The phyllosoma larva of spiny and slipper lobsters (Palinuridae and Scyllaridae respectively) can disperse during several months before metamorphosing into a decapodid stage, which is the key phase for a successful settlement. The largest Scyllarus decapodid known to date was recently collected near the Canary Islands and identified by DNA analysis as Scyllarus subarctus. This species had never been previously reported from the area, and the decapodid stage is described here for the first time. The examination of further museum specimens has now significantly expanded the current distribution of S. subarctus, including much of the NW African coast, St Helena and Canary Islands. These results highlight the importance of combining molecular analysis of recently collected specimens with historical collections.

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.

The brittle stars Ophiactis savignyi and Ophiothela mirabilis are documented for the first time from French Guiana. The latter species was associated with colonies of a gorgonian, Leptogorgia miniata, growing on a rocky reef beneath a brackish layer of water and above an unstable mud bottom. Ophiothela mirabilis is a recently established alien introduction to the Atlantic. Ophiothela discovered in French Guiana were located approximately midway between populations of O. mirabilis in Brazil and at St Vincent, and individuals from all three countries may represent a single lineage of ophiuroids. Evidence is presented that O. savignyi and O. mirabilis could have been transported to the Amazon Barrier region by shipping and/or by coastal currents linking Brazil, French Guiana and St Vincent. If oceanic circulation is responsible for its dispersal, it is predicted that O. mirabilis will spread from the Windward Islands toward the southern Caribbean coast, whereas dispersal by shipping could follow a more northerly route.

Larval dispersal and establishment of Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) was studied on different maize cultivar combinations at the whorl stage. Dispersal was increased 2-fold when the infested cultivar ICZ2-CM (resistant) was surrounded by the more susceptible Inbred A, and decreased when Inbred A plants were surrounded by ICZ2-CM. A negative relationship (r = 0.89) was found between the proportions of larvae establishing on infested plants and those unaccounted for. The influence of a cultivar on increased larval dispersal could be exploited in resistance breeding strategies. The possible role of such an effect in pest management strategies is discussed.