One of the largest ophiolitic peridotite masses in the world covers a quarter of the island of Grande Terre, New Caledonia. The Peridotite Nappe was obducted during the Eocene, is weakly deformed, and corresponds to the highest of a structurally simple pile of thrust nappes. We present new marine seismic data that allow us to track the offshore continuation of the Peridotite Nappe along strike for a distance of more than 500 km south of New Caledonia and to image its preobduction, synobduction, and postobduction sedimentary records. Offshore, the Peridotite Nappe underlies a ~150 km wide and 2 km deep basin. Flat-topped horsts of peridotite are clearly bounded by major normal faults; in contrast, faults are obscure onland. To the east, the Peridotite Nappe roots along the eastern margin of the Félicité Ridge (new name), a ~300 × 25 km dome-shaped ridge, which we interpret as being the southern extension of the high-pressure/ low-temperature metamorphic core complex observed in New Caledonia. Two alternative tectonic models address the relative timing and relationships between Peridotite Nappe emplacement, uplift of a metamorphic core complex, and extensional tectonics. These models provide new ideas for the understanding the formation of the eastern margin of the Zealandia continent. Our results contribute to an understanding of how oceanic mantle is emplaced onto continental margins.

KANACONO

With 11 species, the genus Chelidoperca is a small group of teleost fishes belonging to the Serranidae. They are bottom-dwelling fishes living on continental shelves/slopes in offshore areas or on remote seamounts/banks at depths ranging from around 40–400m mostly in the tropical Indo-West Pacific. Over the past few years, efforts have been made to resolve the taxonomy of Chelidoperca, and subsequently four new species were described. However, these recent advances were made with a traditional approach (i.e., morphology) and limited examinable materials, usually preserved specimens, from ichthyological collections. Further investigations are still needed to address the gaps in our knowledge about their diversity, phylogeny, and biogeography. In this study, we collected 65 new samples, mainly during eight biodiversity expeditions carried out between 2007 and 2016 in the West Pacific under the Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos program. Specimens were photographed after collection to record fresh color patterns, which are essential for species diagnosis. Our analytical approach includes state-of-the-art DNA-based methods for species delimitation. The combined evidence from both molecular and morphological examinations, as well as other information such as geography, is used to test species validity. This reveals 15 species, including six new ones. We formally describe herein C. leucostigmata sp. nov., C. microdon sp. nov., and C. barazeri sp. nov. on the basis of specimens collected on Macclesfield Bank in the South China Sea, on the Chesterfield and Island of Pines plateau of New Caledonia, and off the New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea, respectively. These new species are morphologically distinct from all other known species of Chelidoperca by body color pattern and combinations of a few identified characters. We also redescribe one of the lesser known species, C. lecromi, from fresh specimens collected close to its type locality and a new site in the Coral Sea. The distributional records for this and other known species are updated accordingly. Genetic references of the species as well as an updated identification key to western Pacific species are also provided.

AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, EXBODI, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, ZhongSha 2015

The new serranid fish Chelidoperca cerasina is described on the basis of 13 specimens from the Coral Sea (off New Caledonia and eastern Australia), southwest Pacific Ocean, at depths of 245–338 m. The new species can be readily distinguished from all congeners by having the following combination of characters: an orange spot on pectoral-fin and caudal-fin bases; 4 scale rows between lateral line and base of spinous dorsal fin; cheek scales in 8 or 9 (modally 8) rows; tip of upper caudal-fin lobe elongated, slightly longer than lower lobe in specimens > ca. 100 mm; no longitudinal dark stripe or row of dark blotches laterally on body; interorbital scales extending beyond mid-orbit level, but not reaching anterior margin of orbit; scales on ventral surface of lower jaw restricted to angular, absent on dentary; pelvic fin short, tip not reaching anus when adpressed.

CHALCAL 2, EXBODI, KANACONO, KANADEEP, LITHIST, MUSORSTOM 5

The new serranid fish Chelidoperca cerasina is described on the basis of 13 specimens from the Coral Sea (off New Caledonia and eastern Australia), southwest Pacific Ocean, at depths of 245–338 m. The new species can be readily distinguished from all congeners by having the following combination of characters: an orange spot on pectoral-fin and caudal-fin bases; 4 scale rows between lateral line and base of spinous dorsal fin; cheek scales in 8 or 9 (modally 8) rows; tip of upper caudal-fin lobe elongated, slightly longer than lower lobe in specimens > ca. 100 mm; no longitudinal dark stripe or row of dark blotches laterally on body; interorbital scales extending beyond mid-orbit level, but not reaching anterior margin of orbit; scales on ventral surface of lower jaw restricted to angular, absent on dentary; pelvic fin short, tip not reaching anus when adpressed.

CHALCAL 2, EXBODI, KANACONO, KANADEEP, LITHIST, MIRIKY, MUSORSTOM 5

Left-eyed flounders of the genus Chascanopsetta Alcock 1894 (Bothidae) occur in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans at depths ranging from 120 to 1500 meters. They possess some unique features in bothid fishes including a strongly compressed and elongated body and a tremendously large mouth. Currently, nine species of Chascanopsetta are recognized, and three of them (C. micrognatha Amaoka & Yamamoto 1984, C. lugubris Alcock 1894 and C. prognatha Norman 1939) are distributed in the West Pacific. We collected 25 specimens of Chascanopsetta during 11 biodiversity expeditions carried out mainly in the West Pacific. Among them, eight specimens taken off Papua New Guinea present morphological features that differ from those of the three nominal species known in the West Pacific. In this study, we examined these eight specimens of unknown affinity and compared their morphology to that of specimens of other congeneric species. Results of these comparisons showed that these specimens represent an undescribed species of Chascanopsetta, named herein, C. novaeguineae sp. nov.. The new species resembles C. elski Foroshchuk 1991, which is known only from the Saya de Malha Bank in the western Indian Ocean, in having a high number of gill rakers (> 13). However, the combination of the following characters further distinguishes C. novaeguineae sp. nov. from C. elski: longer jaws, narrower interorbital width, and number of pseudobranches (21–25 vs. 26–27). The DNA sequences from the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene from C. novaeguineae sp. nov. and other species were obtained and compared to confirm its taxonomic status and to infer its tentative phylogenetic position within the Chascanopsetta.

AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, DongSha 2014, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KARUBENTHOS 2, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, NanHai 2014, SALOMONBOA 3, ZhongSha 2015

Thirty-six species of various thecate hydroids occur in two recent, deep-water collections from off New Caledonia. Of these, nine are new, namely Solenoscyphus subtilis Galea, sp. nov., Hincksella immersa Galea, sp. nov., Synthecium rectangulatum Galea, sp. nov., Diphasia alternata Galea, sp. nov., Dynamena opposita Galea, sp. nov., Hydrallmania clavaformis Galea, sp. nov., Symplectoscyphus acutustriatus Galea, sp. nov., Symplectoscyphus elongatulus Galea, sp. nov. and Zygophylax niger Galea, sp. nov. The male and female gonothecae of Caledoniana decussata Galea, 2015, the female gonothecae of Caledoniana microgona Galea, 2015, as well as the gonothecae of both sexes of Solenoscyphus striatus Galea, 2015 are described for the first time. The systematic position of the genera Solenoscyphus Galea, 2015 and Caledoniana Galea, 2015 is discussed on both morphological and molecular grounds, and both are confidently placed within the family Staurothecidae Maronna et al., 2016. In light of the molecular data, the genera Billardia Totton, 1930 and Dictyocladium Allman, 1888 are assigned to the families Syntheciidae Marktanner-Turneretscher, 1890 and Symplectoscyphidae Maronna et al., 2016, respectively. The previously undescribed gonothecae of Hincksella neocaledonica Galea, 2015, and the male gonothecae of Sertularella tronconica Galea, 2016, were found. Thyroscyphus scorpioides Vervoort, 1993, a peculiar hydroid with putative stem nematothecae, is redescribed and assigned to the new genus Tuberocaulus Galea, gen. nov. Noteworthy new records from the study area are: Tasmanaria edentula (Bale, 1924), Hincksella sibogae Billard, 1918, Dictyocladium reticulatum (Kirchenpauer, 1884), Salacia sinuosa (Bale, 1888) and Billardia hyalina Vervoort & Watson, 2003. Most species are illustrated to facilitate their identification, and the morphology of the new ones is compared to that of their related congeners.

KANACONO, KANADEEP

Marginelliform gastropods are a heterogeneous and diverse group of molluscs encompassing over 1,600 living species, among which are the smallest known neogastropods. The relationships of marginelliform gastropods within the order Neogastropoda are controversial, and the monophyly of the two marginelliform families the Marginellidae J. Fleming, 1828 and the Cystiscidae Stimpson, 1865, remains unconfirmed. DNA sequence data have never been used to assess the relationships of the marginelliform gastropods, making this group the only major branch missing in our current understanding of the neogastropod tree of life. Here we report results of the first multilocus phylogenetic analysis of marginelliform gastropods, which is based on a dataset comprising 63 species (20 genera) of Marginellidae and Cystiscidae, and a wide range of neogastropod lineages. The Marginellidae and Cystiscidae form a moderately supported clade that is sister to the family Volutidae. Marginellona gigas appears to be sister to all other marginelliforms. The subfamily Marginellinae was recovered as a well-supported clade, and good resolution of this part of the tree makes it possible to propose amendments to the family-level classification of the group. The relationship between Granulina and other marginelliforms could not be resolved and requires further study. Due to poor resolution of basal relationships within the Marginellidae–Cystiscidae clade, the monophyly of the Cystiscidae was neither confirmed nor convincingly rejected. The shell morphology of most marginellid and cystiscid genera is taxonomically not very informative but, nevertheless, of the traditionally recognized genera only Gibberula and Dentimargo were shown to be polyphyletic. Although a comprehensive systematic revision of the group requires more extensive taxonomic sampling (e.g. with better representation of the type species of nominal genus-group names), our results support the superfamily Volutoidea, comprising four families (Volutidae, Cystiscidae, Marginellidae and Marginellonidae), with the placement of the Granulinidae uncertain for the time being.

ATIMO VATAE, Restricted, DongSha 2014, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, ILES DU SALUT, INHACA 2011, KANACONO, KARUBENTHOS 2, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MADIBENTHOS, MAINBAZA, PAPUA NIUGINI, Restricted

The recent genetic analysis of the muricid subfamily Ergalataxinae has led to a better understanding of this subfamily, but some species were left without appropriate generic assignments and the classification of others required revision. This knowledge gap is partially filled herein, with new combinations and the description of three new genera. The examination of new material, along with a careful re-examination of and comparison to existing material, resulted also in the identification of nine new species. These new genera and new species are described herein, lectotypes are designated and new combinations are given. The geographical range of all the new species is provided on maps. All new species are compared with related or similar species. The radula of Morula palmeri Powell, 1967 is illustrated for the first time.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BATHUS 2, BENTHEDI, BERYX 11, BIOCAL, BIOMAGLO, BORDAU 2, CHALCAL 2, EBISCO, EXBODI, KANACONO, KANADEEP, LIFOU 2000, MAINBAZA, Restricted, MIRIKY, MUSORSTOM 7, MUSORSTOM 8, MUSORSTOM 9, NORFOLK 1, NORFOLK 2, Restricted, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006, SMIB 3, SMIB 4, SMIB 5, SMIB 8, TERRASSES, Walters Shoal

The genus Gemixystus Iredale, 1929 in New Caledonia is reviewed. Five species are recorded of which two are new, G. impolitus n. sp. and G. lenis n. sp. Gemixystus stimuleus (Hedley, 1912) is recorded for the first time in New Caledonia. Gemixystus transkeiensis (Houart, 1987) is re-transferred from Vaughtia to Gemixystus. The 12 extant species of Gemixystus are illustrated.

BATHUS 2, BATHUS 3, BATHUS 4, EBISCO, KANACONO, KANADEEP, NORFOLK 1, SMIB 8

The genus Pseudolatirus Bellardi, 1884, with the Miocene type species Fusus bilineatus Hörnes, 1853, has been used for 13 Miocene to Early Pleistocene fossil species and eight Recent species and has traditionally been placed in the fasciolariid subfamily Peristerniinae Tryon, 1880. Although the fossil species are apparently peristerniines, the Recent species were in their majority suspected to be most closely related to Granulifusus Kuroda & Habe, 1954 in the subfamily Fusininae Wrigley, 1927. Their close affinity was confirmed by the molecular phylogenetic analysis of Couto et al. (2016). In the molecular phylogenetic section we present a more detailed analysis of the relationships of 10 Recent Pseudolatirus-like species, erect two new fusinine genera, Okutanius gen. nov. (type species Fusolatirus kuroseanus Okutani, 1975) and Vermeijius gen. nov. (type species Pseudolatirus pallidus Kuroda & Habe, 1961). Five species are described as new for science, three of them are based on sequenced specimens (Granulifusus annae sp. nov., G. norfolkensis sp. nov., Okutanius ellenae gen. et sp. nov.) and two (G. tatianae sp. nov., G. guidoi sp. nov.) are attributed to Granulifusus on the basis of conchological similarities to sequenced species. New data on radular morphology is presented for examined species.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, CONCALIS, DongSha 2014, EBISCO, GUYANE 2014, KANACONO, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MIRIKY, NanHai 2014, Restricted, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006, TARASOC, TERRASSES

Atyid shrimps, a key component of tropical freshwater ecosystems, face multiple anthropogenic threats and thus need special attention. With more than 300 described species, the genus Caridina is the most speciose of all the Caridea infra-order. Caridina spp. occupy diverse habitats in tropical freshwaters of the Indo-West Pacific region. Several species complexes have been recognized, based on common morphological features, but little is known about how well these morphological characteristics align with phylogenetic characteristics. Furthermore, no phylogeny of the genus Caridina published so far has provided well-resolved and supported relationships among different species, thus impeding the possibility of proposing evolutionary hypotheses. In this study we used next generation sequencing (NGS) to provide new insights into the phylogenetic relationships among the genus Caridina, focusing on two complexes: ‘Caridina nilotica’ and ‘Caridina weberi’. We collected 92 specimens belonging to these two groups from most of their known geographical range, representing 50 species, for which we sequenced seven mitochondrial genes and two nuclear markers using ion torrent NGS. We performed a phylogenetic analysis, which yielded the first wellsupported tree for the genus Caridina. On this tree were mapped the geographic ranges and the habitats used by the different species, and a time calibration was tested. We found the driving factors that most likely account for separation of clades are differences in habitat and to a lesser extent geography. This work provides new insights into the taxonomy of this group and identifies opportunities for further studies in order to fill knowledge gaps that currently impede the management and conservation of atyid species.

NCLANDSNAILS

The genus Leiogalathea Baba, 1969 currently contains only two benthic species both occurring on the continental shelves and slope: L. laevirostris (Balss, 1913), widely reported in the Indo-Pacific region, and L. agassizii (A. Milne Edwards, 1880), from both sides of the Central Atlantic. A certain degree of morphological variability linked to their geographic distributions was previously noticed, mostly in L. laevirostris. In the present study, we revise numerous specimens collected from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, analysing morphological and molecular characters (COI and 16S rRNA). We found 15 new species; all of them are distinguished from L. laevirostris and L. agassizii by subtle but constant morphological differences and show clear genetic separation. Furthermore, L. imperialis (Miyake & Baba, 1967), previously synonymized with L. laevirostris, was found to be a valid species. All species are described and illustrated. Species of the genus Leiogalathea are morphologically distinguishable on the basis of the spinulation of the carapace, the shape and the armature of the rostrum, the shape of the propodi of the walking legs, and the pattern of the setae covering on rostrum, carapace and chelae. Some species are barely discernible on the basis of these characters but are highly divergent genetically.

BATHUS 3, BERYX 11, BIOGEOCAL, BIOMAGLO, BOA1, BORDAU 2, CHALCAL 2, EBISCO, EXBODI, HALIPRO 2, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KARUBAR, KARUBENTHOS 2, MADEEP, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 7, MUSORSTOM 8, MUSORSTOM 9, NORFOLK 1, NORFOLK 2, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SANTO 2006, SMIB 3, SMIB 4, TARASOC, VOLSMAR

The genus Leiogalathea Baba, 1969 currently contains only two benthic species both occurring on the continental shelves and slope: L. laevirostris (Balss, 1913), widely reported in the Indo-Pacific region, and L. agassizii (A. Milne Edwards, 1880), from both sides of the Central Atlantic. A certain degree of morphological variability linked to their geographic distributions was previously noticed, mostly in L. laevirostris. In the present study, we revise numerous specimens collected from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, analysing morphological and molecular characters (COI and 16S rRNA). We found 15 new species; all of them are distinguished from L. laevirostris and L. agassizii by subtle but constant morphological differences and show clear genetic separation. Furthermore, L. imperialis (Miyake & Baba, 1967), previously synonymized with L. laevirostris, was found to be a valid species. All species are described and illustrated. Species of the genus Leiogalathea are morphologically distinguishable on the basis of the spinulation of the carapace, the shape and the armature of the rostrum, the shape of the propodi of the walking legs, and the pattern of the setae covering on rostrum, carapace and chelae. Some species are barely discernible on the basis of these characters but are highly divergent genetically.

BATHUS 3, BERYX 11, BIOGEOCAL, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, BORDAU 2, CHALCAL 2, EBISCO, HALIPRO 2, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KARUBAR, KARUBENTHOS 2, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 7, MUSORSTOM 8, MUSORSTOM 9, NORFOLK 1, NORFOLK 2, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SANTO 2006, SMIB 3, SMIB 4, TARASOC, VOLSMAR