An early and massive settlement of Lepas australis and Lepas pectinata attached to pumice from a recent volcanic eruption is described for the first time. The last 2010 earthquake of central Chile generated stress changes on the magma pathway and this reaction induced the Cordón-Caulle Volcanic Complex eruption on 4 June 2011. Only four months later, a great amount of pumice showing a massive settlement of goose barnacles (Lepas spp.) was drift-carried to the Chilean coast. Our results suggest that the larval attachment structures of Lepas australis and L. pectinata have a high capacity for adhering to the pumice surface, using it as an important dispersion vector.

A large often greenish-appearing type of leptocephalus larva has been observed and photographed or filmed by divers at 4 different locations within the Indonesian Archipelago from 2008 to 2011, and this paper documents these sightings and evaluates what can be learned about this type of unusual eel larvae. These leptocephali (~300–400 mm long) appear to be exceptionally large metamorphosing larvae of some type of moray eel of the family Muraenidae. Because of the morphological similarities between these larvae and ribbon eels, Rhinomuraena quaesita, they are hypothesized to be their larvae, which have never been distinguished among leptocephali of the Muraenidae. These leptocephali were observed at Sangeang Island, in Lembeh Strait adjacent to north-eastern Sulawesi Island, in two different years at Ambon Island, and on two consecutive days at Bali, between December and June of 4 different years. All observations of the large leptocephali were at depths shallower than about 23 m in areas with mixed coral rubble or coarse sand and silt substrates during daylight hours. The larvae used various styles of anguilliform swimming and swam near the bottom or in the lower water column while being observed. One larva tried unsuccessfully several times to enter small crevices. They were all at the metamorphosing stage and may have been entering coastal habitats to find a hiding place where they could transform into juvenile eels. Further studies are needed to clearly identify these large leptocephali and to learn about their life history.

A new record on the occurrence of Neobythites multistriatus which hitherto had not been recorded from the Bay of Bengal is reported. Two specimens measuring 160 and 180 mm standard length were collected from the landings of a deep-sea trawler by-catch at depths of 200–250 m off the Tuticorin coast in the Gulf of Mannar (part of the Bay of Bengal) during March 2010. This is the first record of Neobythites multistriatus from the Bay of Bengal. The specimen is described and figured.

Halieutopsis stellifera was previously reported only from the northern Celebes to the Philippine archipelago and Okinawa Trough. The present study reports Halieutopsis stellifera from the eastern Indian Ocean based on three specimens from Andaman waters (depth range 480 to 580 m).

The presence of a shrimp necrotizing hepatopancreatitis bacterium (NHP) in zooplankton samples from the Gulf of California was confirmed by qPCR and DNA sequences analysis. Samples of zooplankton were collected from stations located on the eastern shore of the Gulf of California, an area adjacent geographically to the coast of Sonora, Mexico. Three zooplankton samples (NHP S3, S23 and S24) were detected. These samples were collected in Bahía de Agiabampo and Bahía de Guasimas, an area distributed along the length of the coast in the vicinity of a shrimp farm area. These results clearly indicate that NHP-B may be associated or colonizing zooplankton, which may serve as a potential vector of potential importance in the spread of this disease. The biological meaning of this finding is discussed.

The present paper reports two scyphozoan species for the coast of Pakistan: the semaeostome Pelagia cf. noctiluca and the rhizostome Catostylus perezi. Both species are described and systematic characters used for identification are discussed for both. We also questioned the previous record of C. mosaicus in Pakistan assuming it to be of C. perezi.

Two shark species, Odontaspis ferox and Centrophorus squamosus, are recorded for the first time at the Galápagos Islands based on one sighting reported by tourist divers and one specimen captured by a local fisherman. The identification of a third shark species, Mustelus albipinnis, previously unidentified and recorded as Mustelus sp., is achieved based on several sightings at the same location.

Two species of the red algae genus Cottoniella, C. filamentosa and C. fusiformis, are reported for the first time from North Carolina, USA. A vegetative structure that includes four pericentral cells and two flanking cells that are cut off from the lateral pericentral cells is characteristic of both species. The two species are distinguished by the number of monosiphonous filaments that develop on each segment with C. filamentosa having one and C. fusiformis having two. Development of tetrasporangia in C. fusiformis also was observed for the first time and found to follow a similar pattern to that reported for C. filamentosa except that adaxial cover cells may cut off additional corticating cells in this species. No specimens of Cottoniella were found during extensive surveys of North Carolina's offshore algal flora in the 1970s and many additional collections made from 2004 to 2007. Both species have been found in collections from four sites since August 2007 and it is believed that these represent a northern range expansion along the United States east coast. The previous United States distribution limit for C. filamentosa was the Florida Keys, 1300 km south from North Carolina and this is the first report of C. fusiformis in the United States.

The presence of the pantropical ascidian Microcosmus exasperatus has been an object of some taxonomic confusion in the Mediterranean Sea. A closely related species, M. squamiger was previously reported in the north of Tunisia (in 1962) as M. exasperatus; it has spread to the western Mediterranean and the northern part of the Ionian Sea, whereas, the reliable report of M. exasperatus has been made more recently (in 1998) in the Gulf of Gabès (South Tunisia), and later studies have confirmed its presence in the eastern Mediterranean basin (Lebanon and Israel). The occurrence of this species in Izmir (Turkey) extends its distribution range to the Aegean Sea. At present, the distributions of both species of Microcosmus are not overlapping in the Mediterranean, suggesting a different route of entrance, probably by the maritime traffic (M. squamiger via the Strait of Gibraltar; and M. exasperatus via the Suez Canal). The discontinuity in the distribution of M. exasperatus in the Mediterranean is analysed and discussed.

The present study documents for the first time the occurrence of amphipods in the Alacranes Reef, Gulf of Mexico. Six macrofouling assemblages were sampled from two types of man-made structures (wood docks and navigation buoys). After sorting the material, 17 species were identified. An annotated checklist for all species is provided, documenting new records for 11 species (Ampithoe marcuzzii, Apolochus cf. delacaya, Audulla chelifera, Cymadusa compta, Leucothoe cf. wuriti, Neomegamphopus hiatus, Parhyale hawaiensis, Podocerus fissipes, Quadrimaera prope pacifica, Stenothoe gallensis and Stenothoe valida).

The occurrence of the dinoflagellates belonging to the ciguatera-related genus Gambierdiscus is reported for the first time from the north-western Arabian Gulf and northern Red Sea in the Indian Ocean basin. Gambierdiscus yasumotoi was recorded from two sampling sites on the southern Kuwait coast, and co-occurrence of G. cf. belizeanus and G. yasumotoi was found also in the Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan. The morphology of cells is described on the basis of light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy examination.

Cylichna villersii, a minute ‘bubble snail’ is newly recorded in the Mediterranean Sea from specimens recently collected along the Israeli coastline. The species, described and illustrated, matches the syntype collected in the Red Sea by Savigny. It is the eighth Erythraean alien cephalaspideid species recorded in the Levantine Basin. The recent collection of many living specimens in several continuously sampled locations attests to the speed of its establishment in the south-eastern Levant.

Sixteen species of solitary ascidians were identified from subtidal marine fouling communities present on navigational buoys, jetty pilings, floating pontoons and nettings around the coastal waters of Singapore. Of these, twelve are new records: Ascidia gemmata, Phallusia arabica, Phallusia nigra, Rhodosoma turcicum, Rhopalaea crassa, Polycarpa argentata, Polycarpa aurita, Polycarpa captiosa, Polycarpa olitoria?, Styela canopus, Pyura curvigona and Herdmania pallida. The other four species include Ascidia sydneiensis, Phallusia philippinensis, Polycarpa papillata and Microcosmus exasperatus. A detailed morphological comparison of Phallusia nigra and P. philippinensis is included because these two species have been frequently confused, resulting in a significant under-reporting of the latter in the literature.

One female specimen of Torpedo sinuspersici was collected from the trawl catch along the Saurashtra coast of Junagadh district, Gujarat, India. Although a total 486 species of marine fish have been identified so far from the State, the present paper describes the first record of T. sinuspersici from the coast of Gujarat State of India.

Seven coral reef-associated and deep-water fish species were found in a local fish market on Samal Island in the Davao Gulf, constituting the first records for the Philippine archipelago. The specific geographical distributions of Eumegistus illustris (Bramidae), Paracaesio kusakarii (Lutjanidae) and Saloptia powelli (Serranidae) are greatly enlarged by these observations. The first records of Ariomma brevimanum (Ariommatidae), Brama orcini (Bramidae), Aulacocephalus temminckii (Serranidae) and Pseudanthias fasciatus (Serranidae) confirm the Indo-Pacific-wide distributions of these species. In contrast to the other records, A. brevimanum and B. orcini were encountered regularly and length–weight relationships, not earlier provided in the scientific literature, were calculated. We also measured the largest specimen ever for B. orcini (total length of 420 mm). These observations substantiate the uniqueness of the poorly-studied fauna of the southern Philippines and underline the importance of marine Philippine fauna within the Coral Triangle.

Three specimens of the panopeid crab Acantholobulus pacificus are reported from the subtidal zone of the Port of Yokohama, Tokyo Bay, Japan. The discovery of the species in the bay is the first record of the species from the western North Pacific, as well as from Japan. Its presence there is treated as an introduced species. A description of the Japanese specimens is provided.

Sea turtle nesting had thought to be extirpated from South Caicos decades ago, but in December 2012 hatchling hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata were discovered emerging from the sand on a small beach in Shark Bay. Nest emergence was asynchronous and was spread out over at least two weeks. The nest was subsequently excavated and was found to contain the remains of 142 eggs, 128 of which appeared to have hatched successfully. It is unclear if Shark Bay is a regular nesting site, or if this nesting event was a transient occurrence.

The sea chub Kyphosus incisor is an herbivorous fish, native of the Atlantic Ocean. So far, it has been reported only once from Mediterranean waters, along the Ligurian coast, in 2009. Here we document an earlier Mediterranean record of this species, which was captured in the vicinity of Almuñécar (Granada, western Mediterranean Sea) in June 1998.

The crocodile shark, Pseudocarcharias kamoharai previously unknown from the Arabian Sea of India is reported from the south-western coast (Kerala). The specimen is described and figured.

The heteronemertean Baseodiscus hemprichii is widely distributed in tropical to temperate Indo-Pacific waters, with the northern limit of its range formerly at Shirahama, Japan. A specimen collected intertidally at Tateyama, Japan, extends the northern boundary of the species' distribution by about 1°18′ in latitude. This northward range extension may be in response to warming ocean temperatures.