Filistatids represent an antique lineage of araneomorph spiders which are most diverse in arid and semiarid regions of the globe. Phylogenetic relationships among its genera are still largely unexplored, and previous studies disagree on the position of the North American Filistatinella Gertsch & Ivie, 1936, which could either be the sister group of all other Prithinae, or deeply nested in the subfamily. We present a new phylogenetic hypothesis based on morphological data, which supports the position of Filistatinella at the base of Prithinae. We also argue that the central Asian Pholcoides Roewer, 1960, hitherto considered incertae sedis in the subfamily, represents the putative sister group of Filistatinella. The latter genus is revised, and we describe its fine morphology in detail using optical and scanning electron microscopy. We redescribe the three previously known species, F. crassipalpis (Gertsch, 1935), F. domestica Desales-Lara, 2012 and F. palaciosi Jiménez & Palacios-Cardiel, 2012. Seven new species are named: F. kahloae, sp. nov. and F. chilindrina, sp. nov. from Mexico; F. pistrix, sp. nov., F. tohono, sp. nov., F. howdyall, sp. nov. and F. hermosa, sp. nov. from south-western USA; and F. spatulata, sp. nov. from the border between the two countries. The phylogenetic relationships among these 10 species are assessed, revealing the monophyly of the genus.

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Devilleferus brunkei Jenkins Shaw & Solodovnikov, gen. et sp. nov., a distinctive new genus and species of Staphylinini rove beetle with an unusual set of morphological characters is described from the tropical Andes (Ecuador and possibly Colombia and Bolivia) in South America. To resolve systematic placement of the new genus within Staphylinini we assembled a dataset of 68 morphological characters scored for 34 taxa representing a broad sample of the respective rove beetle tribe, and performed Bayesian inference and maximum parsimony phylogenetic analyses. Both analytical methods unambiguously placed Devilleferus as sister to the subtribe Amblyopinina, and overall they corroborated recently established subtribal systematics for Staphylinini inferred mainly from molecular markers. Based on the shared synapomorphies, Devilleferus is assigned to the subtribe Amblyopinina. The internal relationships within Amblyopinina remain to be clarified in a broader study of that very poorly explored austral lineage.

We describe a novel alcyoniid species of stoloniferous octocoral found off the coast of North Carolina, USA. Colonies have an encrusting morphology with pale to bright blue monomorphic polyps connected by spongy, sclerite-dense stolons that often form mats. Sclerites are colourless and sparsely tubercled. Sclerites of the stolons are predominantly spindles and rods with rare irregular fused forms, butterflies, and crosses. Polyps have a crown and points formation that consists of rods and spindles that can be curved or irregularly branched. Tentacles contain short flattened rods and rare crosses. Both the mitochondria-encoded COI-5P and mtMutS were sequenced and BLAST searches revealed no close homology with any previously sequenced species. Phylogenetic analyses of the sequence data suggested a closest relationship with species of Alcyonium Linnaeus, 1758 (Alcyoniidae) and Gersemia Marenzeller, 1877 (Nephtheidae) and supported the recognition of a new genus. This species was not previously reported in the Carolinas region despite extensive historical sampling and a recently published key to octocorals of the South Atlantic Bight. Reports and photographs from local divers suggest that this species may have been introduced in North Carolina waters ∼2002–04, where it has been found on both shipwrecks and hard bottom ledges, at 13–34 m depth.

The family Sphaerocorynidae includes two valid genera and five species, most of which have a confusing taxonomic history. Here, a new genus and species, Astrocoryne cabela, gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Maldives and the Red Sea, based on both morphological and molecular evidence. Astrocoryne cabela has an apomorphy represented by the type of tentacles, here named ‘dicapitate’, and consisting of capitate tentacles with a proximal capitulum-like cluster of nematocysts. Molecular analyses confirmed the monophyly of this species, as well as its belonging to the Sphaerocorynidae, together with Sphaerocoryne spp. and Heterocoryne caribbensis Wedler & Larson, 1986, for which we present molecular data for the first time. Moreover, the high divergence of A. cabela from other species of the family justifies the establishment of a new genus. Interestingly, specimens from the Maldives and the Red Sea showed marked morphological variation in the polyp stage, although only a slight genetic divergence was detected. This study highlights that a comprehensive morpho-molecular assessment of Sphaerocorynidae is strongly needed in order to clarify the taxonomic issues and the diversity of this taxon.

The taxonomic status of the Hispaniolan species of Calisto Hübner, 1823 included in the chrysaoros group is reassessed. Morphological data and COI barcode sequences were analysed through different methods: Neighbour-Joining clustering, ABGD, Median-Joining Haplotype Network, Maximum Likelihood, and Bayesian Inference. Analyses yielded two deeply separated groups or putative species: C. clydoniata and C. chrysaoros. A shallower split was found, except in the Bayesian Inference approach, among populations of southern and northern Hispaniola palaeo-islands. In light of these findings we propose the recognition of two species: C. clydoniata and C. chrysaoros. Within the latter, the populations of the southern and northern Hispaniola palaeo-islands should be recognised as different subspecies: C. chrysaoros chrysaoros Bates and C. chrysaoros galii Schwartz, respectively. Calisto clenchi, syn. nov. is a synonym of C. chrysaoros chrysaoros whereas C. galii galli, syn. nov. and C. galii choneupsilon, syn. nov. are synonyms of C. chrysaoros galii.

The distinctive ant genus Leptomyrmex Mayr, 1862 had been thought to be endemic to Australasia for over 150 years, but enigmatic Neotropical fossils have challenged this view for decades. The present study responds to a recent and surprising discovery of extant Leptomyrmex species in Brazil with a thorough evaluation of the Dominican Republic fossil material, which dates to the Miocene. In the first case study of direct fossil inclusion within Formicidae Latreille, 1809, we incorporated both living and the extinct Leptomyrmex species. Through simultaneous analysis of molecular and morphological characters in both Bayesian and parsimony frameworks, we recovered the fossil taxon as sister-group to extant Leptomyrmex in Brazil while considering the influence of taxonomic and character sampling on inferred hypotheses relating to tree topology, biogeography and morphological evolution. We also identified potential loss of signal in the binning of morphological characters and tested the impact of parameterisation on divergence date estimation. Our results highlight the importance of securing sufficient taxon sampling for extant lineages when incorporating fossils and underscore the utility of diverse character sources in accurate placement of fossil terminals. Specifically, we find that fossil placement in this group is influenced by the inclusion of male-based characters and the newly discovered Neotropical ‘Lazarus taxon’.

During the present study, we examined the phylogeography and systematics of two species of velvet worm (Peripatopsis Pocock, 1894) in the forested region of the southern Cape of South Africa. A total of 89 P. moseleyi (Wood-Mason, 1879) and 65 P. sedgwicki (Purcell, 1899) specimens were collected and sequenced for the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I mtDNA (COI). In addition, a single P. sedgwicki specimen per sample locality was sequenced for the 18S rRNA locus. Furthermore, morphological variation among P. sedgwicki sample localities were explored using traditional alpha taxonomic characters. DNA sequence data were subjected to phylogenetic analyses using Bayesian inference and population genetic analyses using haplotype networks and analyses of molecular variance (AMOVAs). Phylogenetic results revealed the presence of four and three clades within P. moseleyi and P. sedgwicki respectively. Haplotype networks were characterised by the absence of shared haplotypes between clades, suggesting genetic isolation, a result corroborated by the AMOVA and highly significant F_ST values. Specimens from Fort Fordyce Nature Reserve were both genetically and morphologically distinct from the two remaining P. sedgwicki clades. The latter result suggests the presence of a novel lineage nested within P. sedgwicki and suggests that species boundaries within this taxon require re-examination.

In his catalogue of British Museum Crustacea, Adam White listed two swimming crabs from Borneo as a new species, Amphitrite argentata, but he did not provide a description and therefore the name was a nomen nudum. Later, Alphonse Milne-Edwards described the larger of these male specimens as Neptunus argentatus and credited the species to White. Now assigned to Monomia Gistel, 1848, M. argentata was recently considered to represent a species-complex; however, its nomenclature and taxonomy have been confused over a long period of time. Furthermore, the larger syntype examined by Alphonse Milne-Edwards is no longer extant. The present study compared the smaller extant M. argentata male of White, here designated as the lectotype, with the description by A. Milne-Edwards. This dried specimen was re-examined using X-ray and computed tomography scanning techniques in order to reveal the general morphology of the first male gonopod (G1). Fresh material was collected and identified with confidence as M. argentata. This species was redescribed to modern standards including illustrations, details of coloration and new scanning electron micrographs of the G1 were provided. The validity of this species was further endorsed by comparing DNA sequences with congeners from the South China Sea. To conclude, the type status, authority and associated species-complex of M. argentata are discussed.