I describe a new species of microhylid frog from Mt. Giluwe in the Central Highlands of New Guinea. The new species is remarkable in being an inhabitant of alpine grasslands; all other members of the genus are solely arboreal or scansorial forest-dwellers. Reflecting this habitat difference, the new species is unique among its congeners in its short legs, small hands, and small digital discs, features that are typical in terrestrial frogs but are atypical within Albericus.

The engraulid cephalic lateralis system of neuromasts, canals, and bones is represented by expanded canals, anastomosed primary and secondary canal branching patterns on the cheek, canal branching on the opercle and along the pectoral arch, and a foreshortened main trunk canal. The anterior supraorbital canal neuromast in Anchoa mitchilli is elliptical and deep to primary branch 2 with secondary ramifications. Other canal neuromasts are disc-shaped, and are often in pairs or series of three or four. An expanded orbital reticulum, formed by orbital, infraorbital and preoperculomandibular canal branches anastomosed over a dorsal portion of the eye, is present in A. mitchilli, Coilia neglecta, Encrasicholina purpurea, Engraulis encrasicolus, Setipinna tenuifilis, Thryssa baelama, and T. dussumieri. It may be as broadly inclusive in engraulids as a synapomorphy as is the rostral organ. The separate canal branches forming the engraulid orbital reticulum can be grouped as three patterns among nonengraulid clupeoids. Some primary and secondary canals of A. mitchilli, Dorosoma cepedianum, and Denticeps clupeoides are homlogs. Each set of homologs is assigned an identifying number from Stephens (1985). Recognized homologs justify support for Clupeomorpha. Maintaining the integrity of the delicate clupeomorph cephalic lateralis canal branching and tubule pattern when collecting, transporting, and storing will benefit future studies.

Adult specimens of the West Indian basketstar Astrophyton muricatum lack spines on basal branches of the arms. This character has been used in a number of taxonomic treatments to distinguish several genera of basketstars from others that bear arm spines on basal branches. Examination of a growth series revealed that juvenile A. muricatum bear arm spines on basal regions and lose them progressively farther out on the arm over time. At all sizes, spines on more basal spine-bearing branches lose the morphology that is typical of most spine-bearing segments. Individual spines seem to be resorbed from the imperforate claw-like tip to the bulbous perforated base. Spine bosses on spineless segments lose the characteristic morphology that supports the attachment and operation of spines. Of four possible hypotheses to explain the absence of spines from basal arm segments, we reject the hypothesis that juveniles fail to form spines on those segments. Data predominately support the hypothesis that basal spines are eventually resorbed, but the hypothesis that spines are released by histolysis at some point in life does not conflict with the evidence on spine loss. There is no evidence that spines are abraded and not regenerated. A taxonomic key to basketstars of the West Indian Province is provided that does not rely on presence or absence of arm spines.

A new species of the genus Phallangothelphusa Pretzmann, 1965 is described, increasing the number of species in the genus to three: P. dispar (Zimmer, 1912), P. magdalenensis Campos, 1998, and P. juansei, new species. The new species is distinguished from its congeners primarily by the morphology of the first male gonopod, specifically the different shape of the distal and proximal projections of the mesial process; lateral process with distal bulge covered with rows of conspicuous spinules, and subtriangular outline of the apex. Phallangothelphusa is endemic to Colombia and its distribution comprises the upper and middle Magdalena valley region, including adjacent slopes of the eastern and central Andes, at elevations ranging from 300 to 1500 m. An updated key for the identification of the species is presented.

A new species allocated to the genus Bestiolina Andronov, 1991 is described from the Yellow Sea. Bestiolina coreana, new species is closely related to Bestiolina sinica (Shen & Lee, 1966) but can be distinguished from its congeners by the number and presence of posterior surface spinules on the second and third exopodal segments of P2 to P4, and the number of spinules on the anterior surface of the second endopodal segment of P2 to P4 in both sexes. This species occurs primarily in brackish and/or coastal waters of Korea and is the first species to be recorded from the Yellow Sea. The zoogeography of the seven known species of Bestiolina is discussed.

We describe a new species of the genus Paramesochra that was found in sandy sediments off Taean on the west coast of Korea during a study of interstitial harpacticoid copepods. Paramesochra taeana, sp. nov. superficially resembles P. acutata hawaiiensis Kunz, 1981, in the structure of the antenna, shape of the caudal rami, and seta formulae of thoracopods P1–P4. However, the new species was clearly distinguishable from P. acutata hawaiiensis by a combination of characteristics. With the exception of the last two somites, the new species is the only species in the genus that has well-developed hyaline frills on all of the body segments. The female displays eight-segmented antennules, and the median incision between both plates of its baseoendopod reaches about to the proximal line of the exopod in P5. Lastly, in males the baseoendopodal plate has a deeper median incision in P5. An updated key for species of the genus Paramesochra is provided.

Sonorella painteri, new species is described from the San Luis Mountains, Hidalgo County, New Mexico, U.S.A. Based on comparative studies of shell characters and genitalia, Sonorella hachitana flora Pilsbry & Ferriss, 1915 and Sonorella hachitana peloncillensis Pilsbry & Ferriss, 1915 from southwestern New Mexico are elevated to full species rank.

Medusae from Daya Bay, northern South China Sea, are described from 124 samples collected during four seasonal oceanographic censuses from December 2007 to August 2008. A total of 62 species were identified, four of which are new to science: Gangliostoma dayaensis, new species, Eirene averuciformis, new species, E. brevistyloides, new species, and E. conica, new species. Three species are new records for Chinese waters, i.e., Bougainvillia vervoorti Bouillon, 1995, Eirene elliceana (Agassiz & Mayer, 1902) and Octophialucium bigelowi Kramp, 1955, and fourteen species are new records for Daya Bay.

We establish here a new Asian genus of Vernonieae, Okia, for Cacalia birmanica O. Kuntze. It is most closely related to the similarly calcicolous Koyamasia of Thailand, and more distantly to the widespread tropical Asian Acilepis.