The biodiversity of the deep-sea of the Gulf of California has received some attention during the last two decades. Preliminary observations have revealed a high diversity of benthic and hyperbenthic copepods. Copepods of the genus Rhizothrix were found in sediment samples taken during the Talud X cruise in the Guaymas Basin. These specimens belong to a new species, Rhizothrix longiseta. The new species is related to R. quadriseta Wells, 1967 from Inhaca Island, Mozambique by the armature complement of the third exopodal segment of the second, third and fourth swimming legs, and of the second endopodal segment of the third swimming leg. The females of these two species can be distinguished by the armature complement of the second endopodal segment of the first and second swimming legs, by the relative length of the inner seta on the third exopodal segment of the second, third and fourth swimming legs, by the shape and number of setae on the exopod of the fifth leg, by the length:width ratio of the caudal rami, and by the number of segments of the antennule. This is the first record of the genus Rhizothrix from the deep-sea down to 1570 m depth, and is also the first record of the genus for Mexico. Additionally, R. reducta noodti Galhano, 1970 is given full species rank as R. noodti.

Xenochrophis bellulus (Stolickza, 1871) was described as Tropidonotus bellulus based on a single specimen collected from Myanmar in the late 19^th century. Since then the holotype has been lost, and the species has been transferred to several genera in the subfamily Natricinae including Natrix, Sinonatrix and finally Xenochrophis based on one museum specimen matching the original description. Herpetofaunal surveys of the Moyingyi Wildlife Sanctuary and vicinity, Bago Region, Myanmar revealed three individuals obtained in 2001 and 2003 that match the type description of X. bellulus. This small series of newly collected specimens allows us to redescribe this species based on all known material, provide a description of the hemipenis, designate a neotype and comment on its taxonomic status.

Barriers to gene flow in marine environments vary between species and are highly dependent on dispersal ability and habitat discontinuity. Intertidal sand and mud flats are discontinuous areas, separated by other habitat types along a coastline or by subtidal zones. The São Sebastião Channel in eastern Brazil, which is situated between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, harbors two intertidal mud flats where populations of the kinorhynch Echinoderes marthae are found, one on the mainland (Araçá Bay) and one on São Sebastião Island (Ilhabela). Here, we investigated the genetic structure of two E. marthae populations across the São Sebastião Channel, in order to contribute to the ongoing debate on biogeography of meiobenthic animals. Based on 628 bp of the mitochondrial CO1 gene, we find that E. marthae shows low levels of structure in the São Sebastião Channel (F_ST = 0.165), and find evidence of recent demographic expansion across populations_.

The crustaceans of non-marine environments on Chilean oceanic islands have been poorly studied, principally due to their geographical isolation and difficult access. The aim of this study is to present a checklist of non-marine (non-hexapod) crustaceans on Chilean oceanic islands based on a review of the literature, with hopes of stimulating further research on this poorly known fauna. The checklist includes records of 27 species from Easter Island and the Juan Fernández Island archipelago, and reveals an absence of records from Sala y Gómez, San Ambrosio, and San Felix Islands.

I describe a new species of small microhylid frog from the southern versant of New Guinea that is characterized by its long and narrow proboscis, relatively large size and long legs, narrow discs on all fingers, hidden tympanum, and details of color pattern. This represents the twelfth species of long-snouted Choerophryne known and the third from the southern versant of the island's Central Dividing Range. It is only known from a single specimen, so phylogenetic and biogeographic relationships remain unassessed.

The tantulocaridan family Cumoniscidae Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1923, (type genus: Cumoniscus Bonnier, 1903), is the senior subjective synonym of Deoterthridae Boxshall & Lincoln, 1987 (type genus: Deoterthron Bradford & Hewitt, 1980), as both type genera are considered to belong to the same family-level taxon. Issues regarding the priority of Cumoniscus Bonnier, 1903, over Cumoniscus Bonnier, in Lo Bianco, 1903, are also discussed.

The collection of fishes made by Captain John M. Dow of the Panama Railroad Company represents one of the earliest and most important collection of fishes from the Pacific coast of Central America. There are 133 entries in the Division of Fishes catalog attributed to Dow, of which 81 can currently be located. These represent some 61 species and include 29 types. The material is summarized, catalog numbers and sizes are given, and the current condition of each specimen is assessed. Missing specimens are summarized, with as much information on each as is available. Photographs of 21 of the type specimens are included.

Two species of haplochromine cichlid fishes of the genus Diplotaxodon Trewavas, endemic to Lake Malaŵi are described: Diplotaxodon longimaxilla, new species, and Diplotaxodon altus, new species. Diplotaxodon altus is diagnosed from other species in the genus based on body depth (35.1–37.8% SL), number of gill rakers (21–26), and a smaller cheek depth (18.2–20.0% HL). Diplotaxodon longimaxilla is delimited from other Diplotaxodon spp. based on body depth (28.9–32.4% SL), horizontal eye diameter (HED 27.1–32.1% HL), smaller cheek depth (15.2–19.4% HL), and number of lateral-line scales (35–38). Other authors have indicated that several other Diplotaxodon spp. occur, but too few specimens were available to permit detailed comparisons. The two new species occur sympatrically at depths of between 40–130 m. Specimens of Diplotaxodon altus were sampled from nets deployed at night using light attraction, while specimens of D. longimaxilla were sampled from nets operated both at night and day. We further examined the three co-types of Diplotaxodon argenteus, the type species of the genus, and designated a lectotype.

A detailed description of the caudal skeleton of the Paleogene nasine surgeonfish Arambourgthurus scombrurus is provided herein. The compound (urostylar) centrum is fused with a large, nearly triangular, thick hypural plate, formed by consolidated hypurals 1–4. The compound centrum supports a large autogenous parhypural bearing a thick and blunt hypurapophysis. Hypural 5 is a small triangular bone. There is a single elongate autogenous uroneural and three epurals, the first of which is remarkably stout and elongate, with its proximal end embraced by the open neural arch of the second preural vertebra. The haemal spines of the second and third preural vertebrae are fused to their respective centra. The phylogenetic relationships of Arambourgthurus are discussed. Arambourgthurus shares some features with the Eocene Sorbinithurus and the Miocene Marosichthys, and together they constitute a monophyletic group that represents the sister group of the pair formed by the extant genus Naso and the fossil genus Eonaso. The overall structure of the caudal propulsive unit bears a strong resemblance to that of Luvarus and some of its closely related fossil taxa, and this suggests that Arambourgthurus scombrurus most likely had an oceanic habitat in the epipelagic zone.

The name Sorex acadicus Gilpin, 1865 is currently recognized as the valid name for the Nova Scotian subspecies of the masked shrew, S. cinereus Kerr, 1792 (Mammalia: Soricidae), but a holotype for the taxon was never designated, and the location of the type series has been a mystery. The authority for this species, John Bernard Gilpin, was associated with the Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax, NS, but that institution has no Gilpin specimens in its possession, and I could find no record of Gilpin shrews in any other Canadian Museum. I recently discovered a series of Gilpin specimens in the Mammal Collection of the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC (USNM), some of which may have been part of the original type series of S. acadicus, and I show that these specimens best represent Gilpin's concept of the taxon. From this series, I designate a neotype for S. acadicus. I also evaluate the distinctiveness of Nova Scotian S. c. acadicus compared with S. c. cinereus from Maine, New Brunswick, and New Hampshire and determine that S. acadicus should be considered a junior synonym of S. c. cinereus.

Taxonomic relationships in genus Berylmys (B. bowersi, B. mackenziei, B. manipulus, B. berdmorei) have traditionally been ambiguous and made difficult by their geographically disjunct and scattered populations. Several specimens held in museum collections are still of unknown or disputed species assignations. Nor have cranial characters in this genus been tested for significance in variance or for usefulness in separating species. Appropriate species identifications are important for any museum-based study of phylogeny, phylogeography, population biology, functional morphology, or conservation. This study tested diagnostic characters and species assignments on one-hundred two specimens of Berylmys housed in American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (NMNH), and Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH) collections. Discriminant function (DFA), principal components (PCA), and linear regression were used to analyze sixteen morphometric measurements. DFA correctly assigned >90% of specimens to their predefined species group. Length of palate (PL) and auditory bulla (LAB), length (RL) and depth of rostrum (RD), and breadth of incisive foramina (BIF) were the best discriminators among species. Six specimens of B. bowersi were re-classified as B. mackenziei, and two B. mackenziei were re-classifed as B. bowersi. One specimen of B. bowersi, of unknown locality, is indicative of Malaysian affinity under DFA.

The diversity and ecology of meiofauna in caves is largely unknown. Therefore, we studied one anchialine and five freshwater caves in November 2014 and January 2016 in western Cuba. We recorded 10 invertebrate taxa with the most abundant being: Nematoda, Ostracoda, Acari and Copepoda. The meiofauna communities in the caves were relatively impoverished probably due to the combination of oligotrophic conditions and limited colonization by organisms from outside. We found 28 nematode taxa of which 23 never have been previously reported inhabiting caves. The previously exclusive marine genera Desmodora and Paralongicyatholaimus were reported for the first time in freshwater environments. Ironus cf. ignavus was the most abundant species in agreement with studies elsewhere. In freshwater caves, water runoff and organism dispersal from the surface likely determines the colonization of the sediment. Parthenogenetic and predatory/omnivore nematodes dominated in the studied caves probably due to the physical isolation and oligotrophy in the underground systems.

The results of over 100 years of inventory work on the Lepidoptera of Plummers Island, Montgomery County, Maryland, U.S.A., were summarized recently in a volume dedicated to the invertebrate fauna of that site. That work documented a cumulative total of 836 species of Lepidoptera. To that list I add 20 species: Niditinea sabroskyi Metz, Davis & Davis, 2018 (Tineidae), Tinea carnariella Clemens, 1859 (Tineidae), Tinea apicimaculella Chambers, 1875 (Tineidae), Elachista illectella (Clemens, 1860) (Elachistidae), Pseudocherlaria walsinghami Dietz, 1900 (Gelechiidae), Coleotechnites thujaella (Kearfott, 1903) (Gelechiidae), Coleotechnites quercivorella (Chambers, 1872) (Gelechiidae), Trypanisma prudens Clemens, 1860 (Gelechiidae), Abrenthia cuprea Busck, 1915 (Glyphipterigidae), Argyresthia oreasella Clemens, 1860 (Argyresthiidae), Aethes terriae Sabourin & Miller, 2002 (Tortricidae), Aethes razowskii Sabourin & Miller, 2002 (Tortricidae), Aethes sexdentata Sabourin & Miller, 2002 (Tortricidae), Aethes mymara Razowski, 1997 (Tortricidae), Aethes promptana (Robinson, 1869), (Tortricidae), Spinipogon resthavenensis Metzler & Sabourin, 2002 (Tortricidae), Clepsis listerana (Kearfott, 1907) (Tortricidae), Gretchena amatana Heinrich, 1923 (Tortricidae), Rhopobota finitimana (Heinrich, 1923) (Tortricidae), and Exelastis pumilio (Zeller, 1873) (Pterophoridae). Ten of the species are represented by historical records that previously were overlooked, the other 10 species have been collected since 1998.

Ophioconis claviculata sp. nov. is described on the basis of three specimens collected from Ryukyu Islands, southwestern, Japan. The new species is distinct in having: disc covered by granules; four, sometimes five flat, polygonal oral papillae on each side of jaw; broad and flat teeth with hyaline distal end; spiniform and conical arm spines, two times longer than the corresponding arm segment at the maximum length; oralmost arm spines on proximal portion of arms flattened and clavate; four tentacle scales on third tentacle pore; and ventral arm plate longer than wide, with concentrate lamellar striations. The new species was found under rocks of open water as well as in a dark and medium to low salinity (28 ppt) environment of submarine cave, suggesting that this species tolerate this specific condition.

A new species of Stylaster is described from the oceanic island of Malpelo, Colombian Pacific. This species belongs to the Stylaster Group A, characterized by having cylcosystems uniformly distributed on all branch surfaces. Stylaster malpeloensis n. sp. is most similar to S. venustus (Verrill, 1870) by its pink coralla and number of dactylopores per cyclosystem, but S. venustus has much more delicate branches and gastropore tubes with a well-developed ring palisade. S. malpeloensis is the first known record of a Stylaster species for the Colombian Pacific and the most southern Stylaster Group A species in the eastern Pacific.

The first new species of tardigrade in the family Echiniscoididae from the west coast of America is presented with an integrative description. Echiniscoides rugostellatus n. sp. was found on barnacles from a piling, in the Straits of Juan Fuca, Puget Sound, Port Townsend, Washington, USA. The new species is named after its granulated dorsal cuticle and the star-shaped tip of its internal and external cirri. The new species is separated from all other Echiniscoides by its granulated cuticle with flat patches, the number of claws on the legs of the adult and the structure of the buccal cirri.

The genus Favia Oken, 1815, represents one of the most widely used taxa in scleractinian history but is formally unavailable because vol. 3 (Zoologie) of Oken's (1815) work Lehrbuch der Naturgeschichte, in which the name was first published, was rejected by the ICZN for nomenclatural purposes (Opinion 417, September 1956). De Blainville (1820, p. 293–294) was the first author who used the genus Favia in a valid work. Because no valid type species is available, the species Madrepora fragum Esper, 1795, is therefore designated herein as the type species of Favia. This taxon is chosen from the list of species which are given in de Blainville (1820, p. 293–294). Because both de Blainville (1820) clearly referred to Oken's (1815) work and M. fragum is designated as the type species of Favia, the genus Favia de Blainville, 1820, retains its genus concept sensu Oken.

John Bachman (1837:391) described the “fringe-footed shrew,” Sorex fimbripes Bachman, 1837, in his landmark monograph on the North American Soricidae (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla), in which he recognized 13 uniquely New World species. Characters he attributed to S. fimbripes resulted in its being interpreted as a tiny, semi-aquatic species and contributed to the complexity of its subsequent taxonomic history. The status and location of the holotype, which should aid in resolving questions about the nature of S. fimbripes, instead have added to the confusion. Originally studied by Bachman in South Carolina, the holotype was later thought to have been identified in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP), and it is currently considered to be in the National Museum of Natural History (USNM), Washington, D.C. To clarify the identity of the species and its holotype, I compared descriptions of the holotype and the ANSP type with the USNM specimen and with eight species of eastern North American shrews. I conclude that the three accounts of S. fimbripes refer to three different specimens and that the holotype was probably destroyed during the American Civil War. Bachman's S. fimbripes was most likely equivalent to S. cinereus Kerr, 1792, S. fontinalis Hollister, 1911, or S. fumeus Miller, 1895, but without the holotype, its identity cannot be determined definitively, and the name is a nomen dubium.

One of the problems with undertaking revisions within Strombidae Rafinesque, 1815 is the tendency for chaining within the genus Strombus Linné, 1758. Strombus is often used taxonomically as a holder for confusing taxa acting in sensu lato (s.l.). This paper addresses one of the chaining issues with Strombus with the erection of Striatostrombus gen. nov. This revision is based on morphology and spatio-temporal considerations in relation to the determination of species reassignment to the new genus. While there are no extant members of Striatostrombus, two extinct species currently classified as Strombus (Lentigo) micklei Ladd, 1972 and Strombus (s.l.) blanci Tröndlé & Salvat, 2010 were brought into the new genus. The shifting of S. blanci to Striatostrombus provides improved taxonomic clarity within Strombus Linné, 1758 sensu stricto and furthermore, the new genus provides a new cladistic reference point that aids in the understanding of the evolution and radiation within the Strombidae.