Six new monotypic genera and eight new species of hermit crabs of the family Paguridae Latreille, 1802 are fully described based on specimens obtained during two separate, intensive biodiversity studies on the islands of Guadeloupe, Curaçao, and Dominica in the Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea. The study in Guadeloupe utilized a broad variety of sampling techniques, including dredging, baited traps, and a SCUBA-operated vacuum device; in Curaçao and Dominica, a manned submersible was used. The high number of new taxa discovered is surprising given they were obtained in a relatively small area of the Antilles in habitats ranging in depth from shallow water (c. 1 m) to deep reefs (250 m). Tissue samples were extracted from most specimens for CO1 barcoding and other genetic analyses for future phylogenetic investigations. Gene sequences are reported to complement the morphological descriptions. The new species are unusual in their minute sizes, ranging 0.4–1.5 mm in shield length; and aspects of their morphology, in particular gill number and characteristics of male sexual tubes, which could not be clearly matched to any of the existing genera of Paguridae. The term “micro-pagurid” is introduced for this diverse, diminutive fauna of Paguridae (adult shield length ≤ 1.5 mm), discovered living in cryptic habitats and complex deep reef structures of these three islands. A brief, preliminary discussion of the possible significance of this micro-pagurid diversity, specialized morphology, and biogeography is included.

Three species of the neogastropod genus ColumbellaLamarck, 1799 are recognised from the northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. One is the common Mediterranean C. rustica (Linnaeus, 1758), with paucispiral protoconch, extending its range in the Atlantic South to Senegal and North to Portugal. Columbella adansoniMenke, 1853, with multispiral protoconch is restricted to the Macaronesian archipelagoes. A third species, also with multispiral protoconch, from West Africa is recognised through molecular methods, and the name C. xiphitella Duclos, 1840 is employed by correcting the original erroneous locality (“Californie”) to Gabon. Except for protoconch features, no major morphological characters are available to separate the three species; however diagnostic species-level differences in specific positions in the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) sequences are present between all three species.

An annotated checklist for the terrestrial and freshwater arthropods of French Polynesia is presented. Compiled with the help of 48 experts and based on published records, it comprises 3025 valid species names belonging to the classes of Hexapoda Blainville, 1816 (2556 species), Chelicerata Heymons, 1901 (367 species), Myriapoda Latreille, 1802 (22 species) and Crustacea Pennant, 1777 (80 species). Reported are 1841 taxa from the Society Islands, followed by the Marquesas Islands with 1198 taxa, the Austral Islands with 609 taxa, the Tuamotu Islands with 231 taxa and the Gambier Islands with 186 taxa. The specificity of this fauna and the analysis of each class and order are discussed. The level of endemism is particularly high, 61% of the known species, with non-native species representing 13% of the overall species count. The threats to the native fauna and flora of French Polynesia and particularly to endemic insect species are detailed.

The MercuriaBoeters, 1971 species living in the coastal zones of France are reviewed. In the Atlantic zone the genus Mercuria comprises four species: M. anatina (Poiret, 1801), M. baudoniana (Gassies, 1859), M. bayonnensis (Locard, 1894) and M. sarahae (Paladilhe, 1869); in the Mediterranean zone we discriminate three species: M. meridionalis (Risso, 1826), M. similis (Draparnaud, 1805), and M. corsensis n. sp. Mercuria sarahae is represented by two subspecies, M. s. sarahae and M. s. vindilica (Paladilhe, 1870). Mercuria corsensis n. sp., a close sister species to the Sardinian M. zopissa (Paulucci, 1882) lives only in the extreme South of Corsica. Amnicola emilianaPaladilhe, 1869, does not belong to the genus Mercuria but must be attributed to Pseudamnicola Paulucci, 1878. Lectotypes for Bythinia [sic] bayonnensisLocard, 1894, Bythinia [sic] baudonianaGassies, 1859, Amnicola lanceolataPaladilhe, 1869, Amnicola sarahaePaladilhe, 1869, Amnicola vindilicaPaladilhe, 1870 and BithyniameridionalisRisso, 1826 are designated. For Amnicola emiliana a neotype is designated. In addition the systematic position of the genus Mercuria is discussed which results in the introduction of a new monotypic subfamily, Mercuriinae n. subfam. The new Corsican species M. corsensis n. sp. is with an average heigth of 3.10 mm and a diameter of 2.20 mm slightly larger and more inflated than M. zopissa, which is reflected by a ratio of height of aperture to total height of c. 52% instead of 42–44%. In M. corsensis n. sp. the last whorl before the aperture does neither descend nor ascend, while it clearly descends in M. zopissa. Further, the identity of the following nominal taxa is discussed: Bithinia [sic] moutoniiDupuy, 1849, Amnicola spirataPaladilhe, 1869, Paludestrina brevispiraPaladilhe, 1870, Paludina ceruleaMassot, 1872 and Amnicola lutetianaLocard, 1893. Finally, ecological preferences and the endangerment of the species mentioned for France are discussed.

The genus HolotheleKarsch, 1879 has a confusing taxonomic history, mainly due to a imprecise and outdated generic diagnosis, perpetuated since its original description. In this work, we propose a new diagnosis for the genus, redescribe the type species Holothele rectaKarsch, 1879 and propose a few taxonomic changes. Holothele longipes is here considered as a senior synonym of Holothele rectaKarsch, 1879, Stichoplastus sanguiniceps F. O. P.-Cambridge, 1898, Dryptopelmides rondoniLucas & Bücherl, 1972, Dryptopelmides ludwigiStrand, 1907. We also provide updated geographic distribution records for Holothele longipes and propose the revalidation of ScopelobatesSimon, 1903.

La Couleuvre de Montpellier, serpent emblématique du Midi méditerranéen, est actuellement nommée Malpolon monspessulanus (Hermann, 1804). Elle a été décrite comme Coluber monspessulanus par Jean Hermann, dans un ouvrage posthume publié en 1804. Plus de deux siècles après cette description, le type unique ou holotype n'a pas été identifié dans les collections du Musée zoologique de la ville de Strasbourg. Il avait été communiqué à Hermann par un médecin naturaliste de Montpellier, Guillaume Joseph Roubieu. Un néotype de Coluber monspessulanus est proposé et décrit. À cette description sont ajoutées plusieurs données sur les singularités, notamment morphologiques, de l'espèce.