The examination of a collection of nudibranchs (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) obtained during several expeditions to international waters off Newfoundland, North Atlantic, revealed the presence of rare species, new records for the area, and an undescribed species of Tritonia (described herein). This includes the first record of Dendronotus niveus Ekimova, Korshunova, Schepetov, Neretina, Sanamyan and Martynov, 2015 from the Atlantic Ocean and numerous specimens of the rare species Doridoxa ingolfiana Bergh, 1899, which is here redescribed. Other species collected are Flabellina cf. salmonacea (Couthouy, 1838), Dendronotus frondosus (Ascanius, 1774), Dendronotus robustus A. E. Verrill, 1870, Aldisa zetlandica (Alder & Hancock, 1854), Onchidoris bilamellata (Linnaeus, 1767), Colga villosa (Odhner, 1907) as well as an unidentified species of Aeolidiella. Anatomical characteristics and genetic barcode data are used to identify the species whenever it was possible. Ecological data, including substrate, associated fauna and bathymetric range are provided.

We redescribe and illustrate Halcurias pilatus McMurrich, 1893 and H. mcmurrichi Uchida, 2004 (Endocoelantheae, Halcuriidae) from newly collected specimens from Southern Chile and deep-water reefs off Florida, respectively. Halcurias pilatus was previously considered to have a disjunct distribution until Uchida (2004) described a new species for the material from the Bahamas. However, the description of H. mcmurrichi does not meet modern taxonomic standards. We provide new anatomical and cnidae data for H. pilatus and H. mcmurrichi. Both species differ in the distribution and cnidom of nematocyst batteries in the column, development of microcnemes mesenteries, cnidae and geographical distribution. We find that H. pilatus can have a weak mesogleal marginal sphincter and amend accordingly the diagnoses of the genus Halcurias, family Halcuriidae, and suborder Endocoelantheae. These new records represent the first time both species have been collected since their original descriptions.

The first starfish bed to be recognized from the Antilles is a lensoid body in the middle Miocene Grand Bay Formation of Carriacou, The Grenadines (West Indies). This unit was deposited in a turbidite basin in a region of active volcanism fed from one centre and preserves common deep-water taxa more typical of the Palaeozoic, such as crinoids and brachiopods. The starfish bed is a channel-fill deposit laid down in at least 150–200 m water depth, although the specimens may have been derived from shallower water. A goniasterid asteroid and an ophiacanthid ophiuroid have been recognized. The first articulated asteroid from the Antillean fossil record is Paragonaster(?) haldixoni sp. nov. In all skeletal features it appears close to the extant Atlantic species Paragonaster grandis H. L. Clark and P. subtilis (Perrier), but differs in having a single row of rectangular abactinal ossicles extending to the arm tip; these are longer than wide. The brittlestar, Ophiocamax ventosa sp. nov., is described on the basis of a fragmentary disc and arms from this deposit. The closest similarities are with the extant tropical western Atlantic species Ophiocamax hystrix Lyman and O. austera Verrill. However, the new species has thorns covering the entire surface of dorsal arm plates, while arm spines have a multitude of small thorns, loosely arranged in numerous rows and dorsal arm plate shape differs markedly. The occurrence of O. ventosa sp. nov. suggests that Ophiocamax has been a deep-sea taxon at least since the Miocene.

During a series of submersible surveys of the Shiribeshi Seamount, northern Sea of Japan, by the remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) ‘Dolphin 3K’ and the human-occupied vehicle (HOV) ‘Shinkai 2000’ in July 2001, dense patches of golden skate eggs were observed. Given the lack of information for this species, an analysis was performed to estimate the abundance of the eggs and to ascertain if any patterns could be determined from the distribution of eggs on the sea-floor as recorded by the ROV and HOV video cameras. Eggs, including some with viable embryos, were found on only one of four ROV benthic transect surveys and one crewed submersible dive in the same location. The site where eggs were laid was relatively small and appeared to have been revisited through time. This work is part of an ongoing collaborative effort between East Stroudsburg University and the Marine Biodiversity Research Programme at the Japan Agency for Marine–Earth Science and Technology to characterize the midwater and benthic deep-sea faunas around Japan.

The first case of albinism in the kitefin shark, Dalatias licha, is reported here through the study of one specimen caught by professional bottom trawl in the Gulf of Genoa, Ligurian Sea. The albino surface was quantified and morphometric and meristic characteristics were compared with those of normal specimens of the same sex and equivalent length, caught within the same area. The shark body presented a partial reduction in pigmentation and no morphometric differences between the albino specimen and the normal individuals were observed.

Populations of Cystoseira spinosa, an endemic Mediterranean brown alga, are restricted to deep water at undisturbed sites. The species composition of an old stand in the Scandola Marine Reserve (Corsica) at a depth of 26–29 m reflects the dominance of Cystoseira spinosa over other brown and red algae, with an average biomass of 450 g dw m−2, and a mean density of 28.8 plants m−2. The length of the main axis was chosen as a convenient parameter related to size. The number of secondary axes increases exponentially with the length of the main axis, suggesting the existence of environmental constraints (possibly hydrodynamism), which may impose severe restrictions on the unlimited growth of the main axis. The size pattern of the Cystoseira spinosa plants from the population studied showed a log-normal distribution, with the highest frequency within size classes of 9–15 cm (main axis length), and a maximum size of 44 cm. Areas devoid of adult Cystoseira plants and lacking other erect algae had a significantly higher (8%) number of recruits than undisturbed areas. We suggest that the log-normal size distribution found in the population studied is due to an inhibition of recruitment by erect algae, and that disturbances that remove these algae are necessary to increase Cystoseira recruitment.