram located along the south-west coast of India. The specimens were obtained from the green algal mats of Caulerpa peltata in December 2013.