PAPUA NIUGINI

We describe a new species of Loimia, from shallow waters off Northern Papua New Guinea and compare morphologically to other species recorded from the region and a key is provided. We provide a Maximum likelihood tree for species of Loimia for which we have data and it forms a distinct clade from other species. Finally, we discuss characters that we consider as useful specific characters in this large genus, which includes many poorly described species.

PAPUA NIUGINI

Five new species of Terebellides are described from coastal and deep waters of Papua New Guinea, using both morphology and molecular tools (for four species). Terebellides elenae n. sp. is characterized by the absence of both a glandular lateral region on TC3 and papillae on margins of the branchial lamellae and by the presence of partially fused branchial lobes with conspicuous fifth lobe and dorsal rounded projections until TC6. Terebellides fauchaldi n. sp. has a very large glandular lateral region on the third thoracic chaetiger (TC3), a fifth branchial lobe and partially fused branchial lobes, and conspicuous dorsal rounded projections on TC2–6. Terebellides madeep n. sp. is characterized by a thin glandular region on TC3 and by four free branchial lobes. Terebellides oculata n. sp. is one of the only two species in the world to have eyespots. Finally, T. papillosa n. sp. has geniculate chaetae on TC6 and TC7 and bears a large number of papillae. A majority-rule consensus tree using the 16S gene and an identification key for all Terebellides species described from the Central Indo-Pacific region are provided.

MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI

Iphione Kinberg, 1856 includes tropical marine scaleworm species which live in rocky bottoms, often on the undersurface of coral rubble or rocks, and superficially resemble chitons. The most widely distributed species known is Iphione ovata Kinberg, 1856, originally described from Hawaii and recorded from the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to Western Mexico in the Eastern Pacific. A similar species, I. spinosa Kinberg, 1858, was described from South Africa based on a single specimen, which differed from the Hawaiian I. ovata by its fewer and larger elytral macrotubercles. The examination of over 100 specimens of different size and from various localities has permitted us to clarify ontogenetic variability in I. ovata. Certain specimens studied from the Red Sea to Hawaii and Southeastern Polynesia were sequenced for cytochrome c oxidase I and genetic variation of I. ovata was confined to a single genetic lineage confirming the wide range of the species and lack of cryptic lineages. Based on the available evidence, we confirm the wide distribution of I. ovata along the Indian and Pacific Oceans and include as junior synonyms I. spinosa and I. reticulata Amoureux, Rullier & Fishelson, 1978, originally described from the Red Sea with one small juvenile. A key for identifying all Iphione species from Hawaii is included.

CORAIL 2, PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

The only revision of Iphione was made by Pettibone in 1986, who recognized four species including two newly described in that work: I. muricata (Savigny in Lamarck, 1818) (type species), I. ovata Kinberg, 1856, I. treadwelli Pettibone, 1986, and I. henshawi Pettibone, 1986. She included I. fimbriata de Quatrefages, 1866, I. glabra de Quatrefages, 1866, and I. fustis Hoagland, 1920 within I. muricata, and I. spinosa Kinberg, 1856 and I. hirotai Izuka, 1912 in I. ovata. Three other species were later added to the genus: I. reticulata Amoureux, Rullier & Fishelson, 1978 from the Red Sea, I. coriolis Hanley & Burke, 1991 from the Coral Sea, and I. malifera Piotrowski, 2014 from the Philippines. A recent contribution showed that I. ovata ranges from the Red Sea to the Eastern Pacific and includes I. spinosa and I. reticulata. Our objectives were to revise the genus, evaluating all species and describing new ones by assessing the relevance of morphological features, assisted in part with COI sequence data. We studied the morphology of type and non-type material from 18 institutions and sequenced 52 specimens representing 11 species. We found that the size and position of eyes, the size relationships between cephalic appendages, and the number of rows of macrotubercles in elytra vary with body size. The most relevant diagnostic features for species delineation, confirmed by genetic species delineation, are the type and size relationships of macrotubercles, the presence of fimbriae, the development of the basal tubercle of dorsal cirrophores, the type of neurochaetae (falcate versus acicular), and their tips (uni- vs bidentate; or simple vs hooded). We clarified the type species of the genus as I. ovata, and recognized 17 species, nine previously described and eight new. Our main results include: 1) the restriction of I. muricata; 2) the reinstatement of I. fimbriata including I. fustis; 3) redescriptions of I. coriolis, I. henshawi and I. treadwelli; and 4) the description of eight new species: I. ankeri sp. nov. from Guam, I. corbari sp. nov. from the Saya de Malha Bank, I. harrisae sp. nov. from French Polynesia, I. hourdezi sp. nov. from New Caledonia, I. hyndmani sp. nov. from Hong Kong, I. readi sp. nov. from the Red Sea (including many earlier records of I. muricata), I. richeri sp. nov. from New Caledonia, and I. wilsoni sp. nov. from Australia. Descriptions the eight newly described species include only one based upon a single specimen. Keys are included for the genera in the family, and species of Iphione.

CORAIL 2, KANACONO, LAGON, MIRIKY, MUSORSTOM 10, PAPUA NIUGINI, SAYA, SPANBIOS, TARASOC

The deep-sea part of the ‘Papua Niugini Biodiversity Expedition’ surveyed the deep-sea environments along the coasts of New Guinea Island in the Bismarck Sea, from the Vitiaz Strait to the border between Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Irian Jaya. This expedition was a follow-up of the BIOPAPUA cruise (2010) that gave some of the first insights into the diversity of the deep-sea fauna of the Bismarck and Solomon Seas for environments other than deep-sea hydrothermal vents. The main aims of the cruise were to survey the diversity of the fauna of (i) hard bottoms that are typically found on deep seamounts, (ii) Astrolabe Bay from 200 m to about 1000 m, (iii) the chemosynthetic environments of the deep sea, including cold-seep environments and plant debris. Astrolabe Bay was one of our targets because its topography allows sampling over the complete bathymetric gradient covered by our sampling gear (down to 1000 m depth), and the recent start of nickel refining activities in the bay is a potential threat to its marine fauna for which little reference data are available. Sampling in the bay revealed not only a diversified fauna associated with soft bottoms and plant debris, but also a chemosynthetic fauna typical of coldseep environments (e.g. siboglinid worms and bathymodioline mussels) below the Ramu refinery. Although the refinery activities had officially started just one week before our work in the area, we observed impacts of these activities. Our molecular work indicates that the siboglinid tubeworm species and one of the two mussel species collected below the Ramu refinery have so far only been documented from this location, despite intensive sampling effort. This illustrates the potential destructive effects of human activities in areas where the diversity and uniqueness of deep-sea communities are poorly understood.

BIOPAPUA, MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI

An efficient protocol to identify and describe species of Myzostomida is outlined and demonstrated. This taxonomic approach relies on careful identification (facilitated by an included comprehensive table of available names with relevant geographical and host information) and concise descriptions combined with DNA sequencing, live photography, and accurate host identification. Twenty-one new species are described following these guidelines: Asteromyzostomum grygieri n. sp., Endomyzostoma scotia n. sp., Endomyzostoma neridae n. sp., Mesomyzostoma lanterbecqae n. sp., Hypomyzostoma jasoni n. sp., Hypomyzostoma jonathoni n. sp., Myzostoma debiae n. sp., Myzostoma eeckhauti n. sp., Myzostoma hollandi n. sp., Myzostoma indocuniculus n. sp., Myzostoma josefinae n. sp., Myzostoma kymae n. sp., Myzostoma laurenae n. sp., Myzostoma miki n. sp., Myzostoma pipkini n. sp., Myzostoma susanae n. sp., Myzostoma tertiusi n. sp., Protomyzostomum lingua n. sp., Protomyzostomum roseus n. sp., Pulvinomyzostomum inaki n. sp., and Pulvinomyzostomum messingi n. sp.

PAPUA NIUGINI

The parasitological examination of polynoid polychaetes collected in deep water substrates (333–780 m) off Papua New Guinea allowed us to detect four infected specimens, including two new annelid host species (Harmothoe samadiae sp. n., Eunoe corbariae sp. n.), Lepidasthenia brunnea sensu Knox, and Harmothoe sp. Three of the parasites were identified as members of the mesoparasitic copepod genus Herpyllobius Steenstrup and Lütken, and one of Gottoniella López-González, Bresciani and Conradi, (Herpyllobiidae). Herpyllobius chambardi sp. n., found on L. brunnea, is distinguished from its con­ generic species by having a longitudinal constriction dividing its glo­ bose ectosoma into two symmetrical hemispheres. The second species, H. hourdezi sp. n., on H. samadiae, shows a depressed intergenital margin, lacks sclerotised dots, and exhibits a large endosoma with several thick lobes. Herpyllobius pabloi sp. n., found on E. corbariae, closely resembles its congeneric species H. polynoes, but differs in the endosomal structure and details of the ectosoma. Herpyllobius species are known to infect at least 14 polynoid genera, to which we can now add Lepidasthenia Malmgren, thus expanding its host range among polynoids. These three Papuan species are additional new records of this chiefly cold-temperate copepod genus to be reported from sub­ tropical latitudes. The discovery of Herpyllobius parasitising a species of Harmothoe confirms its preference for infecting this polynoid genus. The new Gottoniella, also on Harmothoe sp. is the third known species of the genus; it has heavily sclerotised genital swellings, slit-like genital openings, a distinctive fin-like lateral ectosomal process, a short, sclero­ tised ring, and a pipe-like stalk connecting the endosoma. Both H. chambardi and H. hourdezi are among the deep-living members of Herpyllobius in the Southern Hemisphere, the latter representing the deepest record of the genus (780 m) worldwide.

MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI

On evolutionary timescales, sea level oscillations lead to recurrent spatio-temporal variation in species distribution and population connectivity. In this situation, applying classical concepts of biogeography is challenging yet necessary to understand the mechanisms underlying biodiversity in highly diverse marine ecosystems such as coral reefs. We aimed at studying the outcomes of such complex biogeographic dynamics on reproductive isolation by sampling populations across a wide spatial range of a species-rich fish genus: the sergeants (Pomacentridae: Abudefduf). We generated a mutlilocus data set that included ten morpho-species from 32 Indo-West Pacific localities. We observed a pattern of mito-nuclear discordance in two common and widely distributed species: Abudefduf sexfasciatus and Abudefduf vaigiensis. The results showed three regional sublineages (Indian Ocean, Coral Triangle region, western Pacific) in A. sexfasciatus (0.6–1.5% divergence at cytb). The other species, A. vaigiensis, is polyphyletic and consists of three distinct genetic lineages (A, B and C) (9% divergence at cytb) whose geographic ranges overlap. Although A. vaigiensis A and A. sexfasciatus were found to be distinct based on nuclear information, A. vaigiensis A was found to be nested within A. sexfasciatus in the mitochondrial gene tree. A. sexfasciatus from the Coral Triangle region and A. vaigiensis A were not differentiated from each other at the mitochondrial locus. We then used coalescent-based simulation to characterize a spatially widespread but weak gene flow between the two species. We showed that these fishes are good candidates to investigate the evolutionary complexity of the discrepancies between phenotypic and genetic similarity in closely related species.

MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI

Flatfishes (Pleuronectiformes) are a species‐rich and distinct group of fishes characterized by cranial asymmetry. Flatfishes occupy a wide diversity of habitats, including the tropical deep‐sea and freshwaters, and often are small‐bodied fishes. Most scientific effort, however, has been focused on large‐bodied temperate marine species important in fisheries. Phylogenetic study of flatfishes has also long been limited in scope and focused on the placement and monophyly of flatfishes. As a result, several questions in systematic biology have persisted that molecular phylogenetic study can answer. We examine the Pleuronectoidei, the largest suborder of Pleuronectiformes with >99% of species diversity of the order, in detail with a multilocus nuclear and mitochondrial data set of 57 pleuronectoids from 13 families covering a wide range of habitats. We combine the molecular data with a morphological matrix to construct a total evidence phylogeny that places fossil flatfishes among extant lineages. Utilizing a time‐calibrated phylogeny, we examine the timing of diversification, area of origin and ancestral temperature preference of Pleuronectoidei. We find polyphyly or paraphyly of two flatfish families, the Paralichthyidae and the Rhombosoleidae, and support the creation of two additional families—Cyclopsettidae and Oncopteridae—to resolve their non‐monophyletic status. Our findings also support the distinctiveness of Paralichthodidae and refine the placement of that lineage. Despite a core fossil record in Europe, the observed recent diversity of pleuronectoids in the Indo‐West Pacific is most likely a result of the Indo‐West Pacific being the area of origin for pleuronectoids and the ancestral temperature preference of flatfishes is most likely tropical.

BIOPAPUA, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI

Rhodopsin mediates an essential step in image capture and is tightly associated with visual adaptations of aquatic organisms, especially species that live in dim light environments (e.g., the deep sea). The rh1 gene encoding rhodopsin was formerly considered a singlecopy gene in genomes of vertebrates, but increasing exceptional cases have been found in teleost fish species. The main objective of this study was to determine to what extent the visual adaptation of teleosts might have been shaped by the duplication and loss of rh1 genes. For that purpose, homologous rh1/rh1-like sequences in genomes of ray-finned fishes from a wide taxonomic range were explored using a PCR-based method, data mining of public genetic/genomic databases, and subsequent phylogenomic analyses of the retrieved sequences. We show that a second copy of the fish-specific intron-less rh1 is present in the genomes of most anguillids (Elopomorpha), Hiodon alosoides (Osteoglossomorpha), and several clupeocephalan lineages. The phylogenetic analysis and comparisons of alternative scenarios for putative events of gene duplication and loss suggested that fish rh1 was likely duplicated twice during the early evolutionary history of teleosts, with one event coinciding with the hypothesized fish-specific genome duplication and the other in the common ancestor of the Clupeocephala. After these gene duplication events, duplicated genes were maintained in several teleost lineages, whereas some were secondarily lost in specific lineages. Alternative evolutionary schemes of rh1 and comparison with previous studies of gene evolution are also reviewed.

EXBODI, NanHai 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI, TAIWAN 2013, ZhongSha 2015

The large-eye seabreams or Monotaxinae is one of two subfamilies in the Lethrinidae, a family of perch-like coral reef fishes. Despite its widespread occurrence and its commercial interest in the tropical Indo-West Pacific (IWP), this subfamily has traditionally been considered a taxonomically difficult group. Based on 268 samples collected from all 15 known large-eye seabream species throughout their distribution ranges, we investigated the taxonomic diversity and phylogenetic relationships in the subfamily. From the results of multiple analyses on four gene markers, we confirmed the monophyly of all four genera in the subfamily (Gnathodentex, Gymnocranius, Monotaxis and Wattsia). We confirmed the occurrence of two species in the genus Monotaxis. We reported 15 delimited species within the most speciose genus Gymnocranius, four of which are potentially new species. The time-calibrated phylogenetic reconstruction enabled us to clarify the evolutionary history of the large-eye seabreams and to infer past patterns of species distribution. The most recent common ancestor to the Monotaxinae likely occurred in the central IWP ca. 32 million years ago. A burst of species diversification likely took place during the Mid- to Late Miocene, coinciding with tectonic change in the central IWP region. This gave rise to most extant lineages in Gymnocranius. The observed geographic distribution patterns in the subfamily most likely point to the central IWP as the area of origin and diversification. This was followed by multiple events of centrifugal range expansion towards either the Indian Ocean or the western Pacific Ocean, or both. Our results thus provide new support for S. Ekman’s center-of-origin hypothesis.

PAPUA NIUGINI

A new species of lanternshark, Etmopterus alphus (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae), is described from the south-western Indian Ocean. The new species resembles other members of the ‘Etmopterus lucifer’ clade in having linear rows of dermal denticles and most closely resembles E. molleri from the south-western Pacific. The new species is fairly common along the upper continental slopes off central Mozambique, at depths between 472 and 558 m, and is also found on the southern Madagascar Ridge in 650–792 m depth. It can be distinguished from other members of the E. lucifer clade by a combination of characteristics, including arrangement of flank and caudal markings, dimension of flank markings and shape, size and arrangement of dermal denticles along the body. Molecular analysis further supports the distinction of E. alphus from other members of the E. lucifer clade.

BIOPAPUA, PAPUA NIUGINI

A new species of lanternshark, Etmopterus lailae (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae), is described from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, in the central North Pacific Ocean. The new species resembles other members of the “Etmopterus lucifer” clade in having linear rows of dermal denticles, and most closely resembles E. lucifer from Japan. The new species occurs along insular slopes around seamounts at depths between 314–384 m. It can be distinguished from other members of the E. lucifer clade by a combination of characteristics, including a longer anterior flank marking branch, arrangement of dermal denticles on the ventral snout surface and body, flank and caudal markings, and meristic counts including number of spiral valve turns, and precaudal vertebrate. A key to species of the Etmopterus lucifer-clade is included.

BIOPAPUA, PAPUA NIUGINI

An integrated taxonomic approach, combining both morphological and molecular data, was adopted to investigate the Hydrolagus lemures-ogilbyi group in the Indo-Australian region. Single mitochondrial markers (CO1 and NADH2) provided evidence supporting the separation of four distinct species in this group. However, detailed morphological data collected from specimens from across their range failed to find any consistent differences, and many features previously considered to be diagnostic were found to be variable. Nuclear DNA data also failed to support the differences found with the single mitochondrial markers and, together with the morphological data, supported the hypothesis that only a single species in this group is present in the Indo-Australian region. In addition, the results failed to support the current generic placement of this group in Hydrolagus, suggesting they belong to the genus Chimaera with doubt over the validity of Hydrolagus as a valid genus. The oldest available name for this group is Chimaera ogilbyi and a redescription is provided. This species occurs throughout Australia, eastern Indonesia (Java, Bali, and Lombok) and northern Papua New Guinea.

PAPUA NIUGINI

A new species of dragonet, Callionymus madangensis from Madang, Papua New Guinea, is described on the basis of a single male specimen collected with a trawl in about 30–40 m depth near Madang. The new species is characterised within the subgenus Pseudocalliurichthys by a small branchial opening; head short (3.7 in SL); eye large (2.3 in head length); preopercular spine with a short, straight main tip, six to seven curved serrae on its dorsal margin and a strong antrorse spine at its base, ventral margin smooth, slightly concave; first dorsal fin much higher than second dorsal fin, with 4 spines, first spine with a long filament (male); second dorsal-fin distally straight, with 8 unbranched rays (last divided at base); anal fin with 7 unbranched rays (last divided at base); 17 pectoralfin rays; caudal fin elongate, distally rounded, nearly symmetrical in male (upper rays not much shorter than lower rays); sides of head, membrane connecting pelvic fin pectoral fin, and body with small ocelli; first dorsal fin plain dark grey; second dorsal fin translucent, rays spotted; anal fin dark grey; lower margin of caudal fin dark grey, remainder with vertical rows of brown spots. The new species is compared with similar species. Revised keys to callionymid fish species of New Guinea, as well as of the subgenus Pseudocalliurichthys, are presented.

PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

New records of fish species are reported from Papua New Guinea: Gymnothorax angusticauda (Muraenidae) from Madang, Coloconger scholesi Chan 1967 (Colocongridae) from Madang and New Guinea, Acromycter longipectoralis Karmovskaya 2004 (Congridae), Doryrhamphus melanopleura (Bleeker, 1858) and Festucalex gibbsi Dawson 1977 (Syngnathidae) from Madang, Lioscorpius longiceps Gu¨nther 1880 (Setarchidae) from Madang, Morobe and New Guinea, Neomerinthe megalepis Fowler 1938 and Pontinus rhodochrous (Gu¨nther 1872) (Scorpaenidae) from Madang and New Guinea, Parabembras curtus (Temminck & Schlegel 1843) (Parabembridae) from Morobe and New Guinea, Chrionema chryseres Gilbert 1905 and Pteropsaron levitoni Iwamoto 2014 (Percophidae) from Madang and New Guinea, Blenniella caudolineata (Gu¨nther, 1877) and Petroscirtes xestus Jordan & Seale, 1906 (Blenniidae) from Madang, Synchiropus orstom Fricke 2000 (Callionymidae) from West Sepik, Sandaun and New Guinea, Rexea antefurcata Parin 1989 (Gempylidae), Lepidoblepharon ophthalmolepis Weber 1913 (Citharidae), Engyprosopon macrolepis (Regan, 1908) (Bothidae), Aseraggodes kimurai Randall & Desoutter-Meniger 2007 (Soleidae), Cynoglossus bilineatus (Lacepe`de, 1802) and Symphurus multimaculatus Lee, Munroe & Chen 2009 (Cynoglossidae) from Madang and Tylerius spinosissimus (Regan 1908) (Tetraodontidae) from Morobe and Papua New Guinea. This papers also includes new depths records for Coloconger scholesi, Lioscorpius longiceps, Neomerinthe megalepis, Pontinus rhodochrous, Parabembras curtus, Chrionema chryseres and Synchiropus orstom.

PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

Two new species of stargazers in the Uranoscopus albesca species-complex of the family Uranoscopidae are described from Papua New Guinea, which shares among other characters a concave posterodorsal margin of the pectoral fin. Uranoscopus brunneus n. sp. is described from a single specimen from off southwestern New Britain, and is characterised by lower edge of preopercle with 8 spines; labial fimbriae poorly-developed; anterior nostril with a long tubiform valve, posterior nostril a slit-like pore; supracleithrum with a sharp spine at rear end and five small spines inside; dorsoposterior margin of pectoral fin concave; 62 oblique scale-rows along the sides of the body in adult; pectoral-fin membranes dark brown. Uranoscopus kishimotoi n. sp., described from a single specimen from West Sepik Province, is characterised by the lower edge of preopercle with 3 spines; no labial fimbriae; both anterior and posterior nostrils with long tubiform valves; supracleithrum with a sharp spine at rear end and one additional small spine inside; dorso-posterior margin of pectoral fin concave; 59 oblique scale-rows along the sides of the body in adult; upper pectoral-fin membranes pale, lower membranes brown. The distribution of the species in the U. albesca species-complex is discussed.

???msg.security.private???, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI, ???msg.security.private???, SANTO 2006

PAPUA NIUGINI

Imagery has become a key tool for assessing deep-sea megafaunal biodiversity, historically based on physical sampling using fishing gears. Image datasets provide quantitative and repeatable estimates, small-scale spatial patterns and habitat descriptions. However, taxon identification from images is challenging and often relies on morphotypes without considering a taxonomic framework. Taxon identification is particularly challenging in regions where the fauna is poorly known and/or highly diverse. Furthermore, the efficiency of imagery and physical sampling may vary among habitat types. Here, we compared biodiversity metrics (alpha and gamma diversity, composition) based on physical sampling (dredging and trawling) and towed-camera still images (1) along the upper continental slope of Papua New Guinea (sedimented slope with wood-falls, a canyon and cold seeps), and (2) on the outer slopes of the volcanic islands of Mayotte, dominated by hard bottoms. The comparison was done on selected taxa (Pisces, Crustacea, Echinoidea, and Asteroidea), which are good candidates for identification from images. Taxonomic identification ranks obtained for the images varied among these taxa (e.g., family/order for fishes, genus for echinoderms). At these ranks, imagery provided a higher taxonomic richness for hard-bottom and complex habitats, partially explained by the poor performance of trawling on these rough substrates. For the same reason, the gamma diversity of Pisces and Crustacea was also higher from images, but no difference was observed for echinoderms. On soft bottoms, physical sampling provided higher alpha and gamma diversity for fishes and crustaceans, but these differences tended to decrease for crustaceans identified to the species/morphospecies level from images. Physical sampling and imagery were selective against some taxa (e.g., according to size or behavior), therefore providing different facets of biodiversity. In addition, specimens collected at a larger scale facilitated megafauna identification from images. Based on this complementary approach, we propose a robust methodology for image-based faunal identification relying on a taxonomic framework, from collaborative work with taxonomists. An original outcome of this collaborative work is the creation of identification keys dedicated specifically to in situ images and which take into account the state of the taxonomic knowledge for the explored sites.

BENTHEDI, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, ???msg.security.private???, ???msg.security.private???, PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

Three valid species of Parabembras are recognized: P. curta, P. robinsoni, and the new species P. multisquamata. Parabembras robinsoni from the southwestern Indian Ocean (South Africa to Mozambique) is easily distinguishable from the other species in having eleven spines in the first dorsal fin, a distinct symphyseal knob on the lower jaw, two preocular spines, and a single lachrymal spine. Parabembras multisquamata from the southwestern Pacific (Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea) and the Philippines, and P. curta, known from the northwestern Pacific (southern Japan to South China Sea), are similar in sharing the absence of a symphyseal knob on the lower jaw, the presence of two lachrymal spines, and a single preocular spine, but the former is clearly distinguished from the latter in usually having 10 spines in the first dorsal fin (vs. eight or nine spines in P. curta), 9–11 supraocular spines (vs. 6–8 in P. curta), 40–44 pored lateral line scales (vs. 34–39 in P. curta), and the pectoral fin extending beyond the level of the anus (vs. not reaching to the level of the anus in P. curta).

BOA1, MUSORSTOM 2, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

Epigonus okamotoi Fricke, 2017 was originally described on the basis of a single specimen collected from New Britain, Papua New Guinea during one of the exploratory cruises (campaign: MADEEP) in 2014 organized under the Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos program. However, there are no clear differences in the meristic and morphometric characters between the holotype of the new species and specimens of E. draco Okamoto, 2015, including two additional specimens of the species found in the ichthyological collections in the NTUM. The genetic distance (p-distance) between the two “species” at the COI locus was negligible. Accordingly, the holotype of E. okamotoi is considered to be a specimen of E. draco, and the former nominal species is reduced to a junior synonym of E. draco. In addition, we rediagnose and report new distributional records for E. atherinoides (Gilbert, 1905) and E. lifouensis Okamoto & Motomura, 2013 in the West Pacific.

MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006, TARASOC, ZhongSha 2015

Two specimens (189.7-210.3 mm in standard length: SL) of Epigonus angustifrons Abramov & Manilo, 1987 and two specimens (120.2-138.6 mm SL) of E. denticulatus Dieuzeide, 1950 (Epigonidae) were collected from the St. Paul Seamount, central South Indian Ocean. Also, a single specimen (131.0 mm SL) of E. exodon Okamoto & Motomura, 2012 was collected off Mayotte, Comoros Archipelago, western South Indian Ocean. These specimens represent the first records of the three species from the two mentioned areas. The present specimen of E. exodon is the third specimen collected since the original description and new morphological data for the species based on this additional specimen are provided.

MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006, TARASOC, ZhongSha 2015

Trachinocephalus gauguini Polanco, Acero & Betancur, 2016 was described based on eighteen specimens collected from off the Marquesas Islands, the only location where this species has been recorded until now. Through morphological and molecular examination of Trachinocephalus specimens collected from an exploratory cruise conducted in June 2014 under the Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos program along the northern coast of the New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, we demonstrate the presence of this species in Papua New Guinea waters. This new record suggests a wide distribution for this rarely collected species in the western Pacific Ocean.

KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI

A new species of catshark, provisionally placed in the genus Galeus, is described from Papua New Guinea based on 7 specimens collected during recent deepwater surveys of the region. The new species, Galeus corriganae, is closest to G. priapus from New Caledonia and G. gracilis from northwestern Australia but differs in several morphological characters. A reclassification of the catshark groups is required to revise the familial and generic arrangement of the group.

BIOPAPUA, MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

BIOPAPUA, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI

BIOPAPUA, PAPUA NIUGINI

An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyan fishes (sharks, rays, and chimaeras) of Papua New Guinean waters is herein presented. The checklist is the result of a large biodiversity study on the chondrichthyan fauna of Papua New Guinea between 2013 and 2017. The chondrichthyan fauna of Papua New Guinea has historically been very poorly known due to a lack of baseline information and limited deepwater exploration. A total of 131 species, comprising 36 families and 68 genera, were recorded. The most speciose families are the Carcharhinidae with 29 species and the Dasyatidae with 23 species. Verified voucher material from various biological collections around the world are provided, with a total of 687 lots recorded comprising 574 whole specimens, 128 sets of jaws and 21 sawfish rostra. This represents the first detailed, verified checklist of chondrichthyans from Papua New Guinean waters.

BIOPAPUA, MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI

With six valid species, Luciobrotula is a small genus of the family Ophidiidae, commonly known as cusk-eels. They are benthopelagic fishes occurring at depths ranging from 115–2300 m in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Among them, Luciobrotula bartschi is the only known species in the West Pacific. Three specimens of Luciobrotula were collected from the Philippine Sea, Bismarck Sea, and Solomon Sea in the West Pacific during the AURORA, PAPUA NIUGINI, and MADEEP expeditions under the Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos program, and all of them were initially identified as L. bartschi. Subsequent examination with integrative taxonomy indicates that they belong to two distinct species, with the specimen collected from the Solomon Sea representing a new species, which is described here. In terms of morphology, Luciobrotula polylepis sp. nov. differs from its congeners by having a relatively longer lateral line (end of the lateral line below the 33rd dorsal-fin ray) and fewer vertebrae (abdominal vertebrae 13, total vertebrae 50). In the inferred COI gene tree, the two western Pacific species of Luciobrotula do not form a monophyletic group. The genetic K2P distance between the two species is 13.8% on average at the COI locus.

AURORA 2007, MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI

With 289 known species in 51 genera, the ophidiiform family Ophidiidae together with their relatives from the Carapidae (36 species in eight genera) of the same suborder Ophidioidei dominate the deep sea, but some occur also in shallow water habitats. Despite their high species diversity in the deep sea and wide bathymetric distributions, their phylogenetic relationships and evolution remain unexplored due in part to sampling difficulties. Thanks to the biodiversity exploratory program entitled “Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos” and joint efforts between Taiwan and French teams for sampling from different localities across the Indo-West Pacific over the last two decades, we are able to compile comprehensive datasets for investigations. In this study, 59 samples representing 36 of 59 known ophidioid genera are selected and used to construct a multi-gene dataset to infer the phylogenetic relationships of ophidioid fishes and their relatives. Our results reveal that the Ophidiidae forms a paraphyletic group with respect to the Carapidae. The four main clades of Ophidioidei resolved are the (1) clade comprising species from the subfamily Brotulinae; (2) clade that includes species in the genera Acanthonus and Xyelacyba; (3) clade grouping Hypopleuron caninum with species from the family Carapidae; and (4) clade containing the species in the subfamily Brotulotaenilinae, Neobythitinae (in part), and Ophidiinae. Accordingly, we suggest the following new revisions based on our results and proposed morphological diagnoses. The subfamily Brotulinae should be elevated to the family level. The genera Xyelacyba and probably Tauredophidium (unsampled in this study) should be included in the newly established family Acanthonidae with Acanthonus. The families Carapidae and Ophidiidae are re-defined. Our time-calibrated phylogenetic and ancestral depth reconstructions enable us to clarify the evolutionary history of ophidiiform fishes and infer past patterns of species distributions at different depths. While Ophidiiformes is inferred to have originated in shallow waters around 96.25 million years ago (Mya), the common ancestor to the Ophidioidei is inferred to have invaded the deep sea around 90.22 Mya, the dates coinciding with the global anoxic event of the OAE2. The observed bathymetric distribution patterns in Ophidioidei most likely point to the mesopelagic zone as the center of origin and diversification. This was followed by multiple events of depth transitions or range expansions towards either shallower waters or greater depth zones, which were likely triggered by past climate changes during the Paleogene-Neogene.

AURORA 2007, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, DongSha 2014, EXBODI, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KANADEEP 2, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, NanHai 2014, ???msg.security.private???, PAPUA NIUGINI, SAKIZAYA 2019, SAYA, SPANBIOS, TAIWAN 2013, TARASOC, ZhongSha 2015

Imagery has become a key tool for assessing deep-sea megafaunal biodiversity, historically based on physical sampling using fishing gears. Image datasets provide quantitative and repeatable estimates, small-scale spatial patterns and habitat descriptions. However, taxon identification from images is challenging and often relies on morphotypes without considering a taxonomic framework. Taxon identification is particularly challenging in regions where the fauna is poorly known and/or highly diverse. Furthermore, the efficiency of imagery and physical sampling may vary among habitat types. Here, we compared biodiversity metrics (alpha and gamma diversity, composition) based on physical sampling (dredging and trawling) and towed-camera still images (1) along the upper continental slope of Papua New Guinea (sedimented slope with wood-falls, a canyon and cold seeps), and (2) on the outer slopes of the volcanic islands of Mayotte, dominated by hard bottoms. The comparison was done on selected taxa (Pisces, Crustacea, Echinoidea, and Asteroidea), which are good candidates for identification from images. Taxonomic identification ranks obtained for the images varied among these taxa (e.g., family/order for fishes, genus for echinoderms). At these ranks, imagery provided a higher taxonomic richness for hard-bottom and complex habitats, partially explained by the poor performance of trawling on these rough substrates. For the same reason, the gamma diversity of Pisces and Crustacea was also higher from images, but no difference was observed for echinoderms. On soft bottoms, physical sampling provided higher alpha and gamma diversity for fishes and crustaceans, but these differences tended to decrease for crustaceans identified to the species/morphospecies level from images. Physical sampling and imagery were selective against some taxa (e.g., according to size or behavior), therefore providing different facets of biodiversity. In addition, specimens collected at a larger scale facilitated megafauna identification from images. Based on this complementary approach, we propose a robust methodology for image-based faunal identification relying on a taxonomic framework, from collaborative work with taxonomists. An original outcome of this collaborative work is the creation of identification keys dedicated specifically to in situ images and which take into account the state of the taxonomic knowledge for the explored sites.

BENTHEDI, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, ???msg.security.private???, ???msg.security.private???, PAPUA NIUGINI

Comatulidae Fleming, 1828 (previously, and incorrectly, Comasteridae A.H. Clark, 1908a), is a group of feather star crinoids currently divided into four accepted subfamilies, 21 genera and approximately 95 nominal species. Comatulidae is the most commonly-encountered and species-rich crinoid group on shallow tropical coral reefs, particularly in the Indo-western Pacific region (IWP). We conducted a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the group with concatenated data from up to seven genes for 43 nominal species spanning 17 genera and all subfamilies. Basal nodes returned low support, but maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian analyses were largely congruent, permitting an evaluation of current taxonomy and analysis of morphological character transformations. Two of the four current subfamilies were paraphyletic, whereas 15 of the 17 included genera returned as monophyletic. We provide a new classification with two subfamilies, Comatulinae and Comatellinae n. subfamily Summers, Messing, & Rouse, the former containing five tribes. We revised membership of analyzed genera to make them all clades and erected Anneissia n. gen. Summers, Messing, & Rouse. Transformation analyses for morphological features generally used in feather star classification (e.g., ray branching patterns, articulations) and those specifically for Comatulidae (e.g., comb pinnule form, mouth placement) were labile with considerable homoplasy. These traditional characters, in combination, allow for generic diagnoses, but in most cases we did not recover apomorphies for subfamilies, tribes, and genera. New morphological characters that will be informative for crinoid taxonomy and identification are still needed. DNA sequence data currently provides the most reliable method of identification to the species-level for many taxa of Comatulidae.

PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2

One of the most common genera of feather stars found on tropical Indo-western Pacific reefs, Himerometra A.H.Clark, 1907, has previously included six accepted species, distinguished chiefly by variations in the enlarged proximal pinnules. This study examined new and existing specimens using molecular (mtDNA and nuDNA) techniques and morphological characters to revise the genus. Both approaches support placing H. magnipinna and H. martensi as a junior synonyms of H. robustipinna. Sequence data for specimens attributed to H. bartschi also place this species as a junior synonym of H. robustipinna, despite some morphological disparity. Himerometra sol is retained as distinct despite morphological congruence with H. robustipinna, because the two known specimens were collected outside the known range of the latter, with no molecular data currently available. Himerometra persica is herein transferred to Heterometra: the type specimens were incorrectly identified. The species treated as valid are redescribed. This study illustrates the importance of re-examining crinoid species boundaries for established taxa without molecular corroboration and demonstrates that diversity in this particular feather star clade might be lower than previously thought.

PAPUA NIUGINI

The featherstar genera, Dichrometra A.H. Clark, 1909a, Lamprometra A.H. Clark, 1913, and Liparometra A.H. Clark, 1913 (Comatulida: Mariametridae), are currently diagnosed only on the basis of the relative lengths of their proximal three pairs of pinnules. Previous published descriptions and a morphological re-examination indicate that this character is inconsistent and phenotypically variable. Distinctions amongst most of the 11 currently recognized species within each of these three genera are similarly ambiguous. This study compared currently accepted diagnostic characters amongst members of these three genera and incorporated mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA sequencing to assess taxonomic distinctions. Specimens were obtained from throughout the range of all three genera. Molecular data supported a monophyletic grouping, which we have placed under the senior generic name Dichrometra, based on a level of intraspecies divergence similar to that in other featherstar taxa, with four distinct species-level clades: palmata Müller, 1841, flagellata Müller, 1841, gyges Bell, 1884, and brachypecha H.L. Clark, 1915, the latter two resurrected from synonymy under palmata. Amongst these, proportions of proximal pinnules contributed only to the diagnosis of D. brachypecha. These species and the genus are redescribed. However, new diagnostic morphological characters remain, because they are needed to corroborate the four clades distinguished by molecular data. Because no sequence data were available from specimens identifiable as the remaining nine nominal species, we maintain them as accepted, pending further information.

PAPUA NIUGINI

Delineating biogeographical regions can provide important insights into the processes shaping large‐scale species distribution patterns. Here we aimed to 1) identify global marine benthic biogeographical regions for ophiuroids extending from shallow waters to the deep sea and 2) quantify the importance of contemporary environmental conditions and geological features in shaping the delineated biogeographical regions. We delineated marine benthic biogeographical regions using a bipartite network analysis applied to a historical dataset of brittle stars. We then examined the faunal exchanges between the regions, and applied random forest models to evaluate the relative role of contemporary environmental conditions and tectonic configuration underlying the proposed biogeographic scheme. We propose ten main large biogeographical regions across the benthos. The biogeographical regions with the highest species richness and endemicity rates were found in the Indo‐Pacific region, Tropical West Atlantic and Southern Ocean, and South America. The key transition regions fall within the subarctic areas of the Pacific and the waters surrounding Southern Australia and New Zealand. Tectonic configuration, surface temperature and salinity were found to be the most important predictors of the ten delineated biogeographical regions. Our biogeographic delineation, including the deep sea, is in partial agreement with those proposed in previous studies. Our results suggest that contemporary environmental conditions (sea water temperature and salinity) strongly influence the modern distribution of ophiuroids, but that plate tectonics left a marked imprint on regional species pools. Future work based on multiple benthic taxa, and with a better understanding of the environmental conditions in the deep sea, are needed to evaluate the robustness of our proposed division.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, AZTEQUE, BATHUS 1, BATHUS 2, BATHUS 3, BATHUS 4, BENTHAUS, BERYX 11, BIOCAL, BIOGEOCAL, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, BORDAU 1, BORDAU 2, CHALCAL 1, CHALCAL 2, CORAIL 2, CORINDON 2, DongSha 2014, EBISCO, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, HALIPRO 1, HALIPRO 2, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KARUBAR, KARUBENTHOS 2, LAGON, LITHIST, MIRIKY, MUSORSTOM 1, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 2, MUSORSTOM 3, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 5, MUSORSTOM 6, MUSORSTOM 7, MUSORSTOM 8, MUSORSTOM 9, NORFOLK 1, PALEO-SURPRISE, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, SMIB 1, SMIB 2, SMIB 3, SMIB 4, SMIB 5, SMIB 6, TAIWAN 2000, TARASOC, VAUBAN 1978-1979, VOLSMAR, Walters Shoal

PAPUA NIUGINI

Novel micromorphological characters in combination with molecular studies have led to an extensive revision of the taxonomy and systematics of scleractinian corals. In the present work, we investigate the macro- and micromorphology and the phylogenetic position of the genera Australomussa and Parascolymia, two monotypic genera ascribed to the family Lobophylliidae. The molecular phylogeny of both genera was addressed using three markers, the partial mitochondrial COI gene and the nuclear histone H3 and the ribosomal ITS region. Based on molecular data, Australomussa and Parascolymia belong to the Lobophylliidae and they cluster together with the genera Lobophyllia and Symphyllia within the same clade. While A. rowleyensis and P. vitiensis are closely related based on the three gene regions examined, their macro and micromorphology suggest that these species are distinct, differing in several characters, such as continuity and thickness of the costosepta, the number of septa, septal tooth height, spacing, and shape, and the distribution and shape of granules. Thus, we revise the taxonomic status of the genus Australomussa as a junior synonym of Parascolymia.

PAPUA NIUGINI

Scleractinian corals are affected by environment-induced phenotypic plasticity and intraspecific morphological variation caused by genotype. In an effort to identify new strategies for resolving this taxonomic issue, we applied a molecular approach for species evaluation to two closely related genera, Echinophyllia and Oxypora, for which few molecular data are available. A robust multi-locus phylogeny using DNA sequence data across four loci of both mitochondrial (COI, ATP6-NAD4) and nuclear (histone H3, ITS region) origin from 109 coral colonies was coupled with three independent putative species delimitation methods based on barcoding threshold (ABGD) and coalescence theory (PTP, GMYC). Observed overall congruence across multiple genetic analyses distinguished two traditional species (E. echinoporoides and O. convoluta), a species complex composed of E. aspera, E. orpheensis, E. tarae, and O. glabra, whereas O. lacera and E. echinata were indistinguishable with the sequenced loci. The combination of molecular species delimitation approaches and skeletal character observations allowed the description of two new reef coral species, E. bulbosa sp. n. from the Red Sea and E. gallii sp. n. from the Maldives and Mayotte. This work demonstrated the efficiency of multi-locus phylogenetic analyses and recently developed molecular species delimitation approaches as valuable tools to disentangle taxonomic issues caused by morphological ambiguities and to re-assess the diversity of scleractinian corals.

PAPUA NIUGINI

Scleractinian corals (i.e. hard corals) play a fundamental role in building and maintaining coral reefs, one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. Nevertheless, their phylogenies remain largely unresolved and little is known about dispersal and survival of their planktonic larval phase. The small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) is a commonly used gene for DNA barcoding in several metazoans, and small variable regions of SSU rRNA are widely adopted as barcode marker to investigate marine plankton community structure worldwide. Here, we provide a large sequence data set of the complete SSU rRNA gene from 298 specimens, representing all known extant reef coral families and a total of 106 genera. The secondary structure was extremely conserved within the order with few exceptions due to insertions or deletions occurring in the variable regions. Remarkable differences in SSU rRNA length and base composition were detected between and within acroporids (Acropora, Montipora, Isopora and Alveopora) compared to other corals. The V4 and V9 regions seem to be promising barcode loci because variation at commonly used barcode primer binding sites was extremely low, while their levels of divergence allowed families and genera to be distinguished. A time-calibrated phylogeny of Scleractinia is provided, and mutation rate heterogeneity is demonstrated across main lineages. The use of this data set as a valuable reference for investigating aspects of ecology, biology, molecular taxonomy and evolution of scleractinian corals is discussed.

PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

Abstract The family Euphylliidae consists of reef-building zooxanthellate scleractinian corals distributed across the Indo-Pacific. Seven extant genera comprising a total of 22 valid species are currently recognised. Recent studies have re-organised the taxonomy of the family at the genus level based on molecular and morphological data, including a comprehensive revision of Euphyllia and the resurrection of Fimbriaphyllia . Here, three mitochondrial loci ( coi , 12S rRNA, and 16S rRNA) were sequenced and morphological examinations were conducted at three scales (macro/micromorphology and microstructure of the skeleton, and polyp morphology) to study the phylogeny and taxonomy of Euphylliidae. We analysed a total of 11 valid species collected from seven Indo-Pacific localities. The monotypic genus Coeloseris , currently in Agariciidae, was also investigated since previous molecular data suggested a close relationship with the Euphylliidae. Molecular and morphological phylogenetic trees were broadly concordant in the definition of genus-level clades. All analysed genera, i.e., Ctenella, Euphyllia, Fimbriaphyllia, Galaxea , and Gyrosmilia , were reciprocally monophyletic based on molecular results. Coeloseris was nested within the family and, therefore, is formally moved into Euphylliidae. Updated morphological diagnoses are provided for each investigated genus. This study further demonstrated that a phylogenetic classification of scleractinian corals can be achieved by applying a combined morpho-molecular approach. Finally, we encourage phylogenetic and taxonomic studies of the euphylliid taxa not yet analysed molecularly, such as the monotypic genera Montigyra and Simplastrea .

KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

Imagery has become a key tool for assessing deep-sea megafaunal biodiversity, historically based on physical sampling using fishing gears. Image datasets provide quantitative and repeatable estimates, small-scale spatial patterns and habitat descriptions. However, taxon identification from images is challenging and often relies on morphotypes without considering a taxonomic framework. Taxon identification is particularly challenging in regions where the fauna is poorly known and/or highly diverse. Furthermore, the efficiency of imagery and physical sampling may vary among habitat types. Here, we compared biodiversity metrics (alpha and gamma diversity, composition) based on physical sampling (dredging and trawling) and towed-camera still images (1) along the upper continental slope of Papua New Guinea (sedimented slope with wood-falls, a canyon and cold seeps), and (2) on the outer slopes of the volcanic islands of Mayotte, dominated by hard bottoms. The comparison was done on selected taxa (Pisces, Crustacea, Echinoidea, and Asteroidea), which are good candidates for identification from images. Taxonomic identification ranks obtained for the images varied among these taxa (e.g., family/order for fishes, genus for echinoderms). At these ranks, imagery provided a higher taxonomic richness for hard-bottom and complex habitats, partially explained by the poor performance of trawling on these rough substrates. For the same reason, the gamma diversity of Pisces and Crustacea was also higher from images, but no difference was observed for echinoderms. On soft bottoms, physical sampling provided higher alpha and gamma diversity for fishes and crustaceans, but these differences tended to decrease for crustaceans identified to the species/morphospecies level from images. Physical sampling and imagery were selective against some taxa (e.g., according to size or behavior), therefore providing different facets of biodiversity. In addition, specimens collected at a larger scale facilitated megafauna identification from images. Based on this complementary approach, we propose a robust methodology for image-based faunal identification relying on a taxonomic framework, from collaborative work with taxonomists. An original outcome of this collaborative work is the creation of identification keys dedicated specifically to in situ images and which take into account the state of the taxonomic knowledge for the explored sites.

BENTHEDI, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, ???msg.security.private???, ???msg.security.private???, PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

Abstract Bacteria, fungi and green algae are common inhabitants of coral skeletons. Their diversity is poorly characterized because they are difficult to identify with microscopy or environmental sequencing, as common metabarcoding markers have low phylogenetic resolution and miss a large portion of the biodiversity. We used a cost-effective protocol and a combination of markers ( tuf A, 16S rDNA, 18S rDNA and 23S rDNA) to characterize the microbiome of 132 coral skeleton samples. We identified a wide range of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, many never reported in corals before. We additionally investigated the phylogenetic diversity of the green algae—the most abundant eukaryotic member of this community, for which previous literature recognizes only a handful of endolithic species. We found more than 120 taxonomic units (near species level), including six family-level lineages mostly new to science. The results suggest that the existence of lineages with an endolithic lifestyle predates the existence of modern scleractinian corals by ca . 250my and that this particular niche was independently invaded by over 20 lineages in green algae evolution. These results highlight the potential of the multi-marker approach to assist in species discovery and, when combined with a phylogenetic framework, clarify the evolutionary origins of host-microbiota associations.

PAPUA NIUGINI

ATIMO VATAE, BIOMAGLO, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, TERRASSES

Introduction Host-parasite associations provide very useful models to study adaptive processes. We investigated the interaction between carnivorous marine gastropods, the Ovulidae or egg-cowries, and their cnidarian food targets. Ovulidae (Fleming, 1828), is a family of specialized carnivorous caenogastropods that feed by browsing on octocorals (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Malacalcyonacea and Scleralcyonacea) or, to a much lesser degree, on antipatharians (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Antipatharia) and Stylasteridae (Hydrozoa: Hydroidolina: Anthoathecata). Very scanty information is available on the phylogenetic relationships and the degree of specificity of the relationship with the cnidarians of this corallivorous lineage, especially for deep-water taxa. Methods To assess taxonomic identifications and investigate cnidarian/ovulid relationships in the context of their evolution, we generated an extensive molecular dataset comprising two mitochondrial ( cox1 and 16S rDNA ) and one nuclear gene ( 28S rDNA ) from 524 specimens collected worldwide. The coral hosts of the ovulid species have been identified by integrating literature data with new records, employing morphological and/or molecular (the mitochondrial 16S rDNA and mtMSH , and the nuclear ITS2) markers. Results We obtained a molecular phylogenetic framework for the Ovulidae, time-calibrated with nine reliable fossil records. An ancestral state reconstruction allowed to identify Hexacorallia or Hydroidolina as the most likely ancestral cnidarian host for the Ovulidae. Discussion Our phylogenetic hypothesis revealed the existence of groups that do not completely correspond to the currently employed subfamilial arrangement. Concerning trophic ecology, while only pediculariines ( Pedicularia and allied) are associated with hydrozoans (Stylasteridae), our results suggest that some ovulid lineages shifted independently between octocorals and hexacorals.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BIOMAGLO, CORSICABENTHOS 1, CORSICABENTHOS 2, CORSICABENTHOS 3, EBISCO, EXBODI, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KARUBENTHOS 2, KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.3, MADEEP, MADIBENTHOS, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, SPANBIOS, ZhongSha 2015

BIOPAPUA, EXBODI, MADEEP, NORFOLK 2, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SALOMON 2, SMIB 4, TAIWAN 2013, TERRASSES

Biogeographical classification schemes such as the Marine Ecoregions of the World (MEOW) have been devel­ oped for continental shelf depths. The lack of faunal data in the deep sea has led to the development of biogeographical units based on oceanographic characteristics. The aim of this study was to propose biogeo­ graphical schemes for the Upper Bathyal (200–1000 m) across the Pacific Ocean using octocoral distributions. We retrieved over 200 000 octocoral data records from the Deep Sea Coral Data Portal (DSCDP), Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos program (French National Museum of Natural History), Queensland Museum from the CIDARIS expeditions, and records retrieved from the Siboga expedition reports. We used cluster analysis to examine octocoral distributions against four different biogeo­ graphical classification schemes. The classification schemes produced mostly concordant patterns with three major faunal distribution barriers: the North Pacific Current isolates the subarctic units by creating a steep temperature gradient; the Subantarctic Front separates the Subantarctic from the rest of the Pacific; and the East Pacific Barrier separates the East Pacific from the Central and West Pacific. Two other smaller but distinct provinces are the Indo-Pacific where Lower Bathyal genera are found in the Upper Bathyal, and Torres Strait/ Coral Sea characterised by mesophotic genera. We propose 12 biogeographic provinces across the Pacific Ocean Upper Bathyal region from 200 to 1000 m depth based on octocoral distributions. The main driver for these units seems to be temperature, a defining feature of water masses. These units could potentially be subdivided into smaller regions based on habitat. Additionally, the clustering of Ecological Marine Units (EMUs) provides evi­ dence that the Upper Bathyal should in certain regions be divided vertically into two depth zones based on water masses.

BIOPAPUA, EXBODI, KANACONO, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI, TARASOC, TERRASSES, ZhongSha 2015

A new scleractinian coral species, Pachyseris inattesa sp. n., is described from the Red Sea. Despite a superficial resemblance with some species in the agariciid genus Leptoseris with which it has been previously confused, P. inattesa sp. n. has micro-morphological characters typical of the genus Pachyseris. This genus, once part of the Agariciidae, is comprised of five extant species and is widely distributed throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific. It is currently incertae sedis as a result of recent molecular analysis and appears to be closely related to the Euphylliidae. A molecular phylogenetic reconstruction including P. inattesa sp. n., the genus type species P. rugosa, and P. speciosa, all present in the Red Sea, was performed using the mitochondrial intergenic spacer between COI and 16S-rRNA. The results confirm that P. inattesa sp. n. is a monophyletic lineage closely related to the other Pachyseris species examined.

PAPUA NIUGINI

Species delimitation in poorly known and diverse taxa is usually performed based on monolocus, DNA-­barcoding-­like approaches, while multilocus data are often used to test alternative species hypotheses in well-­studied groups. We combined both approaches to delimit species in the Xenuroturris/Iotyrris complex, a group of venomous marine gastropods from the Indo-P­ acific. First, COI sequences were analysed using three methods of species delimitation to propose primary species hypotheses. Second, RAD sequencing data were also obtained and a maximum-l­ikelihood phylogenetic tree produced. We tested the impact of the level of missing data on the robustness of the phylogenetic tree obtained with the RAD-­seq data. Alternative species partitions revealed with the COI data set were also tested using the RAD-­seq data and the Bayes factor species delimitation method. The congruence between the species hypotheses proposed with the mitochondrial nuclear data sets, together with the morphological variability of the shell and the radula and the distribution pattern, was used to turn the primary species hypotheses into secondary species hypotheses. Allopatric primary species hypotheses defined with the COI gene were interpreted to correspond to intraspecific structure. Most of the species are found sympatrically in the Philippines, and only one is confidently identified as a new species and described as Iotyrris conotaxis n. sp. The results obtained demonstrate the efficiency of the combined monolocus/multilocus approach to delimit species.

ATIMO VATAE, INHACA 2011, MAINBAZA, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006, TERRASSES

Transcriptome-based exon capture methods provide an approach to recover several hundred markers from genomic DNA, allowing for robust phylogenetic estimation at deep timescales. We applied this method to a highly diverse group of venomous marine snails, Conoidea, for which published phylogenetic trees remain mostly unresolved for the deeper nodes. We targeted 850 protein coding genes (678,322 bp) in ca. 120 samples, spanning all (except one) known families of Conoidea and a broad selection of non-Conoidea neogastropods. The capture was successful for most samples, although capture efficiency decreased when DNA libraries were of insufficient quality and/or quantity (dried samples or low starting DNA concentration) and when targeting the most divergent lineages. An average of 75.4% of proteins was recovered, and the resulting tree, reconstructed using both supermatrix (IQ-tree) and supertree (Astral-II, combined with the Weighted Statistical Binning method) approaches, are almost fully supported. A reconstructed fossil-calibrated tree dates the origin of Conoidea to the Lower Cretaceous. We provide descriptions for two new families. The phylogeny revealed in this study provides a robust framework to reinterpret changes in Conoidea anatomy through time. Finally, we used the phylogeny to test the impact of the venom gland and radular type on diversification rates. Our analyses revealed that repeated losses of the venom gland had no effect on diversification rates, while families with a breadth of radula types showed increases in diversification rates, thus suggesting that trophic ecology may have an impact on the evolution of Conoidea.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, CEAMARC-AA, CONCALIS, ???msg.security.private???, DongSha 2014, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, ILES DU SALUT, INHACA 2011, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, MAINBAZA, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, ???msg.security.private???, SALOMONBOA 3, TAIWAN 2013, TERRASSES, ???msg.security.private???

Cryptic species are a common phenomenon in cosmopolitan marine species. The use of molecular tools has often uncovered cryptic species occupying a fraction of the geographic range of the original morphospecies. Ship­ worms (Teredinidae) are marine bivalves, living in drift and fixed wood, many of which have a conserved morphology across cosmopolitan distributions. Herein novel and GenBank mitochondrial (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) and nuclear (18S rRNA) DNA sequences are employed to produce a phylogeny of the Teredinidae and delimit a cryptic species pair in the Psiloteredo megotara complex. The anatomy, biogeography, and ecology of P. megotara, Psiloteredo sp. and Nototeredo edax are compared based on private and historic museum collections and a thorough literature review. Morphological and anatomical characters of P. megotara from the North Atlantic and Psiloteredo sp. from Japan were morphologically indistinguishable, and differ in pallet architecture and soft tissue anatomy from N. edax. The two Psiloteredo species were then delimited as genetically distinct species using four molecular-based methods. Consequently, the Northwest Pacific species, Psiloteredo pentago­ nalis, first synonymized with N. edax and then with P. megotara, is resurrected. Nototeredo edax, P. megotara and P. pentagonalis are redescribed based upon morphological and molecular characters. Phylogenetic analysis further revealed cryptic species complexes within the cosmopolitan species Bankia carinata and possibly addi­ tional cryptic lineages within the cosmopolitan Lyrodus pedicellatus.

BOA1, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

Previously confused with the small giant clam Tridacna maxima, the recently resurrected Noah’s giant clam, Tridacna noae, has been reported from the Taiwanese and the Ryukyu archipelagoes. Our recent underwater observations now extend its distribution to Dongsha (northern South China Sea), Bunaken (Sulawesi Sea), Madang and Kavieng (Bismarck Sea), the Alor archipelago (Sawu Sea), Kosrae (Caroline Islands), New Caledonia, the Loyalty Islands and Vanuatu (Coral Sea), Viti-Levu (Fiji), Wallis Island, and Kiritimati (Northern Line Islands). Published mitochondrial DNA sequences retrieved from open-access databases also indicate its presence in eastern Negros (Philippines), in the Molucca Sea, at Ningaloo Reef (Western Australia), and in the Solomon Islands. Noah’s giant clam is thus a widely distributed IndoWest Pacific species. Wherever research has been done on small giant clams throughout T. noae’s range, the inadvertent confusion of T. noae with T. maxima might have led to overestimating actual T. maxima densities and to errors in estimating demographic parameters.

KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

Galeommatoidea are bivalves with small (usually 1–15 mm), fragile, sometimes vestigial, shells, occurring free-living or in association with other benthic invertebrates from the intertidal to depths in excess of 7,000 m. They are the most diverse but least studied and most underrepresented group of bivalves in biodiversity surveys and museum collections. The majority of commensal species of Galeommatoidea have dull, frequently uncoloured, unsculptured shells, but free-living species have papillate, sometimes coloured, mantles; they can be gregarious, and superficially resemble crawling gastropods. Many species of Galeommatoidea remain to be discovered, and we argue that future descriptions of free-living new species should ideally include photos of living animals, while many of the historically known species described based on their shells will probably be best treated as nomina dubia.

KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.1, KOUMAC 2.2, KOUMAC 2.3, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006, ???msg.security.private???

KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

The neogastropod family Fasciolariidae Gray, 1853 – tulips, horse-conchs, spindles, etc., comprises important representatives of tropical and subtropical molluscan assemblages, with over 500 species in the subfamilies Fasciolariinae Gray, 1853, Fusininae Wrigley, 1927 and Peristerniinae Tryon, 1880. Fasciolariids have had a rather complicated taxonomical history, with several genus names for a long time used as waste baskets to group many unrelated species; based on shell characters, recent taxonomic revisions have, however, began to set some order in its taxonomy. The present work is the first molecular approach to the phylogeny of Fasciolariidae based on a multigene dataset, which provides support for fasciolariids, an old group with a fossil record dating back to the Cretaceous. Molecular markers used were the mitochondrial genes 16S rRNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, and the nuclear genes 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA and histone H3, sequenced for up to 116 ingroup taxa and 17 outgroups. Phylogenetic analyses revealed monophyly of Dolicholatirus Bellardi, 1884 and Teralatirus Coomans, 1965, however it was not possible to discern if the group is the sister clade to the remaining fasciolariids; the latter, on the other hand, proved monophyletic and contained highly supported groups. A first split grouped fusinines and Pseudolatirus Bellardi, 1884; a second split grouped the peristerniine genera Peristernia Mörch, 1852 and Fusolatirus Kuroda and Habe, 1971, while the last group comprised fasciolariines and the remaining peristerniines. None of these clades correspond to the present-day accepted circumscription of the three recognized subfamilies.

BIOPAPUA, KARUBENTHOS 2012, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

Recent sampling efforts in the deep seas of southern and eastern Australia have generated a wealth of DNA-­suitable material of neogastropods of the family Raphitomidae. Based on this material, a molecular phylogeny of the family has revealed a considerable amount of genus and species level lineages previously unknown to science. These taxa are now the focus of current integrative taxonomic research. As part of this ongoing investigation, this study focuses on the genera Austrobela, Austrotheta (both Criscione, Hallan, Puillandre & Fedosov, 2020), Spergo Dall, 1895 and Theta Clarke, 1959. We subjected a comprehensive mitochondrial DNA dataset of representative deep-­sea raphitomids to Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery, which recognized 24 primary species hypotheses (PSHs). Following additional evaluation of shell and radular features, as well as examination of geographic and bathymetric ranges, 18 of these PSHs were converted to secondary species hypotheses (SSHs). Based on the evidence available, the most likely speciation mechanisms involved were evaluated for each pair of sister SSHs, including niche partitioning. Eleven SSHs were recognized as new and their systematic descriptions are provided herein. Of these, four were attributed to Austrobela, one to Austrotheta, four to Spergo and two to Theta. While all new species are endemic to Australian waters, other species studied herein exhibit wide Indo-­Pacific distributions, adding to the growing body of evidence suggesting that wide geographic ranges in deep-­sea Raphitomidae are more common than previously assumed.

AURORA 2007, BATHUS 3, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, CHALCAL 2, CONCALIS, EBISCO, KANADEEP, KARUBAR, KARUBENTHOS 2, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, TAIWAN 2013, ???msg.security.private???, TARASOC, TERRASSES, ZhongSha 2015

The deep sea of temperate south-eastern Australia appears to be a ‘hotspot’ for diversity and endemism of conoidean neogastropods of the family Raphitomidae. Following a series of expeditions in the region, a considerable amount of relevant DNA-suitable material has become available. A molecular phylogeny based on this material has facilitated the identification of diagnostic morphological characters, allowing the circumscription of monophyletic genera and the introduction of several new genus-level taxa. Both named and new genera are presently being investigated through integrative taxonomy, with the discovery of a significant number of undescribed species. As part of this ongoing investigation, our study focuses on the genera Famelica Bouchet & Warén, 1980, Glaciotomella Criscione, Hallan, Fedosov & Puillandre, 2020 and Rimosodaphnella Cossmann, 1914. We subjected a comprehensive mitochondrial DNA dataset of representative deep-sea raphitomids to the species delimitation methods ABGD and ASAP that recognised 18 and 15 primary species hypotheses (PSHs) respectively. Following additional evaluation of shell and radular features, and examination of geographic and bathymetric ranges, nine of these PSHs were converted to secondary species hypotheses (SSHs). Four SSHs (two in Famelica and two in Rimosodaphnella) were recognised as new, and formal descriptions are provided herein.

AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, EXBODI, KANACONO, KAVIENG 2014, MAINBAZA, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, TARASOC, ZhongSha 2015

Abstract Although raphitomid snails are a dominant component of gastropod communities in deep seas worldwide, their systematics is still largely tentative. We assembled the most complete sampling of Raphitomidae from south-eastern Australia to date. Based on morphological and molecular data from this material, we produced a robust phylogenetic framework and used it to delimit genera. For the focus area, our results show a large proportion of undescribed species- and genus-level taxa, 11 of which are formally described herein. We demonstrate that the examination of purely morphological characters rarely suffices for the purpose of accurate genus delimitation. As a result, some traditionally highly diverse raphitomid genera (such as Gymnobela) turn out to be artificial assemblages of several unrelated, mostly undescribed, genus-level lineages. Our data suggest that comparable configurations of shell and radular features, observed at the genus level, commonly do not reflect true phylogenetic relationships. However, our results are inconclusive as to whether homoplasy or conservatism are the drivers of this phenomenon. Accommodating for the inevitable sampling biases, south-eastern Australia appears as a possible hotspot for both raphitomid diversity and endemism, when compared with adjacent areas.

AURORA 2007, BICOSE, BOA1, EBISCO, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2

AURORA 2007, BATHUS 4, BICOSE, CORINDON 2, EBISCO, ???msg.security.private???, KARUBAR, MUSORSTOM 7, NORFOLK 2, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2

Fissurellidae are marine gastropods with a worldwide distribution and a rich fossil record. We integrate molecular, geographical and fossil data to reconstruct the fissurellid phylogeny, estimate divergence times and investigate historical routes of oceanic dispersal. With five molecular markers for 143 terminals representing 27 genera, we resolve deep nodes and find that many genera (e.g., Emarginula, Diodora, Fissurella) are not monophyletic and need systematic revision. Several genera classified as Emarginulinae are recovered in Zeidorinae. Future work should prioritize emarginuline genera to improve understanding of ancestral traits and the early evolution of fissurellids. Tree calibration with the fossilized birth-death model indicates that crown fissurellids originated around 175 Ma, and generally resulted in younger ages for the earliest nodes than the node dating approach. Model-based biogeographic reconstruction, supported by fossils, infers an Indo-West Pacific origin, with a westward colonization of new oceans via the Tethys Seaway upon the breakup of Pangea. Western Atlantic clades then served as source for dispersal towards other parts of the globe. As the sister group to all other fissurellids, Rimula is ranked in its own subfamily, Rimulinae stat. nov. New synonyms: Hemitominae syn. nov. of Zeidorinae stat. nov.; Cranopsis syn. nov. of Puncturella; Variegemarginula syn. nov. of Montfortula.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, CEAMARC-AA, CONCALIS, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, INHACA 2011, KARUBENTHOS 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, TARASOC

Fissurellidae are marine gastropods with a worldwide distribution and a rich fossil record. We integrate molecular, geographical and fossil data to reconstruct the fissurellid phylogeny, estimate divergence times and investigate historical routes of oceanic dispersal. With five molecular markers for 143 terminals representing 27 genera, we resolve deep nodes and find that many genera (e.g., Emarginula, Diodora, Fissurella) are not monophyletic and need systematic revision. Several genera classified as Emarginulinae are recovered in Zeidorinae. Future work should prioritize emarginuline genera to improve understanding of ancestral traits and the early evolution of fissurellids. Tree calibration with the fossilized birth-death model indicates that crown fissurellids originated around 175 Ma, and generally resulted in younger ages for the earliest nodes than the node dating approach. Model-based biogeographic reconstruction, supported by fossils, infers an Indo-West Pacific origin, with a westward colonization of new oceans via the Tethys Seaway upon the breakup of Pangea. Western Atlantic clades then served as source for dispersal towards other parts of the globe. As the sister group to all other fissurellids, Rimula is ranked in its own subfamily, Rimulinae stat. nov. New synonyms: Hemitominae syn. nov. of Zeidorinae stat. nov.; Cranopsis syn. nov. of Puncturella; Variegemarginula syn. nov. of Montfortula.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, CEAMARC-AA, CONCALIS, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, INHACA 2011, KARUBENTHOS 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, TARASOC

In the context of a complete revision of the Onchidiidae, it is shown here that Onchidium vaigiense Quoy & Gaimard, 1825 and Onchidium marmoratum Lesson, 1831 belong to a clade that is separate from all other onchidiid genera and so a new genus is described: Marmaronchis Dayrat & Goulding, new genus. Marmaronchis slugs are characterised by a unique combination of anatomical traits: intestinal loops of type I, rectal gland present, accessory penial gland present. Marmaronchis vaigiensis and M. marmoratus are cryptic externally and internally but are delineated as distinct species with both mitochondrial (COI, 16S, 12S) and nuclear (ITS2, 28S, H3) DNA sequences. Onchidium ambiguum Semper, 1880 and O. steenstrupii Semper, 1882 are proposed as new junior synonyms of M. vaigiensis. Marmaronchis slugs primarily live in the rocky intertidal and, unlike many onchidiids from Southeast Asia, they are not found inside mangroves. Both Marmaronchis species are geographically sympatric and can even be found at the same stations, but Marmaronchis vaigiensis is widely distributed, from the Nicobar Islands (Bay of Bengal) all the way to Vanuatu and the Philippines, while M. marmoratus is only known from New Ireland and Madang (Papua New Guinea). Several new geographical records are provided: Bali and Sulawesi (Indonesia) and Vanuatu for M. vaigiensis; Madang (Papua New Guinea) for M. marmoratus. The diversity of Marmaronchis slugs is compared to other onchidiid genera.

PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

In the context of a complete revision of the Onchidiidae, it is shown here that Onchidium vaigiense Quoy & Gaimard, 1825 and Onchidium marmoratum Lesson, 1831 belong to a clade that is separate from all other onchidiid genera and so a new genus is described: Marmaronchis Dayrat & Goulding, new genus. Marmaronchis slugs are characterised by a unique combination of anatomical traits: intestinal loops of type I, rectal gland present, accessory penial gland present. Marmaronchis vaigiensis and M. marmoratus are cryptic externally and internally but are delineated as distinct species with both mitochondrial (COI, 16S, 12S) and nuclear (ITS2, 28S, H3) DNA sequences. Onchidium ambiguum Semper, 1880 and O. steenstrupii Semper, 1882 are proposed as new junior synonyms of M. vaigiensis. Marmaronchis slugs primarily live in the rocky intertidal and, unlike many onchidiids from Southeast Asia, they are not found inside mangroves. Both Marmaronchis species are geographically sympatric and can even be found at the same stations, but Marmaronchis vaigiensis is widely distributed, from the Nicobar Islands (Bay of Bengal) all the way to Vanuatu and the Philippines, while M. marmoratus is only known from New Ireland and Madang (Papua New Guinea). Several new geographical records are provided: Bali and Sulawesi (Indonesia) and Vanuatu for M. vaigiensis; Madang (Papua New Guinea) for M. marmoratus. The diversity of Marmaronchis slugs is compared to other onchidiid genera.

KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

Mangroves of the Indo-West Pacific have remained poorly explored, so even the diversity of the onchidiid slugs, which are some of the most abundant animals in mangroves of the Indo-West Pacific, is not well known. Thanks to several years spent exploring mangroves in the Indo-West Pacific (more than 260 stations), especially in South-East Asia, the diversity of mangrove gastropods can now be addressed through revisions following an integrative taxonomy approach (nomenclature, field observations, comparative anatomy and DNA sequences). A new genus of onchidiid slugs is described, Paromoionchis Dayrat & Goulding gen. nov., which includes five species, three of which are new: Paromoionchis boholensis Dayrat & Goulding gen. et sp. nov., P. daemelii (Semper, 1880) com. nov., P. goslineri Dayrat & Goulding gen. et sp. nov., P. penangensis Dayrat & Goulding gen. et sp. nov. and P. tumidus (Semper, 1880) comb. nov. Paromoionchis gen. nov. is distributed from western India to the subtropical waters of Japan (33° N) and southeastern Australia (33° S). The creation of new taxon names is supported by rigorous nomenclature: the types of all existing species names in the family were examined, the original descriptions carefully studied and nomenclatural issues addressed. The diversity and biogeography of this new genus is discussed in a broader context.

PAPUA NIUGINI

A new species, Onchidium melakense Dayrat & Goulding, sp. nov., is described, bringing the total to four known species in the genus Onchidium Buchannan, 1800. Onchidium melakense is a rare species with only nine individuals found at three mangrove sites in the Andaman Islands and the Strait of Malacca (western Peninsular Malaysia and eastern Sumatra). The new species is delineated based on mitochondrial (COI and 16S) and nuclear (ITS2 and 28S) DNA sequences as well as comparative anatomy. Each Onchidium species is characterized by a distinct color and can easily be identified in the field, even in the Strait of Malacca where there are three sympatric Onchidium species. An identification key is provided. In addition, Onchidium stuxbergi (Westerlund, 1883) is recorded for the first time from eastern Sumatra, and Onchidium pallidipes Tapparone-Canefri, 1889, of which the type material is described and illustrated here, is regarded as a new junior synonym of O. stuxbergi.

PAPUA NIUGINI

The genus Peronia Fleming, 1822 includes all the onchidiid slugs with dorsal gills. Its taxonomy is revised for the first time based on a large collection of fresh material from the entire Indo-West Pacific, from South Africa to Hawaii. Nine species are supported by mitochondrial (COI and 16S) and nuclear (ITS2 and 28S) sequences as well as comparative anatomy. All types available were examined and the nomenclatural status of each existing name in the genus is addressed. Of 31 Peronia species-group names available, 27 are regarded as invalid (twenty-one synonyms, sixteen of which are new, five nomina dubia , and one homonym), and four as valid: Peronia peronii (Cuvier, 1804), Peronia verruculata (Cuvier, 1830), Peronia platei (Hoffmann, 1928), and Peronia madagascariensis (Labbé, 1934a). Five new species names are created: P. griffithsi Dayrat & Goulding, sp. nov. , P. okinawensis Dayrat & Goulding, sp. nov. , P. setoensis Dayrat & Goulding, sp. nov. , P. sydneyensis Dayrat & Goulding, sp. nov. , and P. willani Dayrat & Goulding, sp. nov. Peronia species are cryptic externally but can be distinguished using internal characters, with the exception of P. platei and P. setoensis . The anatomy of most species is described in detail here for the first time. All the secondary literature is commented on and historical specimens from museum collections were also examined to better establish species distributions. The genus Peronia includes two species that are widespread across the Indo-West Pacific ( P. verruculata and P. peronii ) as well as endemic species: P. okinawensis and P. setoensis are endemic to Japan, and P. willani is endemic to Northern Territory, Australia. Many new geographical records are provided, as well as a key to the species using morphological traits.

KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

The neogastropod family Columbellidae is a highly successful group of small, primarily epibenthic marine snails distributed worldwide and most abundant in the tropics. The great diversity of the group makes them attractive for studying evolutionary shifts in gastropod anatomy, morphology, ecology and diversity. The existing classification of the family has been based to a large degree on the morphology of the shell and radula. Indeed, membership in the family is traditionally confirmed using the unique morphology of the radula. To reconstruct columbellid phylogeny and assess monophyly of the group, we assembled a multilocus dataset including five mitochondrial and nuclear genes, for 70 species in 31 genera. Phylogenetic analyses using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood are not well enough resolved to support a subfamilial classification, but do support the monophyly of the family and of several well-defined genera and supra-generic groupings. Two of the most diverse nominal genera, Mitrella and Anachis, are supported as highly polyphyletic. Overall, the resulting topologies indicate that the generic and subfamilial classification is in need of extensive revision but that phylogenomic data are needed to resolve columbellid relationships.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, INHACA 2011, KARUBENTHOS 2012, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, ???msg.security.private???, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006

Investigation of the types of Columbella albina Kiener, 1841 indicate that this species is a junior synonym of Graphicomassa ligula (Duclos, 1840), leaving the species typically identified as Graphicomassa albina (Kiener, 1841) without a name. The species is quite variable and has inspired a number of synonyms over the years; the oldest of these, Colombella adiostina Duclos, 1840, now becomes the basis for the valid name for this species. In this paper, Graphicomassa ligula and G. adiostina n. comb. are both discussed comparatively.

INHACA 2011, PAPUA NIUGINI

BIOCAL, BIOPAPUA, BORDAU 1, DongSha 2014, GEMINI, KARUBAR, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MUSORSTOM 5, NanHai 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI, TAIWAN 2013, ZhongSha 2015

In this paper, a new genus in the nudibranch family Discodorididae, Avaldesia n. gen., is established for Avaldesia albomacula (Chan & Gosliner, 2007) and Avaldesia tahala (Chan & Gosliner, 2007), originally assigned to the genus Thordisa Bergh, 1877, and a new species, Avaldesia tamatoa n. sp., described here from the central Pacific. To establish species relationships within Avaldesia, as well as the placement of Avaldesia within Discodorididae, we utilized four molecular markers (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, 16S rRNA, histone H3 and 28S rRNA) in our Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses. Four species delimitation methods were complemented by morphological dissections and scanning electron microscopy. Our results reveal a clear separation between Avaldesia and Thordisa and suggest that Avaldesia is more closely related to the genera Hoplodoris Bergh, 1880 and Asteronotus Ehrenberg, 1831. The most characteristic features of Avaldesia include a radula with increasing denticulation towards the fimbriate outermost laterals and a reproductive system with a lobate vestibular gland, occasional hollow vestibular spine and a penis armed with one or more penial spines. All species of Avaldesia are found in shallow water (5–10 m depth) on rocky reefs, sandy sediments and algal fields with distributions across the Indo-Pacific.

PAPUA NIUGINI

The Indo-Pacific genus Halgerda Bergh, 1880a is one of the most diverse and better-studied genera within the nudibranch family Discodorididae. Previous studies have been predominantly based on morphology; however, the addition of molecular data has led to new species descriptions as well as unresolved species complexes. Here, we broaden the available molecular data within Halgerda by utilizing two mitochondrial and two nuclear genes in coordination with morphology to describe 14 new Halgerda species. Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood, and species delimitation analyses were used to clarify previously established relationships and evaluate the new species positions within Halgerda. Based on our results Halgerda elegans Bergh, 1905 is synonymized with Halgerda willeyi Eliot, 1904 and new descriptions for Halgerda mango sp. nov., Halgerda berberiani sp. nov., Halgerda biqiea sp. nov., Halgerda paulayi sp. nov., Halgerda labyrinthus sp. nov., Halgerda anosy sp. nov., Halgerda mesophotica sp. nov., Halgerda profunda sp. nov., Halgerda takipsilim sp. nov., Halgerda scripta sp. nov., Halgerda hervei sp. nov., Halgerda maaikeae sp. nov., Halgerda pattiae sp. nov., and Halgerda radamaensis sp. nov. are provided here. We also provide an updated morphological description for juvenile specimens of Halgerda dalanghita Fahey & Gosliner, 1999a; expand upon the two unresolved species complexes previously identified in Tibiriçá et al. (2018); and identify a new mesophotic clade in the Central Pacific.

???msg.security.private???, PAPUA NIUGINI

ATIMO VATAE, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI

MUSORSTOM 10, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, ???msg.security.private???

PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI

The systematics of several Eastern Atlantic conoidean species, traditionally ascribed to the genus Raphitoma Bellardi, 1847, are revised on the basis of DNA sequence data from three gene regions (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, 16S rRNA and 12S rRNA). We assign genus ranking to three major lineages (Raphitoma, Cyrillia Kobelt, 1905 and Leufroyia Monterosato, 1884) and suggest that two West African species belong in the subgenus Daphnella (Paradaphne) Laseron, 1954. A new classification, based on molecular systematics and critical study of morphology, is provided for all Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean species that are currently ascribed to Raphitoma s.l. The genus Clathromangelia Monterosato, 1884 is confirmed as belonging to Raphitomidae. Phylogenetic relationships and genetic distances suggest that Raphitoma maculosa Høisæter, 2016 and R. obesa Høisæter, 2016 may be divergent morphotypes of R. bicolor (Risso, 1826) and Cyrillia aequalis (Jeffreys, 1867), respectively.

AURORA 2007, BOA1, EBISCO, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006

The systematics of several Eastern Atlantic conoidean species, traditionally ascribed to the genus Raphitoma Bellardi, 1847, are revised on the basis of DNA sequence data from three gene regions (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, 16S rRNA and 12S rRNA). We assign genus ranking to three major lineages (Raphitoma, Cyrillia Kobelt, 1905 and Leufroyia Monterosato, 1884) and suggest that two West African species belong in the subgenus Daphnella (Paradaphne) Laseron, 1954. A new classification, based on molecular systematics and critical study of morphology, is provided for all Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean species that are currently ascribed to Raphitoma s.l. The genus Clathromangelia Monterosato, 1884 is confirmed as belonging to Raphitomidae. Phylogenetic relationships and genetic distances suggest that Raphitoma maculosa Høisæter, 2016 and R. obesa Høisæter, 2016 may be divergent morphotypes of R. bicolor (Risso, 1826) and Cyrillia aequalis (Jeffreys, 1867), respectively.

AURORA 2007, BOA1, EBISCO, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006

A remarkably high diversity of native small spindle-shells (Gastropoda, Fasciolariidae, Fusininae) has been recently inventoried in the Mediterranean Sea, with 23 species identified based on shell morphology. They have almost invariably been classified in the genus Fusinus, and a few of them recently moved to other genera (Aptyxis Troschel 1868, Aegeofusinus Russo, 2017 and Gracilipurpura Jousseaume, 1880), mostly based on the sole shell features. We have reconstructed a molecular phylogenetic framework for the Mediterranean Fusininae, focusing on native species representative of the genus-level taxa. Our results confirmed that Fusinus s.s. (type species Murex colus Linnaeus, 1758) should be restricted to a group of large-shelled species from the Indo-West Pacific and does not fit any of the small-shelled Mediterranean fusinines. We confirm that Murex syracusanus Linnaeus, 1758 represents a distinct lineage, and show that for all the remaining species the pattern is suggestive of a single monophyletic radiation of small Mediterranean fusinines, for which the name Pseudofusus Monterosato, 1884 must be used

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, CONCALIS, ???msg.security.private???, EBISCO, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, KANACONO, KARUBENTHOS 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, MIRIKY, NanHai 2014, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, TARASOC, TERRASSES, ???msg.security.private???

Abstract The systematics of the marine mollusc family Velutinidae has long been neglected by taxonomists, mainly because their often internal and fragile shells offer no morphological characters. Velutinids are usually undersampled owing to their cryptic mantle coloration on the solitary, social or colonial ascidians on which they feed and lay eggs. In this study, we address the worldwide diversity and phylogeny of Velutinidae based on the largest molecular dataset (313 specimens) to date, accounting for > 50% of the currently accepted genera, coupled with morphological and ecological data. Velutinids emerge as a diverse group, encompassing four independent subfamily-level lineages, two of which are newly described herein: Marseniopsinae subfam. nov. and Hainotinae subfam. nov. High diversity was found at genus and species levels, with two newly described genera (Variolipallium gen. nov. and Pacifica gen. nov.) and ≥ 86 species in the assayed dataset, 58 of which are new to science (67%). Velutinidae show a remarkable morphological plasticity in shell morphology, mantle extension and chromatic patterns. This variability is likely to be the result of different selective forces, including habitat, depth and trophic interactions.

ATIMO VATAE, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, CEAMARC-AA, CORSICABENTHOS 1, CORSICABENTHOS 2, CORSICABENTHOS 3, GUYANE 2014, ILES DU SALUT, KANACONO, KANADEEP 2, KARUBENTHOS 2, KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.1, KOUMAC 2.3, MADEEP, MADIBENTHOS, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SAKIZAYA 2019, SANTO 2006, Tuhaa Pae 2013, ZhongSha 2015

Among gastropods, the ability to swim has developed independently several times, mostly among Heterobranchia. Only a few species of Caenogastropoda are known to have swimming adults. Velutinidae Gray, 1840, is a family of caenogastropods with a fragile shell enclosed by the mantle. The adults of this family are benthic and ectoparasites of ascidians. Here, we present the first recorded instance of a swimming velutinid, Marsenia cf. gemma, filmed in New Caledonia. The swim propulsion method was based on the movement of the snail’s foot, which followed a ∞-shaped curve. This first report changes our perspective on the biology of this family, unexpectedly placing it within the restricted group of swimming caenogastropods.

ATIMO VATAE, KOUMAC 2.1, KOUMAC 2.3, MADIBENTHOS, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI

Aim: The unique biodiversity in the Red Sea is the result of complex ecological and evolutionary processes driven by Pleistocene climatic change. Here we investigate the species diversity, phylogenetic relationships and phylogeographical patterns of giant clams in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) and the Red Sea to explore scenarios of marine speciation in this under-studied region.

ATIMO VATAE, INHACA 2011, KAVIENG 2014, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI

The neogastropod family Costellariidae is a large and successful group of carnivorous marine mollusks that encompasses about 475 living species. Costellariids are most diverse in the tropical Indo-Pacific at a depth interval of 0–200 m, where they are largely represented by numerous species commonly assigned to the genus Vexillum. The present work expands the taxon sampling of a previous phylogeny of the mitriform gastropods to resolve earlier problematic relationships, and thus establish a robust framework of the family, revise its taxonomy, and uncover major trends in the evolution of costellariid morphology. A multicuspidate rachidian is shown to have appeared at least twice in the evolutionary history of the family: it is regarded as an apomorphy of the primarily Indo-Pacific Vexillum–Austromitra–Atlantilux lineage, and has evolved independently in the Nodicostellaria–Mitromica lineage of the western hemisphere. The genera Ceratoxancus and Latiromitra are transferred from the Ptychatractidae to the Costellariidae. Tosapusia, Protoelongata, and Pusia are ranked as full genera, the latter with the three subgenera Pusia, Ebenomitra, and Vexillena. Vexillum (Costellaria) and Zierliana are treated as synonyms of Vexillum. The replacement name Suluspira is proposed for Visaya Poppe, Guillot de Suduiraut & Tagaro, 2006, non Ahyong, 2004 (Crustacea). We introduce four new genera, Alisimitra, Costapex, Turriplicifer, and Orphanopusia, and characterize their anatomy; 14 new species, mostly from deep water in the Indo-Pacific, are described in the genera Tosapusia, Alisimitra, Costapex, and Pusia. At least two species of Costapex gen. nov. have been collected from sunken wood.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BATHUS 3, BENTHAUS, BIOCAL, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, CONCALIS, EBISCO, EXBODI, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, SMIB 2, SMIB 4, TARASOC, TERRASSES, Tuhaa Pae 2013, ???msg.security.private???

With about 800 Recent species, ‘miters’ are a widely distributed group of tropical and subtropical gastropods that are most diverse in the Indo-West Pacific. They include the two families Mitridae and Costellariidae, similar in shell morphology and traditionally treated as close relatives. Some genera of deep-water Ptychatractidae and Volutomitridae are close to miters in shell morphology, and the term ‘mitriform gastropods’ has been introduced to refer to Mitridae, Costellariidae, and this assortment of convergent forms. The present study aimed at the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships of mitriform gastropods based on representative taxon sampling. Four genetic markers [cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), 16S and 12S rRNA mitochondrial genes, and H3 (Histone 3) nuclear gene] were sequenced for over 90 species in 20 genera, and the molecular data set was supplemented by studies of radula morphology. Our analysis recovered Mitridae as a monophyletic group, whereas the genus Mitra was found to be polyphyletic. Of 42 mitrid species included in the analysis, 37 formed a well-supported ‘core Mitridae’ consisting of four major clades, three of them consistent with the subfamilies Cylindromitrinae, Imbricariinae, and Mitrinae, and Strigatella paupercula standing out by itself. Basal to the ‘core Mitridae’ are four minor lineages, with the genus Charitodoron recognized as sister group to all other Mitridae. The deepwater family Pyramimitridae shows a sister relationship to the Mitridae, with high support for a Pyramimitridae + Mitridae clade. Our results recover the monophyly of the Costellariidae, which form a wellsupported clade that also includes Ptychatractidae, Columbariinae, and Volutomitridae, but not Mitridae. Most derived and diverse amongst Costellariidae are species of Vexillum, characterized by a bow-shaped, multicuspidate rachidian tooth. Several previously unrecognized deep-water costellariid lineages are revealed. Their members retain some plesiomorphies – in particular a tricuspidate rachidian tooth – that makes them morphologically intermediate between ptychatractids and Vexillum. The taxa of Ptychatractidae included in the analysis are not monophyletic, but form three well-supported, unrelated groupings, corresponding respectively to Ceratoxancus + Latiromitra, Exilia, and Exiliodea. None of them shows an affinity to Pseudolividae.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, CONCALIS, EBISCO, EXBODI, INHACA 2011, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, NORFOLK 2, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, ???msg.security.private???, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, TARASOC, TERRASSES, Tuhaa Pae 2013, ???msg.security.private???

Alongside confirmation of the monophyly of the gastropod family Mitridae, a recent molecular phylogenetic analysis disclosed multiple inconsistencies with the existing taxonomic framework. In the present study, we expanded the molecular sampling to 103 species, representing 26% of the 402 extant species currently accepted in the family and 16 of the 19 currently accepted extant genera; 83 species were sequenced for four molecular markers [cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), 16S and 12S rRNA, and H3 (Histone 3)]. Molecular analyses were supplemented by morphological studies, focused on characters of the radula and, in a more restricted data set, proboscis anatomy. These data form the basis for a revised classification of the Mitridae. A first dichotomy divides mitrids into two unequal clades, Charitodoron and the Mitridae s.s. Species of Charitodoron show profound differences to all other Mitridae in foregut anatomy (lacking an epiproboscis) and shell morphology (smooth columella, bulbous protoconch of non-planktotrophic type), which leads to the erection of the separate family Charitodoronidae fam. nov. Three traditional subfamilies (Mitrinae, Cylindromitrinae and Imbricariinae) correspond to three of the inferred phylogenetic lineages of Mitridae s.s.; we redefine their contents, reinstate Strigatellinae Troschel, 1869 as valid and establish the new subfamily Isarinae. In the absence of molecular material, a sixth subfamily, Pleioptygmatinae, is included in Mitridae based on morphological considerations only. To resolve the polyphyly of Mitra and Cancilla in their current taxonomic extension, we reinstate the genera Episcomitra Monterosato, 1917, Isara H. & A. Adams, 1853 and Probata Sarasúa, 1989 and establish 11 new genera: Quasimitra, Roseomitra, Fusidomiporta, Profundimitra, Cancillopsis, Pseudonebularia, Gemmulimitra and Neotiara in Mitrinae; Imbricariopsis in Imbricariinae; Carinomitra and Condylomitra are left unassigned to a subfamily. Altogether 32 genera are recognized within the family. Their diversity and distribution are discussed, along with general trends in morphological evolution of the family.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BIOCAL, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, CONCALIS, CORAIL 2, EBISCO, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, INHACA 2011, KARUBENTHOS 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, SMIB 4, TARASOC, Tuhaa Pae 2013, ???msg.security.private???

The genus Conasprella Thiele, 1929 is the second largest in the family Conidae. It encompasses 161 described species that mainly occur at bathyal depths. Despite this relatively high species diversity, species delimitation and taxonomy of the genus have barely been addressed with molecular data. In the present study, we revisit species delimitation in the Indo-Pacific Conasprella orbignyi complex based on data from a previous study and substantial original data. Integrative taxonomy applied to a dataset comprising 82 specimens revealed ten putative species, and available names were assigned to seven of them. Two unnamed species are new and described here as Conasprella zinaidae Fedosov & Puillandre, n. sp. (represented by a single sequenced specimen from Papua New Guinea) and Conasprella emilieae Puillandre & Fedosov, n. sp. (represented by four sequenced specimens, all from Papua New Guinea). Some populations within the Conasprella orbignyi complex show weak genetic structure but unusually high morphological variation, which overlaps differences among genetically distinct species. This variation renders identification of both new species on conchological grounds problematic. Therefore, we provide DNA-based diagnoses for both new species to facilitate their identification in future studies.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, EBISCO, EXBODI, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006, TERRASSES

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, ???msg.security.private???, DongSha 2014, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, ILES DU SALUT, INHACA 2011, KANACONO, KARUBENTHOS 2, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MADIBENTHOS, MAINBAZA, PAPUA NIUGINI, ???msg.security.private???

The conoidean family Terebridae is an intriguing lineage of marine gastropods, which are of considerable interest due to their varied anatomy and complex venoms. Terebrids are abundant, easily recognizable and widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters, but our findings have demonstrated that their systematics requires revision. Here we elaborate the classification of Terebridae based on a recently published molecular phylogeny of 154 species, plus characters of the shell and anterior alimentary system. The 407 living species of the family, including seven species described herein, are assigned to three subfamilies: Pellifroniinae new subfamily, Pervicaciinae and Terebrinae. The Pellifroniinae comprises five deep-water species in two genera, Pellifronia and Bathyterebra n. gen. Pellifroniinae possess a radula of duplex marginal teeth, well-developed proboscis and venom gland, and a very small rhynchodeal introvert. The Pervicaciinae includes c. 50 species in the predominantly Indo-Pacific genera Duplicaria and Partecosta. Pervicaciinae possess salivary glands, a radula of solid recurved marginal teeth and a weakly developed rhynchodeal introvert, but lack proboscis and venom gland. The remaining Terebridae species are classified into 15 genera in the subfamily Terebrinae (including four genera described herein); nine genera are defined on the basis of phylogenetic data and six solely on shell morphology. The Indo-Pacific genera Profunditerebra n. gen., Maculauger n. gen. and Myurellopsis n. gen. each include about a dozen species. The first is restricted to the deep waters of the Indo-West Pacific, while the latter two range widely in both geographic and bathymetric distribution. Neoterebra n. gen. encompasses about 65 species from a range of localities in the eastern Pacific, Caribbean, and Atlantic, and from varying depths. To characterize the highly diversified genera Terebra, Punctoterebra, Myurella and Duplicaria, each of which comprise several morphological clusters, we propose the use of DNA-based diagnoses. These diagnoses are combined with more informative descriptions to define most of the supraspecific taxa of Terebridae, to provide a comprehensive revision of the group.

ATIMO VATAE, CONCALIS, EXBODI, INHACA 2011, KARUBENTHOS 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, ???msg.security.private???, MIRIKY, MUSORSTOM 2, NanHai 2014, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006, TERRASSES, ???msg.security.private???, ZhongSha 2015

Abstract The molluskan order Neogastropoda encompasses over 15,000 almost exclusively marine species playing important roles in benthic communities and in the economies of coastal countries. Neogastropoda underwent intensive cladogenesis in the early stages of diversification, generating a “bush” at the base of their evolutionary tree, which has been hard to resolve even with high throughput molecular data. In the present study to resolve the bush, we use a variety of phylogenetic inference methods and a comprehensive exon capture dataset of 1817 loci (79.6% data occupancy) comprising 112 taxa of 48 out of 60 Neogastropoda families. Our results show consistent topologies and high support in all analyses at (super)family level, supporting monophyly of Muricoidea, Mitroidea, Conoidea, and, with some reservations, Olivoidea and Buccinoidea. Volutoidea and Turbinelloidea as currently circumscribed are clearly paraphyletic. Despite our analyses consistently resolving most backbone nodes, 3 prove problematic: First, the uncertain placement of Cancellariidae, as the sister group to either a Ficoidea-Tonnoidea clade or to the rest of Neogastropoda, leaves monophyly of Neogastropoda unresolved. Second, relationships are contradictory at the base of the major “core Neogastropoda” grouping. Third, coalescence-based analyses reject monophyly of the Buccinoidea in relation to Vasidae. We analyzed phylogenetic signal of targeted loci in relation to potential biases, and we propose the most probable resolutions in the latter 2 recalcitrant nodes. The uncertain placement of Cancellariidae may be explained by orthology violations due to differential paralog loss shortly after the whole genome duplication, which should be resolved with a curated set of longer loci.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, CORSICABENTHOS 1, DongSha 2014, EXBODI, ILES DU SALUT, INHACA 2011, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KARUBENTHOS 2, KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.1, KOUMAC 2.3, MADEEP, MADIBENTHOS, MAINBAZA, NanHai 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI, TAIWAN 2013, Tuhaa Pae 2013, ZhongSha 2015

LIFOU 2000, MONTROUZIER, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, RAPA 2002, SANTO 2006

The small conoidean Hemilienardia ocellata is one of the easily recognizable Indo-Pacific “turrids”, primarily because of its remarkable eyespot colour pattern. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed four species that share this “characteristic” colour pattern but demonstrate consistent differences in size and shell proportions. Three new species – Hemilienardia acinonyx sp. nov. from the Philippines, H. lynx sp. nov. from Papua New Guinea and H. pardus sp. nov. from the Society and Loyalty Islands – are described based on the results of phylogenetic analyses. Although the H. ocellata species complex clade falls in a monophyletic Hemilienardia, H. ocellata and H. acinonyx sp. nov. possess a radula with semi-enrolled or notably flattened triangular marginal teeth, a condition that diverges substantially from the standard radular morphology of Hemilienardia and other raphitomids.

KAVIENG 2014, LAGON, LIFOU 2000, MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 10, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

KAVIENG 2014, LIFOU 2000, MONTROUZIER, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, ???msg.security.private???

The genus Sinetectula gen. nov. is proposed to accommodate Triton egregius Reeve, 1844, Buccinum cinis Reeve, 1846, Buccinum nigricostatum Reeve, 1846, Buccinum (Pollia) farinosum Gould, 1850, Pisania naevosa Martens, 1880, Pollia shepstonensis Tomlin, 1926 and one still undescribed species. These species are discussed and compared, and remarks on their biogeography are provided. The occasional appearance of a labral denticle is recorded and the morphological variability of the group is discussed. The radula of S. egregius gen. et comb. nov. is described.

BENTHAUS, BENTHEDI, PAPUA NIUGINI

Extracting DNA from gastropods presents particular difficulties due to the capacity of the living animal to retract into the shell, resulting in poor penetration of the ethanol into the tissues. Because the shell is essential to establish the link between sequences and traditional taxonomic identity, cracking the shell to facilitate fixation is not ideal. Several methods are currently in routine use to overcome this difficulty, including chemical relaxation, drilling the shell and boiling. Most of these methods are time-consuming, may be safety hazards and constitute a bottleneck in the preparation of large numbers of specimens in the field. We have experimented with a method traditionally used to clean shells that involves placing the living gastropods in a microwave (MW) oven; the electromagnetic radiation very quickly heats both the animal and the water trapped inside the shell, resulting in separation of the muscles that anchor the animal to the shell. Done properly, the body can be removed intact from the shell and the shell voucher is preserved undamaged. To test the method, the bodies of live-collected specimens from two gastropod species were separated from their shell by microwaving and by anesthetizing/drilling. After identical extraction and PCR procedures, the gels showed no difference in DNA quantity or quality, and the resulting sequences are identical within species. The method was then implemented on a large scale during expeditions, resulting in higher percentage of DNA extraction success. The MWs are also effective for quickly and easily removing other molluscs from their shells, that is, bivalves and scaphopods. Workflows implementing the MW technique show a three- to fivefold increase in productivity compared with other methods.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, KARUBENTHOS 2012, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006, ???msg.security.private???

ATIMO VATAE, BATHUS 1, BORDAU 2, CHALCAL 1, CORAIL 2, INHACA 2011, LAGON, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 4, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PALEO-SURPRISE, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, SMIB 5, ???msg.security.private???

In this paper, we report the new distributional records of Tenguella granulata (Duclos, 1832) and Tenguella ceylonica (Dall, 1923) from the rocky shore of Alibag, district Raigad, Maharashtra, west coast of India. The comparison of both species with respect to shell morphology, operculum, SEM of radula and penis anatomy is presented in the present work. This paper provides a comparative comprehensive taxonomic description of both species for taxonomic purposes.

PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

Predator-prey interactions are thought to play a driving role in animal evolution, especially for groups that have developed venom as their predatory strategy. However, how the diet of venomous animals influences the composition of venom arsenals remains uncertain. Two prevailing hypotheses to explain the relationship between diet and venom composition focus on prey preference and the types of compounds in venom, and a positive correlation between dietary breadth and the number of compounds in venom. Here, we examined venom complexity, phylogenetic relationship, collection depth, and biogeography of the Terebridae (auger snails) to determine if repeated innovations in terebrid foregut anatomy and venom composition correspond to diet variation. We performed the first molecular study of the diet of terebrid marine snails by metabarcoding the gut content of 71 terebrid specimens from 17 species. Our results suggest that the presence or absence of a venom gland is strongly correlated with dietary breadth. Specifically, terebrid species without a venom gland displayed greater diversity in their diet. Additionally, we propose a revision of the definition of venom complexity in conoidean snails to more accurately capture the breadth of ecological influences. These findings suggest that prey diet is an important factor in terebrid venom evolution and diversification and further investigations of other understudied organisms, like terebrids, are needed to develop robust hypotheses in this area.

PAPUA NIUGINI

Many marine species are specialized to specific parts of a habitat. In a mangrove forest, for instance, species may be restricted to the mud surface, the roots and trunks of mangrove trees, or rotting logs, which can be regarded as distinct microhabitats. Shifts to new microhabitats may be an important driver of sympatric speciation. However, the evolutionary history of these shifts is still poorly understood in most groups of marine organisms, because it requires a well-supported phylogeny with relatively complete taxon sampling. Onchidiid slugs are an ideal case study for the evolutionary history of habitat and microhabitat shifts because onchidiid species are specialized to different tidal zones and microhabitats in mangrove forests and rocky shores, and the taxonomy of the family in the Indo-West Pacific has been recently revised in a series of monographs. Here, DNA sequences for onchidiid species from the North and East Pacific, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic are used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships among Onchidella species, and are combined with new data for Indo-West Pacific species to reconstruct a global phylogeny of the family. The phylogenetic relationships of onchidiid slugs are reconstructed based on three mitochondrial markers (COI, 12S, 16S) and three nuclear markers (28S, ITS2, H3) and nearly complete taxon sampling (all 13 genera and 62 of the 67 species). The highly-supported phylogeny presented here suggests that ancestral onchidiids most likely lived in the rocky intertidal, and that a lineage restricted to the tropical Indo-West Pacific colonized new habitats, including mudflats, mangrove forests, and high-elevation rainforests. Many onchidiid species in the Indo-West Pacific diverged during the Miocene, around the same time that a high diversity of mangrove plants appears in the fossil record, while divergence among Onchidella species occurred earlier, likely beginning in the Eocene. It is demonstrated that ecological specialization to microhabitats underlies the divergence between onchidiid genera, as well as the diversification through sym­ patric speciation in the genera Wallaconchis and Platevindex. The geographic distributions of onchidiid species also indicate that allopatric speciation played a key role in the diversification of several genera, especially Onchidella and Peronia. The evolutionary history of several morphological traits (penial gland, rectal gland, dorsal eyes, intestinal loops) is examined in relation to habitat and microhabitat evolutionary transitions and suggests that the rectal gland of onchidiids is an adaptation to high intertidal and terrestrial habitats.

PAPUA NIUGINI

The deep-sea malacofauna of temperate Australia remains comparatively poorly known. However, a recent influx of DNA-suitable material obtained from a series of deep-sea cruises has facilitated integrative taxonomic study on the Conoidea (Caenogastropoda : Neogastropoda). Building on a recent molecular phylogeny of the conoidean family Raphitomidae, this study focussed on the genera Gladiobela and Pagodibela (both Criscione, Hallan, Puillandre & Fedosov, 2020). We subjected a representative mtDNA cox1 dataset of deep-sea raphitomids to ABGD, which recognised 14 primary species hypotheses (PSHs), 9 of which were converted to secondary species hypotheses (SSHs). Following the additional examination of the shell and hypodermic radula features, as well as consideration of bathymetric and geographic data, seven of these SSHs were recognised as new to science and given full species rank. Subsequently, systematic descriptions are provided herein. Of these, five are attributed to Gladiobela (three of which are endemic to Australia and two more widely distributed) and two are placed in Pagodibela (one endemic to southern Australia and one widespread in the Pacific). The rarity of many ‘turrids’ reported in previous studies is confirmed herein, as particularly indicated by highly disjunct geographic records for two taxa. Additionally, several of the studied taxa exhibit wide Indo-Pacific distributions, suggesting that wide geographic ranges in deep-sea ‘turrids’ may be more common than previously assumed. Finally, impediments to deep-sea ‘turrid’ taxonomy in light of such comparative rarity and unexpectedly wide distributions are discussed.

ATIMO VATAE, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, EBISCO, EXBODI, KANACONO, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, TARASOC, ZhongSha 2015

Imagery has become a key tool for assessing deep-sea megafaunal biodiversity, historically based on physical sampling using fishing gears. Image datasets provide quantitative and repeatable estimates, small-scale spatial patterns and habitat descriptions. However, taxon identification from images is challenging and often relies on morphotypes without considering a taxonomic framework. Taxon identification is particularly challenging in regions where the fauna is poorly known and/or highly diverse. Furthermore, the efficiency of imagery and physical sampling may vary among habitat types. Here, we compared biodiversity metrics (alpha and gamma diversity, composition) based on physical sampling (dredging and trawling) and towed-camera still images (1) along the upper continental slope of Papua New Guinea (sedimented slope with wood-falls, a canyon and cold seeps), and (2) on the outer slopes of the volcanic islands of Mayotte, dominated by hard bottoms. The comparison was done on selected taxa (Pisces, Crustacea, Echinoidea, and Asteroidea), which are good candidates for identification from images. Taxonomic identification ranks obtained for the images varied among these taxa (e.g., family/order for fishes, genus for echinoderms). At these ranks, imagery provided a higher taxonomic richness for hard-bottom and complex habitats, partially explained by the poor performance of trawling on these rough substrates. For the same reason, the gamma diversity of Pisces and Crustacea was also higher from images, but no difference was observed for echinoderms. On soft bottoms, physical sampling provided higher alpha and gamma diversity for fishes and crustaceans, but these differences tended to decrease for crustaceans identified to the species/morphospecies level from images. Physical sampling and imagery were selective against some taxa (e.g., according to size or behavior), therefore providing different facets of biodiversity. In addition, specimens collected at a larger scale facilitated megafauna identification from images. Based on this complementary approach, we propose a robust methodology for image-based faunal identification relying on a taxonomic framework, from collaborative work with taxonomists. An original outcome of this collaborative work is the creation of identification keys dedicated specifically to in situ images and which take into account the state of the taxonomic knowledge for the explored sites.

BENTHEDI, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, ???msg.security.private???, ???msg.security.private???, PAPUA NIUGINI

Four new species of Muricidae are described from New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia and compared with related species. One Timbellus species was collected in New Caledonia. Two other species are described from Papua New Guinea, respectively in Chicopinnatus and Dermomurex. The fourth species, also belonging in Chicopinnatus, originates from Indonesia.

EXBODI, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 8, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMONBOA 3

Fifteen species of Muricidae are listed from Papua New Guinea. Six new deep water species are described: Conchatalos samadiae spec. nov., Nipponotrophon barbarae spec. nov., Scabrotrophon manai spec. nov., Scabrotrophon maranii spec. nov., Scabrotrophon puillandrei spec. nov., Scabrotrophon maestratii spec. nov. Eight other species listed are new records. The genus Enixotrophon is used, based on geographical congruence and Pagodula obtusa Marshall & Houart, 2011, Pagodula procera Houart, 2001, and Trophon pulchellus Schepman, 1911, are transfered to it. The previously accepted synonymy of Trophon johannthielei Barnard, 1959, with T. pulchellus is questioned. The variability of Scabrotrophon inspiratus Houart, 2003 is redefined as well as its spiral cord morphology.

BATHUS 2, BIOPAPUA, BORDAU 2, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 7, MUSORSTOM 8, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SALOMONBOA 3

BIOPAPUA, INHACA 2011, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI

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, KARUBENTHOS 2, LIFOU 2000, MAINBAZA, MD32 (REUNION), ???msg.security.private???, MIRIKY, MUSORSTOM 6, MUSORSTOM 7, MUSORSTOM 8, MUSORSTOM 9, NORFOLK 1, NORFOLK 2, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006, SMCB, SMIB 3, SMIB 4, SMIB 5, SMIB 8, TERRASSES, Walters Shoal

Fifteen species of Enixotrophon collected during expeditions of the Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos programme are reported from the Indo-West Pacific. All are illustrated using the holotypes and material collected during more than 30 years. The species were collected in the bathyal zone, living specimens occurring in depths from 198 to 1,280 m, with a majority between 250 and 800 m. One new combination, Enixotrophon pistillum (Barnard, 1959), is introduced; Trophon johannthielei Barnard, 1959 and Trophonopsis ziczac Tiba, 1981 are synonymised with E. pulchellus (Schepman, 1911). New geographical distribution data are presented for E. lochi (Marshall & Houart, 2011), E. pistillum, E. planispinus (E.A. Smith, 1906), E. plicilaminatus (Verco, 1909), E. pulchellus (Schepman, 1911) and E. sansibaricus (Thiele, 1925). Six species are recorded from the New Caledonia region, E. lochi, E. multigradus (Houart, 1990), E. obtuseliratus (Schepman, 1911), E. plicilaminatus (Verco, 1909), E. procerus (Houart, 2001) and E. pulchellus (Schepman, 1911). E. karubar n. sp. is described from Indonesia and one subadult specimen collected in the Mozambique Channel during the MAINBAZA expedition remains unidentified (Enixotrophon sp. cf. E. sansibaricus).

BATHUS 3, BIOCAL, BIOGEOCAL, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, BORDAU 1, CORAIL 2, KANACONO, KANADEEP 2, KARUBAR, KAVALAN 2018, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 5, MUSORSTOM 7, MUSORSTOM 8, NORFOLK 2, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, TARASOC, Walters Shoal

Recent expeditions to the China Seas and off Taiwan have resulted in new geographical extensions and new species discoveries in the Muricidae: Abyssotrophon weijencheni n. sp. and Enixotrophon petalospeira n. sp. (Pagodulinae), Scabrotrophon fedosovi n. sp. (Trophoninae) and Siphonochelus hasegawai Houart, Buge & Zuccon, 2021 (Typhinae). A distribution map for each listed species completes the information. Additional information is given for Enixotrophon ziczac (Tiba, 1981) from Japan, not collected during these expeditions but compared with one of the new species described he

BIOPAPUA, DongSha 2014, KAVALAN 2018, NanHai 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI, TAIWAN 2000, TAIWAN 2002, TAIWAN 2013, ZhongSha 2015

30 new species in the Trichotropid CAPULIDAE in the genera Verticosta, Latticosta n. gen., Torellia and Trichosirius are described from tropical and subtropical deep water of Indo-Pacific and Atlantic Ocean: Verticosta ariane n. sp., Verticosta bellefontainae n. sp., Verticosta milleinsularum n. sp., Verticosta filipinos n. sp., Verticosta plexa n. sp., Verticosta lapita n. sp., Verticosta pyramis n. sp., Verticosta kanak n. sp., Verticosta vanuatuensis n. sp., Verticosta feejee n. sp., Verticosta lilii n. sp., Verticosta sinusvellae n. sp., Verticosta terrasesae n. sp., Verticosta uvea n. sp., Verticosta rurutuana n. sp., Verticosta bicarinata n. sp., Verticosta tricarinata n. sp., Verticosta quadricarinata n. sp., Verticosta cheni n. sp., Verticosta iris n. sp., Verticosta castelli n. sp., Verticosta biangulata n. sp., Verticosta reunionnaise n. sp., Verticosta lemurella n. sp., Verticosta madagascarensis n. sp., Latticosta guidopoppei n. sp., Latticosta tagaroae n. sp., Latticosta magnifica n. sp., Torellia loyaute n. sp. and Trichosirius omnimarium n. sp. Trichotropis townsendi is now Latticosta townsendi n. comb.. Shell material comes from expeditions by MNHN and collections of authors.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BATHUS 1, BATHUS 2, BATHUS 3, BATHUS 4, BENTHAUS, BENTHEDI, BIOCAL, BIOGEOCAL, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, BORDAU 1, BORDAU 2, CONCALIS, EBISCO, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, HALIPRO 1, INHACA 2011, KANACONO, KARUBAR, KAVIENG 2014, LAGON, LIFOU 2000, MADEEP, MADIBENTHOS, MD32 (REUNION), MIRIKY, MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 2, MUSORSTOM 3, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 6, MUSORSTOM 7, MUSORSTOM 8, NORFOLK 1, NORFOLK 2, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, SMIB 8, ???msg.security.private???, TAIWAN 2000, TARASOC, TERRASSES

Abstract Eyes within the marine gastropod superfamily Stromboidea range widely in size, from 0.2 to 2.3 mm—the largest eyes known in any gastropod. Despite this interesting variation, the underlying evolutionary pressures remain unknown. Here, we use the wealth of material available in museum collections to explore the evolution of stromboid eye size and structure. Our results suggest that depth is a key light-limiting factor in stromboid eye evolution; here, increasing water depth is correlated with increasing aperture width relative to lens diameter, and therefore an increasing investment in sensitivity in dim light environments. In the major clade containing all large-eyed stromboid families, species observed active during the day and the night had wider eye apertures relative to lens sizes than species observed active during the day only, thereby prioritizing sensitivity over resolution. Species with no consistent diel activity pattern also had smaller body sizes than exclusively day-active species, which may suggest that smaller animals are more vulnerable to shell-crushing predators, and avoid the higher predation pressure experienced by animals active during the day. Within the same major clade, ancestral state reconstruction suggests that absolute eye size increased above 1 mm twice. The unresolved position of Varicospira, however, weakens this hypothesis and further work with additional markers is needed to confirm this result.

ATIMO VATAE, CONCALIS, EXBODI, INHACA 2011, KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.3, MADIBENTHOS, MIRIKY, PAPUA NIUGINI

Members of the gastropod superfamily Stromboidea (Littorinimorpha) are characterised by their elaborate shell morphologies, distinctive mode of locomotion, and often large and colourful eyes. This iconic group comprises over 130 species, including many large and charismatic species. The family Strombidae is of particular interest, largely due to its commercial importance and wide distribution in tropical and subtropical waters. Although a few strombid mitochondrial genomes have been sequenced, data for the other four Recent families in Strom­ boidea are lacking. In this study we report seven new stromboid mitogenomes obtained from transcriptomic and genomic data, with taxonomic representation from each Recent stromboid family, including the first mitoge­ nomes for Aporrhaidae, Rostellariidae, Seraphsidae and Struthiolariidae. We also report a new mitogenome for the family Xenophoridae. We use these data, along with published sequences, to investigate the relationships among these and other caenogastropod groups. All analyses undertaken in this study support monophyly of Stromboidea as redefined here to include Xenophoridae, a finding consistent with morphological and behav­ ioural data. Consistent with previous morphological and molecular analyses, including those based on mitoge­ nomes, monophyly of Hypsogastropoda is confirmed but monophyly of Littorinimorpha is again rejected.

KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.1, MADIBENTHOS, MIRIKY, PAPUA NIUGINI

Abstract The superfamily Stromboidea is a clade of morphologically distinctive gastropods which include the iconic Strombidae, or ‘true conchs’. In this study, we present the most taxonomically extensive phylogeny of the superfamily to date, using fossil calibrations to produce a chronogram and extant geographical distributions to reconstruct ancestral ranges. From these results, we confirm the monophyly of all stromboidean families; however, six genera are not monophyletic using current generic assignments (Strombidae: Lentigo , Canarium , Dolomena , Doxander ; Xenophoridae: Onustus , Xenophora ). Within Strombidae, analyses resolve an Indo‐West Pacific (IWP) clade sister to an East Pacific/Atlantic clade, together sister to a second, larger IWP clade. Our results also indicate two pulses of strombid diversification within the Miocene, and a Tethyan/IWP origin for Strombidae—both supported by the fossil record. However, conflicts between divergence time estimates and the fossil record warrant further exploration. Species delimitation analyses using the COI barcoding gene support several taxonomic changes. We synonymise Euprotomus aurora with Euprotomus bulla , Strombus alatus with Strombus pugilis , Dolomena abbotti with Dolomena labiosa , and Dolomena operosa with Dolomena vittata . We identified cryptic species complexes within Terebellum terebellum , Lambis lambis , “Canarium” wilsonorum , Dolomena turturella and Maculastrombus mutabilis . We reinstate Rimellopsis laurenti as a species (previously synonymised with R. powisii ) and recognise Harpago chiragra rugosus and Lambis truncata sowerbyi valid at the rank of species. Finally, we establish several new combinations to render Lentigo , Dolomena , and Canarium monophyletic: Lentigo thersites , Dolomena robusta , Dolomena epidromis , Dolomena turturella , Dolomena taeniata , Dolomena vanikorensis , D. vittata , “Canarium” wilsonorum , Hawaiistrombus scalariformis , Maculastrombus mutabilis , Maculastrombus microurceus .

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, CONCALIS, CORSICABENTHOS 3, ???msg.security.private???, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, ILES DU SALUT, INHACA 2011, KANACONO, KARUBENTHOS 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.1, MADEEP, MADIBENTHOS, MIRIKY, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006, Tuhaa Pae 2013

This study combines phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequences with comparative morphological analyses to revise the taxonomy of 101 nominal siphonariid species from the Indo-West Pacific belonging to the genera Siphonaria Sowerby I, 1823 and Williamia Monterosato, 1884. We have examined preserved specimens that have been newly collected at 462 sites across Australasia, the Indo-West Pacific, and in temperate zones of the northern and southern Pacific. Critically, our sampling includes topotypic specimens of 98 nominal species. The study area covered herein extends between the latitudes of 60°N and 55°S and the longitudes of 37°E and 175°W. We have sequenced two mitochondrial genes (COI and 16S) from 546 individuals and conducted a phylogenetic analysis including additional sequences from GenBank. We also studied the anatomy of 436 individuals using dissections and scanning electron microscopy. This study offers a comprehensive documentation and taxonomic assessment of type specimens for nearly all examined nominal species. Our taxonomic revision leads us to accept 88 species, which are thoroughly redescribed. 52 nominal species are treated as synonyms of earlier names, 41 of which are newly synonymized herein. Thirteen species names are deemed unavailable or invalid under the rules of zoological nomenclature, and six names are considered as nomina dubia or nomina inquirenda, notably including the oldest name, Patella laciniosa, which was widely used previously. In addition, we describe 40 new species. We have identified eleven species with broad distributions in the IWP and beyond and four species with more limited distributions than previously accepted. Notably, many species have narrow ranges, some being single island endemics. To stabilize taxonomic names, we have designated neotypes for seven species (Siphonaria sipho Sowerby I, 1823, Patella japonica Donovan, 1824, S. obliquata Sowerby I, 1825, Pileopsis radiata Blainville, 1826, S. radians H. Adams & A. Adams, 1855, S. incerta Deshayes, 1863, and S. tasmanica Tenison Woods, 1877) and lectotypes for 25 species (Patella javanica Lamarck, 1819, S. albicante Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. atra Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. capensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. denticulata Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. diemenensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. guamensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. plana Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. plicata Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. punctata Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. viridis Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, S. savignyi Krauss, 1848, S. cancer Reeve, 1856, S. bifurcata Reeve, 1856, S. funiculata Reeve, 1856, S. kurracheensis Reeve, 1856, S. lirata Reeve, 1856, S. scabra Reeve, 1856, S. belcheri Hanley, 1858, S. nuttallii Hanley, 1858, S. nigerrima Smith, 1903, S. madagascariensis Odhner, 1919, S. alba Hubendick, 1943, M. lentulus Iredale, 1940, H. monticulus Iredale, 1940 and M. oppositus Iredale, 1940).

INHACA 2011, KAVIENG 2014, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

Here we report our direct observation in Papua New Guinea (PNG) of three estuarine species of neritid gastropods (Neritimorpha: Neritidae) that survived on driftwood in seawater for some extended period and were transported several kilometres to a fully marine shore. Furthermore, we found another species of typically estuarine Neritidae on sunken pieces of wood at depths of 105–135 m in Vanuatu, South Pacific. These supposedly non marine gastropods evidently have the potential to survive in fully marine conditions and to disperse as benthic adults and eggs. We suggest that driftwood from shallow-water environments, including estuaries, mangrove swamps and mudflats, might have an evolutionary significance for the establishment of the sunken-wood community and possibly other chemosynthetic faunas in the deep sea.

PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

The superfamily Olivoidea is broadly distributed in the world’s oceans mostly in coastal waters at tropical and subtropical latitudes. It encompasses around 30 Recent genera and 460 species. Two families – Olividae and Olivellidae – are classically recognized within the superfamily. Their shell is very characteristic due to the presence of a modified callused anterior end and a fasciole. Prior to the present work, neither the monophyly of the superfamily nor the relationships among its genera had been tested with molecular phylogenetics. Four genetic markers [cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), 16S and 12S rRNA mitochondrial genes, and Histone 3 (H3) nuclear gene] were sequenced for 42 species in 14 genera. Additionally, 18 species were sequenced for COI only. The molecular dataset was supplemented by anatomical and radula data. Our analysis recovered, albeit with weak support, a monophyletic Olivoidea, which in turn includes with 100% support, in addition to traditional olivoideans, representatives of a paraphyletic Pseudolividae. The relationships between the former families and subfamilies are drastically revised and a new classification of the superfamily is here proposed, now including five families: Bellolividae fam. nov., Benthobiidae fam. nov., Olividae, Pseudolividae and Ancillariidae. Within Olividae four subfamilies are recognized, reflecting the high morphological disparity within the family: Olivinae, Olivellinae, Agaroniinae and Calyptolivinae subfam. nov. All the recent genera are discussed and reclassified based on molecular phylogeny and/or morphology and anatomy. The homology of different features of the shells is established for the first time throughout the superfamily, and a refined terminology is proposed. Based on a correlation between anatomical characteristics and shell features and observations of live animals, we make hypotheses on which part of the mantle is responsible for depositing which callused feature of the shell. Our results demonstrate that morphological data alone should be used with caution for phylogenetic reconstructions. For instance, the radula – that is otherwise considered to be of fundamental importance in the taxonomy of Neogastropoda – is extremely variable within the single family Olividae, with a range of variation larger than within the rest of the entire superfamily. In the refined classification, Pseudolividae are nested within Olivoidea, which is partially returning to ‘the roots’, that is to the classification of Thiele (1929).

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, CONCALIS, ???msg.security.private???, EBISCO, INHACA 2011, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, NORFOLK 2, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, ???msg.security.private???, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, TARASOC, TERRASSES

In the course of preparation of a new molecular phylogeny of Conoidea based on exon-capture some new species and species with notable morphology were revealed. The taxonomy of these species is discussed and the radula of most of them illustrated for the first time. New genera are described: Comispira gen. nov. (Cochlespiridae), type species Leucosyrinx mai Li et Li, 2008; Pagodaturris gen. nov. (Clavatulidae), type species Pleurotoma molengraaffi Tesch, 1915. New species described: Comispira compta gen. et sp. nov., Sibogasyrinx sangeri sp. nov. (both Cochlespiridae), Pagodaturris philippinensis gen. et sp. nov. (Clavatulidae), Horaiclavus micans sp. nov., Iwaoa invenusta sp. nov. (both Horaiclavidae), Lucerapex cracens sp. nov., Lucerapex laevicarinatus sp. nov. (Turridae), Heteroturris kanacospira sp. nov. (Borsoniidae). Epideira Hedley, 1918 is reallocated from Pseudomelatomidae to Horaiclavidae. The radulae of Kuroshioturris nipponica (Shuto, 1961) (Turridae), Leucosyrinx verrillii (Dall, 1881), and Leucosyrinx luzonica (Powell, 1969) comb. nov. are illustrated for the first time.

AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, CEAMARC-AA, CONCALIS, DongSha 2014, EBISCO, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, INHACA 2011, KARUBENTHOS 2, MADEEP, NanHai 2014, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, ZhongSha 2015

ABSTRACT The family Turridae, once considered to encompass the entire diversity of Conoidea, excluding only the cone shells (family Conidae) and the auger shells (family Terebridae), has undergone significant redefinition based on both morphological and molecular data. Prior to this study, it included 15 Recent genera, comprising 209 species. However, a recent comprehensive analysis of an extensive dataset featuring 3,159 cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences has unveiled numerous species complexes, new species and previously undiscovered deep lineages. The newly proposed classification of Turridae based on an exon-capture phylogeny recognizes 24 clades, each worthy of genus rank, though only 13 of them had available names. As a result, 11 new genera have been described, namely Thielesyrinx n. gen., Shutogemmula n. gen., Mcleanigemmula n. gen., Pseudogemmula n. gen., Deceptigemmula n. gen., Oliveragemmula n. gen., Powelligemmula n. gen., Kilburnigemmula n. gen., Alisigemmula n. gen., Taylorigemmula n. gen. and Anisogemmula n. gen. With the exception of Thielesyrinx n. gen., species from all of these were previously classified within Gemmula, or Lophiotoma. Notably, some new genera, such as Deceptigemmula n. gen., Kilburnigemmula n. gen., Shutogemmula n. gen. and Taylorigemmula n. gen., cannot be morphologically differentiated, as similar species are found in other genera. Therefore, their distinction relies solely on molecular data. The name Eugemmula is re-instated from the synonymy of Gemmula. Purpuraturris is synonimized with Annulaturris, while Iotyrris with Xenuroturris. In total, we recognize 312 species/primary species hypotheses (PSHs) within the family. Molecular data were obtained for 212 species (among them 15 species complexes comprising in total 45 PSHs), mostly for the first time. A characteristic feature common to the entire family is the position of the relatively narrow anal sinus on the whorl periphery or immediately above it. Radula was examined in representatives of all genera. Although in several cases the radular morphology can aid genus differentiation (e.g. distinguishing Turris from Annulaturris), it is mostly a highly homoplastic structure, with very similar radular types occurring in distantly related genera.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, CONCALIS, DongSha 2014, EBISCO, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, INHACA 2011, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KARUBENTHOS 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KOUMAC 2.1, MADEEP, MADIBENTHOS, MAINBAZA, MUSORSTOM 9, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, TAIWAN 2004, TAIWAN 2013, TARASOC, TERRASSES, ZhongSha 2015

According to a recent taxonomic revision by Kantor et al. (2001), the neogastropod genus Exilia Conrad, 1860, comprises ten mostly rare species that live at depths between 200 and 2000 m. Adult Exilia measure between 30 and 90 mm in shell length, and the genus is mostly represented in museum collections by empty shells. The abundance of this genus is low in the wild, but recent expeditions organized by the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle have yielded several dozen specimens. These new collections include samples preserved for molecular studies. Here, we present the results of the first molecular systematic study of Exilia. Our aim was to investigate the species limits proposed by Kantor et al. (2001) on the basis of shell and anatomical characters. Analysis of DNA sequence data for the cytochrome c oxidase I gene suggests that Exilia hilgendorfi, previously considered to be a single, polymorphic and broadly distributed species, is a complex of at least six species (four of which we sequenced). Two of these species, Exilia cognata n. sp. and E. fedosovi n. sp., are described as new to science. Exilia gracilior, E. claydoni and E. prellei are resurrected from the synonymy of Exilia hilgendorfi; of these three, only the last was sequenced. Exilia vagrans is a welldefined taxon, but our molecular systematic data shows that it consists of two distinct species, which occur sympatrically off Taiwan and are strikingly similar in shell and radular morphology; due to the absence of DNA sequence data from the type locality of E. vagrans (Vanuatu), it is unclear to which of these two species the name would apply. Exilia karukera n. sp., which is conchologically very similar to E. vagrans, was discovered off Guadeloupe, represents the first record of the genus from the Atlantic. For E. elegans, which was previously known only from a single shell, we provide new data including new distributional records (South Africa and the Mozambique Channel), details of the radula and DNA sequence data.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BORDAU 2, CONCALIS, DongSha 2014, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KARUBENTHOS 2, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, MUSORSTOM 8, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, TAIWAN 2013, TARASOC, TERRASSES

Abstract The superfamily Buccinoidea is distributed across the oceans of the world from the Arctic Ocean to the Antarctic and from intertidal to abyssal depths. It encompasses 3351 recent species in 337 genera. The latest taxonomic account recognized eight full families. For the first time, the monophyly of the superfamily and the relationships among the families are tested with molecular data supplemented by anatomical and radula data. Five genetic markers were used: fragments of mitochondrial COI, 16S rRNA, 12S rRNA and nuclear Histone 3 (H3) and 28S rRNA genes (for 225 species of 117 genera). Our analysis recovered Buccinoidea monophyletic in Bayesian analyses. The relationships between the formerly recognized families and subfamilies are drastically revised and a new classification of the superfamily is here proposed, now including 20 taxa of family rank and 23 subfamilies. Five new families (Chauvetiidae, Dolicholatiridae, Eosiphonidae, Prodotiidae and Retimohniidae) and one subfamily of Nassariidae (Tomliniinae) are described. Austrosiphonidae and Tudiclidae are resurrected from synonymy and employed in a new taxonomical extension. All but 40 recent genera are reclassified. Our results demonstrate that anatomy is rather uniform within the superfamily. With exceptions, the rather uniform radular morphology alone does not allow the allocation of genera to a particular family without additional molecular data.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, CEAMARC-AA, CHALCAL 2, CONCALIS, CORSICABENTHOS 1, ???msg.security.private???, ???msg.security.private???, DongSha 2014, EBISCO, GUYANE 2014, ILES DU SALUT, INHACA 2011, KANACONO, KARUBENTHOS 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVALAN 2018, KOUMAC 2.1, KOUMAC 2.3, MADIBENTHOS, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, MUSORSTOM 4, ???msg.security.private???, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, ???msg.security.private???, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, TAIWAN 2000, TAIWAN 2004, TARASOC, TERRASSES, Tuhaa Pae 2013, ???msg.security.private???, ZhongSha 2015

Five new species of Olivoidea are described based on molecular and morphological evidence: four shallow subtidal Ancilla from Madagascar and Papua New Guinea, and one deep water (500-600 m) Calyptoliva from the Tuamotus. The sympatric – but not syntopic - Ancilla morrisoni and A. kaviengensis, from New Ireland province, are morphologically cryptic, differing mostly in shell colour, but are molecularly distinct. The sympatric – and possibly syntopic – Ancilla atimovatae and A. lhaumeti, belong to a species flock from southernmost Madagascar; A. atimovatae is conchologically nearly indistinguishable from A. ventricosa, but differs markedly in radular morphology. Calyptoliva was previously known only from the Coral Sea; C. bbugae is the first representative of the genus to yield molecular data. The new Ancilla are described based on sequenced holotypes; the type material of the new Calyptoliva includes a sequenced paratype.

ATIMO VATAE, CONCALIS, EXBODI, KAVIENG 2014, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, TARASOC

Crassispira cerithina (Anton, 1838) is a common shallow water conoidean gastropod species, broadly distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific. It has a distinctive shell morphology and has been referred to in many publications. It is also the first species of its family to have been studied from the viewpoint of toxinology. However, our molecular phylogenetic analysis based on fragments of the COI and 28 S rRNA genes reveals the existence of two closely related distinct species, one of which is described as new (C. scala n. sp.). These two species are sympatric in several regions of the Indo-Pacific—in the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. They can be reliably distinguished by shell morphology and thus cannot be considered truly cryptic species. The radula is very similar in both species and does not permit species delimitation. A conchological reappraisal of further material similar to C. cerithina allows us to recognize two additional species, which are described as new (C. procera n. sp. from the Coral Sea and Philippines, and C. aurea n. sp. from Tahiti). These results demonstrate that even ‘well-known’ and seemingly well defined species may be species complexes and that molecular techniques should be routinely applied to confirm specimen identification, especially as part of resource-consuming studies, such as toxinology.

CORAIL 2, KAVIENG 2014, LAGON, PAPUA NIUGINI

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, BATHUS 1, BATHUS 2, BATHUS 3, BATHUS 4, BERYX 11, BIOCAL, BIOGEOCAL, BORDAU 1, BORDAU 2, CHALCAL 2, CONCALIS, ???msg.security.private???, DongSha 2014, EBISCO, EXBODI, GEMINI, GUYANE 2014, HALICAL 1, HALIPRO 1, KANACONO, KARUBAR, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, LAGON, LIFOU 2000, LITHIST, MADEEP, MD32 (REUNION), MIRIKY, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 2, MUSORSTOM 3, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 5, MUSORSTOM 6, MUSORSTOM 7, MUSORSTOM 8, NORFOLK 1, NanHai 2014, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006, SMIB 2, SMIB 3, SMIB 4, SMIB 5, SMIB 6, SMIB 8, TAIWAN 2000, TARASOC, TERRASSES, VAUBAN 1978-1979, VOLSMAR, ???msg.security.private???

The abyssal and hadal Buccinoidea from the north-western Pacific formerly attributed to the genera Tacita and Calliloncha were analyzed for the first time using both multilocus molecular and morphological data. The results allow re-evaluation of the inter- and intrageneric variability of morphological characters and demonstrate that Tacita, Calliloncha and Paracalliloncha are synonyms of Bayerius, a genus widely distributed in the Pacific Ocean. In our reconstructed phylogeny the genus forms a maximally supported clade with Pararetifusus tenuis and Turrisipho dalli. At present, Bayerius includes 10 species, two of which are described herein as new to science, B. inflatus sp. nov. and B. nekrasovorum sp. nov. with one additional undescribed species represented in our material by a single specimen. The genus is reviewed, with the addition of new data on anatomy and distribution, based on newly obtained material. B. peruvianus is synonymized with B. zenkewitchi. Calliloncha nankaiensis together with Costaria crosnieri are attributed to a new genus, Warenius gen. nov., which clusters with several genera of Buccinoidea from biogenic substrata.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, KARUBENTHOS 2012, MIRIKY, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, TAIWAN 2004, ZhongSha 2015

In the ancillariid genus Amalda, the shell is character rich and 96 described species are currently treated as valid. Based on shell morphology, several subspecies have been recognized within Amalda hilgendorfi, with a combined range extending at depths of 150–750 m from Japan to the South-West Pacific. A molecular analysis of 78 specimens from throughout this range shows both a weak geographical structuring and evidence of gene flow at the regional scale. We conclude that recognition of subspecies (richeri Kilburn & Bouchet, 1988, herlaari van Pel, 1989, and vezzaroi Cossignani, 2015) within A. hilgendorfi is not justified. By contrast, hilgendorfi-like specimens from the Mozambique Channel and New Caledonia are molecularly segregated, and so are here described as new, as Amalda miriky sp. nov. and A. cacao sp. nov., respectively. The New Caledonia Amalda montrouzieri complex is shown to include at least three molecularly separable species, including A. allaryi and A. alabaster sp. nov. Molecular data also confirm the validity of the New Caledonia endemics Amalda aureomarginata, A. fuscolingua, A. bellonarum, and A. coriolis. The existence of narrow range endemics suggests that the species limits of Amalda with broad distributions, extending, e.g., from Japan to Taiwan (A. hinomotoensis) or even Indonesia, the Strait of Malacca, Vietnam and the China Sea (A. mamillata) should be taken with caution.

ATIMO VATAE, BATHUS 1, BATHUS 2, BATHUS 3, BIOCAL, BIOPAPUA, CHALCAL 1, CONCALIS, EBISCO, EXBODI, HALIPRO 1, INHACA 2011, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, LAGON, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 5, NORFOLK 1, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, ???msg.security.private???, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, SMIB 1, SMIB 2, SMIB 3, SMIB 4, SMIB 5, SMIB 8, TERRASSES, VAUBAN 1978-1979, ???msg.security.private???, ZhongSha 2015

The genus Sibogasyrinx has to date included only four species of rare deep-water Conoidea, each known from few specimens. In shell characters it strongly resembles three distantly-related genera, two of which, Comitas and Leucosyrinx, belong to a different family, the Pseudomelatomidae. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of a large amount of material of Conoidea has revealed the existence of much additional undescribed diversity within Sibogasyrinx from the central Indo-Pacific and temperate Northern Pacific. Based on partial sequences of the mitochondrial cox1 gene and morphological characters of 54 specimens, 10 species hypotheses are proposed, of which six are described as new species: S. subula sp. nov., S. lolae sp. nov., S. maximei sp. nov., S. clausura sp. nov., S. pagodiformis sp. nov. and S. elbakyanae Kantor, Puillandre & Bouchet sp. nov. One of the previously described species was absent in our material. Most of the new species are very similar and are compared to Leucosyrinx spp. Species of Sibogasyrinx are unique among Conoidea on account of the high intrageneric variability in radular morphology. Three distinct radula types are found within Sibogasyrinx, two of which are confined to highly supported subclades.

AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, EBISCO, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, KANADEEP, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MIRIKY, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, TERRASSES

Species of Fragum were collected from shallow waters in the Funafuti Atoll in Tuvalu in 2004, with one species being new. We describe Fragum funafutiense n. sp., which in addition to its occurrence at Funafuti, has now been found in five additional countries in the Indo-West Pacific. It can be differentiated from closely similar species only by consideration of a suite of characters that include shell shape, nature of the umbonal keel, rib number, rib sculpture, constitution of the hinge and nature of the shell window formation. Previously published molecular sequence data, including COI and 16S mtDNA, support this species as distinct from other tested fragines as well. Like all species in the genera Fragum, Corculum, and Lunulicardia, this new species is also photosymbiotic. In contrast to many other cardiids, however, Fragum funafutiense n. sp. exhibits deep penetration of fibrous prismatic microstructure on the posterior shell surface, consistent with window shell microstructure. Window shell microstructure is an adaptation that enhances light penetration through the shell to photosymbionts housed in soft tissue such as mantle, foot, and siphonal tentacles. A lectotype of its congener F. mundum (Reeve, 1845) is herein designated.

PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

Nudibranchs are charismatic marine gastropods that lack a shell in the adult stage. While most nudibranchs feed on sessile animals such as sponges, bryozoans, and cnidarians, the nudibranch genus Gymnodoris Stimpson, 1855 evolved a more active and predatory lifestyle, including sea slug predation, cannibalism, and oddly enough, fish-fin parasitism. At the beginning of our work, no phylogenetic hypothesis existed for the genus, nor a clear picture of how Gymnodoris is related to other nudibranchs. Here we set out to reconstruct Gymnodoris phylogeny, investigate species diversity, and clarify the status of the genus name Analogium, which had been proposed for members of the genus with a linear gill filament arrangement. We present the first phylogenetic hypothesis for Gymnodoris, reconstructed by maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference using two mitochondrial and two nuclear loci, with gill filament arrangement plotted on the phylogeny. The backbone of the phylogeny remains unresolved with theseloci, however, we found that Gymnodoris comprises three main well-supported clades, which we refer to as the “subornata”, “citrina” and “varied” clade, the latter two clades being comprised of several well-supported subclades. The sister group to Gymnodoris is a clade including the genera Vayssierea and Lecithophorus. Based on ABGD and PTP species delimitation methods, we conservatively estimate 65–70 species comprise our dataset. We further estimate that approximately 81% of the species we sampled are undescribed, and note that a linear gill filament arrangement has evolved multiple times within the genus. Gymnodoris is only monophyletic when the species with a linear gill arrangement are included. Therefore, at this time, we agree with the synonymy of Analogium striata with Gymnodoris striata by Rudman and Darvell (1990) and that the genus name Analogium is warranted as a junior synonym of Gymnodoris. Given the extensive undescribed diversity, and lack of resolution at some of the nodes in the phylogeny, patterns of diversification in diet are impossible to discern at this time and will require a large effort to both describe Gymnodoris species diversity and the diets of these candidate species.

PAPUA NIUGINI

The use of phylogeny with uneven or limited taxon sampling may bias our interpretation of organismal evolution, for instance, the origin(s) of the deep-sea animals. The Mollusca is the second most speciose phylum, in which the Gastropoda forms the largest group. However, the currently proposed hypotheses of gastropod phylogeny are mainly based on part of their taxonomic diversity, notably on the large-sized and shallow-water species. In this study, we aimed at correcting this bias by reconstructing the phylogeny with new mitogenomes of deep-sea gastropods including Anatoma sp., Bathysciadiidae sp., Bayerotrochus teramachii, Calliotropis micraulax, Coccocrater sp., Cocculina subcompressa, Lepetodrilus guaymasensis, Peltospira smaragdina, Perotrochus caledonicus, Pseudococculinidae sp., and Shinkailepas briandi. This dataset provided the first reports of the mitogenomes for the Cocculiniformia, three vetigastropod superfamilies: Pleurotomarioidea, Lepetelloidea, and Scissurelloidea, and the neritimorph family Phenacolepadidae. The addition of deep-sea representatives also allowed us to evaluate the evolution of habitat use in gastropods. Our results showed a strongly supported sister-group relationship between the deep-sea lineages Cocculiniformia and Neomphalina. Within the Vetigastropoda, the Pleurotomarioidea was revealed as the sister-group of the remaining vetigastropods. Although this clade was presently restricted to the deep sea, fossil records showed that it has only recently invaded this habitat, thus suggesting that shallow waters was the ancestral habitat for the Vetigastropoda. The deep-sea Lepetelloidea and Lepetodriloidea formed a well-supported clade, with the Scissurelloidea sister to it, suggesting an early transition from shallow water to deep sea in this lineage. In addition, the switch between different chemosynthetic habitats was also observed in deep-sea gastropod lineages, notably in Neomphalina and Lepetelloidea. In both cases, the biogenic substrates appeared as the putative ancestral habitat, confirming the previously proposed hypothesis of a wooden-step to deep-sea vents scenario of evolution of habitat use for these taxa.

AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, CONCALIS, EXBODI, NORFOLK 2, PAPUA NIUGINI

Abstract The family Cocculinidae (Gastropoda: Cocculinida) consists of small, usually colourless benthic limpets living primarily at depths below 100 m, and on decaying plant or animal remains. These habitats are difficult to sample and the knowledge about Cocculinidae species diversity, biogeography, ecology and evolution is therefore poor. To explore the species diversity of the Cocculinidae, we examined 499 specimens collected from 196 sites, mainly explored during expeditions of the ‘Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos’ programme in the Indo-West Pacific (IWP). To propose a species hypotheses, we used an integrated approach to taxonomy in which we combined DNA-based methods, with morphological, geographical and ecological considerations. To classify the species hypotheses into genera, we used a combination of one mitochondrial and two nuclear gene fragments to reconstruct a phylogenetic tree. We then used six morphological characters to diagnose the identified genera. Our results revealed an exceptionally high diversity of IWP Cocculinidae, with 51 species hypotheses that were mostly not assigned to available species names. We also discovered a previously unknown type of copulatory structure in the group. At a higher taxonomic level, we identified ten main clades in the family. Although six of them matched existing genera, four others should be regarded as new genera awaiting formal description.

AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, CONCALIS, DongSha 2014, EBISCO, EXBODI, KAVALAN 2018, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, TAIWAN 2013

Donacidae is a commercially important family of heterodont bivalves and one of the few bivalve lineages that has successfully colonised brackish and fresh waters. However, to date, no phylogenetic hypothesis exists for this widely distributed group. Here we turn to molecular data from the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes and combine these with the extensive fossil record of donacids to propose an evolutionary hypothesis for the family. Our analyses strongly support the monophyly of Donacidae, including Galatea, Iphigenia and ‘Plebidonax’ deltoides, but render Donax paraphyletic. The subgenus Latona is therefore elevated to genus to accommodate a clade of Indo-Pacific species, while retaining Donax for a clade of mostly Atlantic and American Pacific species, and a few Indo-Pacific species. This latter clade is sister group to Galatea + Iphigenia. The diversification of Donacidae seems to be tightly connected to the opening of the North and South Atlantic Oceans in the Cretaceous, and to the closing of the Tethys Ocean during the Oligocene. Taxonomic actions: Latona columbella (Lamarck, 1818) comb. nov., L. deltoides (Lamarck, 1818) comb. nov., L. dysoni (Reeve, 1854) comb. nov., L. madagascariensis (W. Wood, 1828) comb. nov., L. semisulcata semigranosa (Dunker, 1877) comb. nov., L. spinosa (Gmelin, 1791) comb. nov., L. sordida (Hanley, 1845) comb. nov., L. siliqua (Römer, 1870) comb. nov., L.trifasciata (Linnaeus, 1758) comb. nov. and L. victoris (Fischer-Piette, 1942) comb. nov.Key

ATIMO VATAE, INHACA 2011, KAVIENG 2014, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

In this study, we delved into the interaction between corallivorous marine gastropods, the muricid Coralliophilinae Chenu, 1859, and their cnidarian food targets. Coralliophilinae is a subfamily of specialised corallivorous caenogastropods that feed by browsing on octocorals or hexacorals. Only sparse information is available on the phylogenetic relationships and the degree of specificity of the trophic relationships within this corallivorous lineage. To address these gaps, we generated the largest molecular dataset to date, comprising two mitochondrial (cox1 and 16S rDNA) and one nuclear gene (ITS2 rDNA) from 586 specimens collected worldwide. The coral hosts of coralliophilines were identified through an integrative approach, combining literature data with new records, employing morphological and/or molecular markers, and incorporating data from DNA barcoding of the snail stomach content. Our comprehensive approach unveiled the existence of numerous cryptic species in Coralliophilinae, while the phylogeny showed that most of the currently accepted genera are not monophyletic. The molecular dating confirmed the origin of the Coralliophilinae in Middle Eocene, with diversification of most lineages during the Miocene. Our results indicate that the subfamily’s ancestor evolved in shallow waters in association with Scleractinia. Through the evolutionary history of Coralliophilinae, multiple host shifts to other cnidarian orders were observed, not correlated with changes in the depth range. The results of diversification analyses within the subfamily further suggest that the association with the host has influenced the evolutionary patterns of Coralliophilinae, but not vice versa.

ATIMO VATAE, BIOMAGLO, CONCALIS, CORSICABENTHOS 2, CORSICABENTHOS 3, EBISCO, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, INHACA 2011, KARUBENTHOS 2, KAVIENG 2014, LIFOU 2000, MADIBENTHOS, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006, TARASOC, TERRASSES, Tuhaa Pae 2013, Walters Shoal, ZhongSha 2015

Introduction Host-parasite associations provide very useful models to study adaptive processes. We investigated the interaction between carnivorous marine gastropods, the Ovulidae or egg-cowries, and their cnidarian food targets. Ovulidae (Fleming, 1828), is a family of specialized carnivorous caenogastropods that feed by browsing on octocorals (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Malacalcyonacea and Scleralcyonacea) or, to a much lesser degree, on antipatharians (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Antipatharia) and Stylasteridae (Hydrozoa: Hydroidolina: Anthoathecata). Very scanty information is available on the phylogenetic relationships and the degree of specificity of the relationship with the cnidarians of this corallivorous lineage, especially for deep-water taxa. Methods To assess taxonomic identifications and investigate cnidarian/ovulid relationships in the context of their evolution, we generated an extensive molecular dataset comprising two mitochondrial ( cox1 and 16S rDNA ) and one nuclear gene ( 28S rDNA ) from 524 specimens collected worldwide. The coral hosts of the ovulid species have been identified by integrating literature data with new records, employing morphological and/or molecular (the mitochondrial 16S rDNA and mtMSH , and the nuclear ITS2) markers. Results We obtained a molecular phylogenetic framework for the Ovulidae, time-calibrated with nine reliable fossil records. An ancestral state reconstruction allowed to identify Hexacorallia or Hydroidolina as the most likely ancestral cnidarian host for the Ovulidae. Discussion Our phylogenetic hypothesis revealed the existence of groups that do not completely correspond to the currently employed subfamilial arrangement. Concerning trophic ecology, while only pediculariines ( Pedicularia and allied) are associated with hydrozoans (Stylasteridae), our results suggest that some ovulid lineages shifted independently between octocorals and hexacorals.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BIOMAGLO, CORSICABENTHOS 1, CORSICABENTHOS 2, CORSICABENTHOS 3, EBISCO, EXBODI, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KARUBENTHOS 2, KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.3, MADEEP, MADIBENTHOS, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, SPANBIOS, ZhongSha 2015

Understanding why some groups of organisms are more diverse than others is a central goal in macroevolution. Evolvability, or the intrinsic capacity of lineages for evolutionary change, is thought to influence disparities in species diversity across taxa. Over macroevolutionary time scales, clades that exhibit high evolvability are expected to have higher speciation rates. Cone snails (family: Conidae, $>$900 spp.) provide a unique opportunity to test this prediction because their toxin genes can be used to characterize differences in evolvability between clades. Cone snails are carnivorous, use prey-specific venom (conotoxins) to capture prey, and the genes that encode venom are known and diversify through gene duplication. Theory predicts that higher gene diversity confers a greater potential to generate novel phenotypes for specialization and adaptation. Therefore, if conotoxin gene diversity gives rise to varying levels of evolvability, conotoxin gene diversity should be coupled with macroevolutionary speciation rates. We applied exon capture techniques to recover phylogenetic markers and conotoxin loci across 314 species, the largest venom discovery effort in a single study. We paired a reconstructed timetree using 12 fossil calibrations with species-specific estimates of conotoxin gene diversity and used trait-dependent diversification methods to test the impact of evolvability on diversification patterns. Surprisingly, we did not detect any signal for the relationship between conotoxin gene diversity and speciation rates, suggesting that venom evolution may not be the rate-limiting factor controlling diversification dynamics in Conidae. Comparative analyses showed some signal for the impact of diet and larval dispersal strategy on diversification patterns, though detection of a signal depended on the dataset and the method. If our results remain true with increased taxonomic sampling in future studies, they suggest that the rapid evolution of conid venom may cause other factors to become more critical to diversification, such as ecological opportunity or traits that promote isolation among lineages.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, CONCALIS, EBISCO, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, INHACA 2011, KARUBENTHOS 2, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, TAIWAN 2013, TERRASSES

The identity of the Pleistocene Cardium (Acanthocardia) can­ cellatum Nomura, 1933 (non Cardium cancellatum Gmelin, 1791), is reevaluated based on examination of detailed photos of the holotype. It represents a Frigidocardium species, with shell characters that are close to F. torresi (E.A. Smith, 1885). Its replacement name is Cardium nomurai Kuroda & Habe in Kuroda, 1951. It was selected as type species of the genus Trifaricardium Kuroda & Habe in Habe, 1951. As a consequence, Trifaricardium is a subjective synonym of Frigido­ cardium Habe, 1951 (syn. nov.). The only remaining species originally described in Trifaricardium, viz T. morrisoni ter Poorten & M. Huber, 2007, is herein placed in Microcardium (comb. nov.). The name Trifaricardium nomurai has mostly been misapplied for a present-day species that is traditionally known from Japan but which is still unnamed. Therefore, Microcardium pseudonomurai spec. nov. is described and its distribution elucidated. Another misapplication of T. nomurai, in use among Chinese workers for material from the South China Sea, turns out to be specifically different and is described as Microcardium pseudocancellatum spec. nov.. The nine Cardiidae species sampled by the zhongsha 2015 expedition are listed, comprising six or seven species newly recorded for the South China Sea. All of these are figured in this paper.

BIOPAPUA, KAVIENG 2014, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, ZhongSha 2015

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BATHUS 1, BATHUS 2, BENTHAUS, BERYX 11, BIOPAPUA, BOA0, BOA1, BORDAU 1, BORDAU 2, CONCALIS, EBISCO, EXBODI, KARUBAR, KARUBENTHOS 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, LIFOU 2000, MAINBAZA, MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 6, MUSORSTOM 7, MUSORSTOM 8, MUSORSTOM 9, NORFOLK 1, NORFOLK 2, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SMIB 8, TAIWAN 2000, TARASOC, Tuhaa Pae 2013, ???msg.security.private???

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BATHUS 2, BATHUS 3, BATHUS 4, BENTHEDI, BERYX 11, BIOPAPUA, BOA0, BOA1, BORDAU 1, BORDAU 2, CHALCAL 1, CONCALIS, EBISCO, EXBODI, KARUBAR, KARUBENTHOS 2, KAVIENG 2014, LAGON, LIFOU 2000, LITHIST, MADEEP, MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 7, MUSORSTOM 8, MUSORSTOM 9, NORFOLK 2, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SMIB 8, TAIWAN 2000, TARASOC, ???msg.security.private???, ZhongSha 2015

AURORA 2007, INHACA 2011, KAVIENG 2014, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

ATIMO VATAE, BOA1, EBISCO, KAVIENG 2014, NORFOLK 2, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006, TERRASSES

Species of the family Orbitestellidae (genera Boschitestella and Orbitestella) are studied from material collected by the authors in the Atlantic (Caribbean and West Africa), Red Sea and some Pacific Ocean (mainly French Polynesia areas). Some comments on their larval shell morphology and distribution are made. Three new species are described.

PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1

AURORA 2007, BATHUS 2, BATHUS 4, LIFOU 2000, MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 8, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SANTO 2006

The authors studied the species of the genus Lophocochlias, family Tornidae, of the tropical Indo-Pacific, collected during the expeditions of the Tropical deep-sea Benthos, directed by IRD and MNHN, in Madagascar, Reunion Island, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, the Philippine Islands, the Society Islands and Papua-New Guinea. New data on geographical distribution and habitat of the species studied are provided, and their morphological variability is discussed. Comparison with some fossil species is done and a new species is described.

ATIMO VATAE, BENTHEDI, LAGON, LIFOU 2000, MD32 (REUNION), MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 6, MUSORSTOM 9, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006, SMCB, VAUBAN 1978-1979

ATIMO VATAE, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1

MUSORSTOM 8, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1

A new genus and 6 new species belonging to the family Vitrinellidae (Caenogastropoda: Truncatelloidea) are described. The species studied are from the southeastern tropical Pacific and were collected during the Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos expeditions conducted by IRD and MNHN in New Caledonia, the Marquesas Islands, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. The new genus Collatus is based on unique morphological features that are present in the six newly described species; their systematic position is discussed and the new genus is compared with other genera presenting similar morphological characteristics. Each species is illustrated by scanning electron microscope photographs; their specific variability is discussed and information on their habitat, geographical distribution and bathymetric range is provided.

KAVIENG 2014, ???msg.security.private???, MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 9, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI

The species of the family Vitrinellidae, genus Pseudoliotia Tate, 1898 in the tropical IndoPacific collected during the Tropical deep-sea Benthos expeditions, directed by IRD and MNHN are studied; they were collected in Madagascar, Reunion Island, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, the Philippine Islands, Taiwan, Society Islands and Papua New Guinea. For a correct identification, we have studied all the type material available in several museums of the previously known species where they were deposited.

ATIMO VATAE, BATHUS 1, BOA1, BORDAU 1, LAGON, MD32 (REUNION), MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 3, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 8, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SANTO 2006, ???msg.security.private???, ???msg.security.private???, TAIWAN 2002, TARASOC, TERRASSES

ATIMO VATAE, BATHUS 2, BATHUS 4, BENTHEDI, BIOPAPUA, EBISCO, EXBODI, INHACA 2011, KAVIENG 2014, LAGON, LIFOU 2000, MADEEP, MD32 (REUNION), MIRIKY, MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 8, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SANTO 2006, TARASOC, VAUBAN 1978-1979

New species and a new genus belonging to the family Orbitestellidae Iredale, 1917 from the tropical Indo-Pacific are described: nine new species in the genus Orbitestella Iredale, 1917 and one more of the new genus Absonus, also described herein. All the new species are compared with the previously known ones.

LIFOU 2000, MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 8, MUSORSTOM 9, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SANTO 2006, ???msg.security.private???

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BATHUS 1, BATHUS 2, BATHUS 4, BENTHAUS, BENTHEDI, BIOGEOCAL, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, BORDAU 1, BORDAU 2, CORAIL 2, CORINDON 2, EBISCO, EXBODI, INHACA 2011, KANACONO, KARUBAR, KAVIENG 2014, LAGON, LIFOU 2000, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, MD32 (REUNION), MIRIKY, MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 2, MUSORSTOM 3, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 6, MUSORSTOM 7, MUSORSTOM 8, MUSORSTOM 9, NORFOLK 2, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, ???msg.security.private???, ???msg.security.private???, TAIWAN 2002, TARASOC, ZhongSha 2015

The worldwide distributed neogastropod family Muricidae comprises more than 1800 extant species of whelks, rock-shells, murex-shells, drill-shells, and coral-shells. Despite several attempts at a taxonomic revision based on morphological characters, the systematics of this family is still largely debated. Here, we present a molecular revision of the family Muricidae based on the largest dataset analysed so far, which comprises 384 specimens representing 360 species and includes, for the first time, all the currently recognised subfamilies. A molecular dataset of cox1, 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and 28S rRNA genetic markers and six fossil-based calibration points were used to produce time-calibrated phylogenetic reconstructions, using a Maximum Likelihood approach. Our results confirmed the monophyly of most of the accepted subfamilies, suggested a revision of the taxonomic composition of Muricopsinae and Muricinae, and highlighted some lineages not immediately comprised in any of the recognised subfamilies. The origin and early diversification of the subfamilies of Muricidae occurred between 32 and 60 million years ago.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, CONCALIS, EBISCO, GUYANE 2014, KARUBENTHOS 2012, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, NORFOLK 1, NORFOLK 2, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006, TERRASSES

Bursa granularis (Röding, 1798) is a tonnoidean gastropod that is regarded as broadly distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific and tropical western Atlantic. Because of its variable shell it has received no less than thirteen names, now all synonymized under the name B. granularis. We sequenced a fragment of the cox1 gene for 82 specimens covering a large part of its distribution and most type localities. Two delimitation methods were applied, one based on genetic distance (ABGD) and one based on phylogenetic trees (GMYC). All analyses suggest that specimens identified as B. granularis comprise four distinct species: one limited to the tropical western Atlantic, another to southwestern Western Australia and two in the Indo-Pacific (from the Red Sea to the open Pacific) that are partly sympatric—but not syntopic—in Japan, the Philippines, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Based on comparison of shell characters, we applied the following available names to the four species, respectively: B. cubaniana (d’Orbigny, 1841), B. elisabettae Nappo, Pellegrini & Bonomolo, 2014, B. granularis s. s. and B. affinis Broderip, 1833. We provide new standardized conchological descriptions for each of them. Our results demonstrate that a long planktotrophic larval stage, common among Tonnoidea, does not necessarily ensure a circumtropical species distribution.

INHACA 2011, KARUBENTHOS 2012, MAINBAZA, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006, TERRASSES, ???msg.security.private???

With 59 Recent species, Bursidae, known as «frog shells», are a small but widely distributed group of tropical and subtropical gastropods that are most diverse in the Indo-West Pacific. The present study is aimed at recon­ structing phylogenetic relationships of bursid gastropods based on extensive and representative taxon sampling. Five genetic markers (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1), 16 s and 12 s rRNA mitochondrial genes, 28 s rRNA and Histone H3 nuclear gene) were sequenced for over 30 species in every known genus but Crossata. Furthermore, we sequenced the complete mt-genome of 9 species (10 specimens) (Aspa marginata, Marsupina bufo, Korrigania quirihorai, Korrigania fijiensis, Tutufa rubeta, Bursa lamarckii, Lampasopsis rhodostoma (twice), Bufonaria perelegans and Bursa aff. tuberosissima). Our analysis recovered Bursidae as a monophyletic group, whereas the genus Bursa was found to be polyphyletic. The genera Talisman and Dulcerana are resurrected and the genera Alanbeuella gen. nov. and Korrigania gen. nov. are described. Dating analysis using 21 extinct taxa for node and simplified tip calibrations was performed, showing a diversification of the group in two phases. Diversification may be linked to tectonic events leading to biodiversity relocation from the western Tethys to­ ward the Indo-Pacific.

ATIMO VATAE, CONCALIS, EBISCO, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, INHACA 2011, KARUBENTHOS 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, NORFOLK 1, NORFOLK 2, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006, TERRASSES, Tuhaa Pae 2013, ???msg.security.private???, ZhongSha 2015

PAPUA NIUGINI

We present the most comprehensive phylogeny of a globally distributed deep-sea group of gastropods published to date including over 80% of the recognized diversity of the family Scaphandridae. The definition and taxo­ nomic composition of the Scaphandridae has been hampered by the lack of a sound phylogenetic framework and definition of synapomorphic traits. We used a combination of molecular phylogenetics (Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood) based on five gene markers (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and 28S rRNA) and morpho-anatomical characters to redefine the Scaphandridae and its genera. A new classification is proposed with the three genera Nipponoscaphander, Sabatia, and Scaphander. Main differences between genera lie on the shells (shape, parietal callus, spire) and male reproductive system (prostate). The species Hamineobulla kawamurai is reassigned to the closely related family Eoscaphandridae, currently defined mostly based on pleisiomorphic traits. Biogeographically the genus Nipponoscaphander is restricted to the IndoWest Pacific; Sabatia is mostly circumscribed to the Indo-West Pacific, but has one lineage present in the north Atlantic Ocean. Polyphyly across ocean realms prevails in the specious and globally distributed genus Scaphander with multiple speciation events between Indo-Pacific and Atlantic lineages but also with several episodes of cladogenesis within realms. Two rare cases of species with a broad distribution spanning the Indo-West Pacific and Atlantic realms are confirmed (S. meridionalis and S. nobilis)

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, CONCALIS, EBISCO, EXBODI, KARUBENTHOS 2, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, TARASOC, Walters Shoal

Abstract Scaphander is a genus of mostly deep-sea, soft-bottom gastropods distributed nearly worldwide. Its taxonomic history is complex, with 32 species currently accepted, most based on shells only. In this work, we revise the diversity and systematics of Scaphander, with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region, using a detailed morphological study and molecular phylogenetics. Conchological and anatomical characters, such as digestive and male reproductive systems were compared, and original descriptions and type material were investigated. Additionally, molecular species delimitation methods were used, such as Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning (ASAP) based on the gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, and the multispecies coalescent method Species Tree And Classification Estimation, Yarely (STACEY) based on a dataset of five gene markers. Thirty-three Scaphander species were recognized worldwide, 10 still based only on shells. Five species are here described as new to science, namely Scaphander amygdalus sp. nov., Scaphander cornus sp. nov., Scaphander obnubilus sp. nov., Scaphander semicallus sp. nov. and Scaphander solomonensis sp. nov. The most diverse region is the Western Pacific (17 species), followed by the Atlantic (12 species) and the Indian Ocean (7 species).

DongSha 2014, KARUBAR, MAINBAZA, NanHai 2014, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, Walters Shoal, ZhongSha 2015

The paper describes a new species of the genus Thermochiton, T. papuaensis sp. nov., found in deep waters off Papua New Guinea. This species differs from T. undocostatus primarily in the dorsal scales, the marginal spicules, sculpture of the jugal area and the shape of the central teeth of radula. There are apparent similarities between the species of the genus Thermochiton, Connexochiton platynomenus, C. kaasi and Ischnochiton crassus. The last species is proposed to be transferred to Connexochiton. Owing to the friable, rusty brown deposits that densely cover the shell and girdle of both specimens of T. papuaensis, the latter probably lives in areas of high chemical activity.

PAPUA NIUGINI

Two new species of the family Leptochitonidae, Leptochiton pumilus sp. nov. and Terenochiton nomurai sp. nov. are described from the tropical and subtropical shallow waters of the West Pacific. L. pumilus from the Philippines and Papua New Guinea has a net-like sculpture on the shell which is rather rare feature in the genus. In this genus, so far only three species have hitherto been known in the tropical shallow waters, in contrast to more than 130 other extant species which are living in the deep cold waters and high latitudes. T. nomurai from Ryukyu Islands is the second representative of the genus Terenochiton Iredale, 1914 which was recently reinstated for Leptochiton norfolcensis (Hedley et Hull, 1912), and is characterized by having rudiments of the insertion plates in all valves. T. nomurai closely resembles the type species, but differs in the arrangement of the aesthete pores on the granules of the tegmentum, and less developed rudiments of the insertion plates.

PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI

Species identities of Goniobranchus nudibranchs with white bodies and various marginal bands have long been problematic. In this study, specimens of these Goniobranchus nudibranchs from the Philippines, Peninsular Malaysia, Japan, Papua New Guinea, and Madagascar were analyzed and molecular data were obtained in order to re-examine the relationships between species within this “white Goniobranchus with marginal bands” group. The analyses clearly recovered six species groups corresponding to the described species Goniobranchus albonares, G. preciosus, G. rubrocornutus, G. sinensis, and G. verrieri as well as one new species, G. fabulus Soong & Gosliner, sp. nov. Notably, G. preciosus, G. sinensis, G. rubrocornutus, G. verrieri, and G. fabulus Soong & Gosliner, sp. nov. exhibit color variation and polymorphism, suggesting that some aspects of color patterns (e.g., presence or absence of dorsal spots) may not always be useful in the identification of species in the “white Goniobranchus with marginal bands” group, whereas other features such as gill and rhinophore colors and the arrangement and colors of the mantle marginal bands are more diagnostic for each species.

ATIMO VATAE, PAPUA NIUGINI

Eye reduction occurs in many troglobitic, fossorial, and deep-sea animals but there is no clear consensus on its evolutionary mechanism. Given the highly conserved and pleiotropic nature of many genes instrumental to eye development, degeneration might be expected to follow consistent evolutionary trajectories in closely related animals. We tested this in a comparative study of ocular anatomy in solariellid snails from deep and shallow marine habitats using morphological, histological, and tomographic techniques, contextualized phylogenetically. Of 67 species studied, 15 lack retinal pigmentation and at least seven have eyes enveloped by surrounding epithelium. Independent instances of reduction follow numerous different morphological trajectories. We estimate eye loss has evolved at least seven times within Solariellidae, in at least three different ways: characters such as pigmentation loss, obstruction of eye aperture, and “lens” degeneration can occur in any order. In one instance, two morphologically distinct reduction pathways appear within a single genus, Bathymophila. Even amongst closely related animals living at similar depths and presumably with similar selective pressures, the processes leading to eye loss have more evolutionary plasticity than previously realized. Although there is selective pressure driving eye reduction, it is clearly not morphologically or developmentally constrained as has been suggested by previous studies.

AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, CONCALIS, EBISCO, EXBODI, KARUBENTHOS 2012, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, NORFOLK 2, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006, TAIWAN 2001, TARASOC, TERRASSES

New molecular phylogenies of the chemosymbiotic bivalve family Lucinidae, using 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA and cytochrome b genes, include species from genera not previously analysed. Notable additions from Myrteinae are sequences from Rostrilucina, Solelucina and Taylorina species, species of Ustalucina, Gonimyrtea from Leucosphaerinae and additional species of Ctena, Codakia, Lucinoma and Divalucina from Codakiinae. New sequences of Lucininae include the type species of Parvilucina (P. tenuisculpta), Liralucina, Falsolucinoma, Easmithia, Jallenia, Radiolucina and Cardiolucina as well as samples of Loripes orbiculatus from multiple localities. Five major clades, defined as subfamilies, are recognized: Pegophyseminae, Myrteinae, Leucosphaerinae, Codakiinae and Lucininae. Two branches, Fimbriinae and Monitilorinae, are represented by single species. Pegophyseminae are an extremely long-branched group with a sister-group relationship to Leucosphaerinae, while Codakiinae are a sister clade to the Lucininae. In various gene trees, the position of Myrteinae is unstable in relation to Pegophyseminae + Leucosphaerinae, Monitilorinae and Fimbriinae. The Myrteinae are not well resolved, with an ambiguous correlation of molecular and morphological characters. Codakiinae now include Divalucina cumingi, shown to be related to Lucinoma rather than Divaricella and Divalinga of the Lucininae. Leucosphaerinae are a well-supported clade but morphologically disparate, with the positions of Gonimyrtea and Callucina unresolved. Several molecularly distinct subclades are recognized within the Lucininae, especially the Lucinisca, Loripes and Parvilucina groups. Parvilucina species are paraphyletic with P. tenuisculpta, the type species, distinct from the western Atlantic species. Codakia, Ctena and Pegophysema have pan-tropical distributions with former connections disrupted by vicariant events of the closure of the eastern Tethyan and Central American Seaways. Species of Radiolucina, Pleurolucina and Lucinisca are present on either side of the Isthmus of Panama. A new classification of the 96 living lucinid genera is presented, providing a framework for future studies of systematics, ecology, biogeography and bacterial symbioses.

ATIMO VATAE, BIOPAPUA, DongSha 2014, EBISCO, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, ILES DU SALUT, INHACA 2011, KARUBAR, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.3, LAGON, MADEEP, MIRIKY, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, TERRASSES, ZhongSha 2015

A new molecular phylogeny of the Lucinidae using 18S and 28S rRNA and cytochrome b genes includes many species from the tropical Western Atlantic as well as additional taxa from the Indo-West Pacific. This study provides a phylogenetic framework for a new taxonomy of tropical Western Atlantic lucinids. The analysis confirmed five major clades—Pegophyseminae, Leucosphaerinae, Myrteinae, Codakiinae and Lucininae, with Monitilorinae and Fimbriinae represented by single species. The Leucosphaerinae are expanded and include Callucina winckworthi and the W. Atlantic Myrtina pristiphora that groups with several Indo-West Pacific Myrtina species. Within the Codakiinae two abundant species of Ctena from the Western Atlantic with similar shells are discriminated as C. orbiculata and C. imbricatula, while in the Indo-West Pacific Ctena bella is a probable species complex. The Lucininae is the most species rich and disparate subfamily with several subclades apparent. Three species of Lucina are recognized in the W. Atlantic L. aurantia, L. pensylvanica and L. roquesana. Pleurolucina groups near to Cavilinga and Lucina, while Lucinisca muricata is more closely related to the E. Pacific L. fenestrata than to the Atlantic L. nassula. A new species of Parvilucina is identified from molecular analyses having been confounded with Parvilucina pectinata but differs in ligament structure. Also, the former Parvilucina clenchi is more distant and assigned to Guyanella.

ATIMO VATAE, BIOPAPUA, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, INHACA 2011, KARUBENTHOS 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, MADEEP, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI

The ongoing revision of several morphological groups in Terebridae, aided by further dissemination with the aid of molecular results, presently already results in the discovery and description of nine new species of Terebridae in three genera: Myurella boaretifa sp. nov., Profunditerebra baruna sp. nov., Terebra agulha sp. nov., T. alabaster sp. nov., T. caudapotamogalina sp. nov., T. ekotokwa sp. nov., T. grimwoodi sp. nov., T. holfordae sp. nov. and T. spraguei sp. nov.

ATIMO VATAE, BIOPAPUA, INHACA 2011, KARUBAR, KAVIENG 2014, MIRIKY, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006, ???msg.security.private???

Punctoterebra oryza sp. nov. and Punctoterebra bugeae sp. nov. are described as new and compared to their morphological congeners.

PAPUA NIUGINI

The complete mitochondrial genome of the pseudococculinid limpet Notocrater youngi was determined using Illumina sequencing and found to be a double-stranded circular molecule 15,915 bp in length. It contains the usual 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and 22 transfer RNA genes, although with a gene order that differs from those of all other presently known Vetigastropoda, and that is derived within Lepetellida. Phylogenetic analyses based on amino acid sequences join the three pseudococculinid species in a clade and confirm the well-supported clade Scissurelloidea + (Lepetelloidea + Lepetodriloidea) but not a monophyletic Lepetellida as currently understood. Patterns of gene order rearrangements are concordant with these findings.

AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, CONCALIS, EXBODI, NORFOLK 2, PAPUA NIUGINI

Understanding how the extraordinary taxonomic and ecological diversity of cone snails (Caenogastropoda: Conidae) evolved requires a statistically robust phylogenetic framework, which thus far is not available. While recent molecular phylogenies have been able to distinguish several deep lineages within the family Conidae, including the genera Profundiconus, Californiconus, Conasprella, and Conus (and within this one, several subgenera), phylogenetic relationships among these genera remain elusive. Moreover, the possibility that additional deep lineages may exist within the family is open. Here, we reconstructed with probabilistic methods a molecular phylogeny of Conidae using the newly sequenced complete or nearly complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of the following nine species that represent all main Conidae lineages and potentially new ones: Profundiconus teramachii, Californiconus californicus, Conasprella wakayamaensis, Lilliconus sagei, Pseudolilliconus traillii, Conus (Kalloconus) venulatus, Conus (Lautoconus) ventricosus, Conus (Lautoconus) hybridus, and Conus (Eugeniconus) nobilis. To test the monophyly of the family, we also sequenced the nearly complete mt genomes of the following three species representing closely related conoidean families: Benthomangelia sp. (Mangeliidae), Tomopleura sp. (Borsoniidae), and Glyphostoma sp. (Clathurellidae). All newly sequenced conoidean mt genomes shared a relatively constant gene order with rearrangements limited to tRNA genes. The reconstructed phylogeny recovered with high statistical support the monophyly of Conidae and phylogenetic relationships within the family. The genus Profundiconus was placed as sister to the remaining genera. Within these, a clade including Californiconus and Lilliconus + Pseudolilliconus was the sister group of Conasprella to the exclusion of Conus. The phylogeny included a new lineage whose relative phylogenetic position was unknown (Lilliconus) and uncovered thus far hidden diversity within the family (Pseudolilliconus). Moreover, reconstructed phylogenetic relationships allowed inferring that the peculiar diet of Californiconus based on worms, mollusks, crustaceans and fish is derived, and reinforce the hypothesis that the ancestor of Conidae was a worm hunter. A chronogram was reconstructed under an uncorrelated relaxed molecular clock, which dated the origin of the family shortly after the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (about 59 million years ago) and the divergence among main lineages during the Paleocene and the Eocene (56–30 million years ago).

ATIMO VATAE, KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

With more than 5,000 species, Conoidea is one of the most diversified superfamilies of Gastropoda. Recently, the family-level classification of these venomous predator snails has undergone substantial changes, on the basis of a phylogenetic tree reconstructed combining partial mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences, and up to 16 families are now recognized. However, phylogenetic relationships among these families remain largely unresolved. Here, we sequenced 20 complete or nearly complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes, which were combined with mt genomes available in GenBank to construct a dataset that included representatives of 80% of the known families, although for some we had only one species or genus as representative. Most of the sequenced conoidean mt genomes shared a constant genome organization, and observed rearrangements were limited exclusively to tRNA genes in a few lineages. Phylogenetic trees were reconstructed using probabilistic methods. Two main monophyletic groups, termed “Clade A” and “Clade B”, were recovered with strong support within a monophyletic Conoidea. Clade A (including families Clavatulidae, Horaiclavidae, Turridae s.s., Terebridae, Drilliidae, Pseudomelatomidae, and Cochlespiridae) was composed of four main lineages, one of which was additionally supported by a rearrangement in the gene order. Clade B (including families Conidae, Borsoniidae, Clathurellidae, Mangeliidae, Raphitomidae, and Mitromorphidae) was composed of five main lineages. The reconstructed phylogeny rejected the monophyly of Clavatulidae, Horaiclavidae, Turridae, Pseudomelatomidae, and Conidae, indicating that several of the currently accepted families may be ill-defined. The reconstructed tree also revealed new phylogenetic positions for genera characterized as tentative (Gemmuloborsonia, Lucerapex, and Leucosyrinx), enigmatic (Marshallena) or challenging to place (Fusiturris), which will potentially impact the classification of the Conoidea.

ATIMO VATAE, PAPUA NIUGINI

The Caecidae collected during Papua-Niugini (2012) and Kavieng (2014) Expeditions conducted by the Muséum Nationale d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, in the North Papua-New Guinea are reported. Thirty-seven species are recognized, of which 23 belong to the genus Caecum, 6 to the genus Mauroceras and 8 to the genus Parastrophia. Six species are described as new, all belonging to the genus Caecum: C. directum, C. frugi, C. granulatum, C. nasutum, C. neoguineanum and C. nofronii. One species is left undetermined, waiting for additional material. Further, Parastrophia cornucopiae (de Folin, 1869) is recognized and figured for the first time since its description

KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

BIOPAPUA, KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

BIOPAPUA, CORINDON 2, EBISCO, KARUBAR, KAVALAN 2018, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MUSORSTOM 3, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, TAIWAN 2000, TAIWAN 2001, TAIWAN 2002, TAIWAN 2004, ZhongSha 2015

Adaptations to habitats lacking light, such as the reduction or loss of eyes and pigmentation, have fascinated biologists for centuries, yet have rarely been studied in the deep sea, the earth's oldest and largest light‐limited habitat. Here, we investigate the evolutionary loss of shell pigmentation, pattern, and eye structure across a family of deep‐sea gastropods (Solariellidae). We show that within our phylogenetic framework, loss of these traits evolves without reversal, at different rates (faster for shell traits than eye structure), and over different depth ranges. Using a Bayesian approach, we find support for correlated evolution of trait loss with increasing depth within the dysphotic region. A transition to trait loss occurs for pattern and eye structure at 400–500 m and for pigmentation at 600–700 m. We also show that one of the sighted, shallow‐water species, Ilanga navakaensis, which may represent the “best‐case” scenario for vision for the family, likely has poor spatial acuity and contrast sensitivity. We therefore propose that pigmentation and pattern are not used for intraspecific communication but are important for camouflage from visual predators, and that the low‐resolution vision of solariellids is likely to require high light intensity for basic visual tasks, such as detecting predators.

BIOPAPUA, BOA1, BORDAU 1, CONCALIS, EBISCO, EXBODI, KARUBENTHOS 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006, TARASOC, TERRASSES, ZhongSha 2015

Mud snails (family Nassariidae) represent a highly diversified lineage within the superfamily Buccinoidea. Recent molecular phylogenies contradicted in some instances the traditional nassariid classification and revealed important levels of homoplasy in phenotypic characters. In order to clarify the boundaries of the family Nassariidae, as well as to inquire on the diversification of the cosmopolitan Nassariinae, a robust phylogenetic framework is needed. Here, the near-complete mitogenomes of 31 species representing almost all lineages of Nassariidae plus several buccinoid outgroups were sequenced. All mitogenomes of buccinoids shared the same gene order, which is identical to the consensus reported for caenogastropods. The monophyly of Nassariidae as previously defined was not confirmed. The reconstructed phylogeny revealed distant relationships between the genera Cyllene, Anentome, Tomlinia, Engoniophos, Phos and Antillophos and the majority of nassariids, represented by Nassariinae + Bullia. Within Nassariinae, a robust phylogeny, which recognized a total of seven regional groups, was reconstructed. The West Atlantic/Mediterranean genus Tritia was divided into three clades. The biogeographical analysis together with the inferred chronogram suggested that Nassariinae might have originated during the late Paleocene in the Indo-Pacific region. Subsequent climate change and continental drift events triggered diversification within the subfamily, leading to the worldwide distribution of current genera.

ATIMO VATAE, BIOPAPUA, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, INHACA 2011, KARUBENTHOS 2012, PAPUA NIUGINI, ZhongSha 2015

Abstract The practice of species delimitation using molecular data commonly leads to the revealing of species complexes and an increase in the number of delimited species. In a few instances, however, DNA-based taxonomy has led to lumping together of previously described species. Here, we delimit species in the genus Cryptogemma (Gastropoda: Conoidea: Turridae), a group of deep-sea snails with a wide geographical distribution, primarily by using the mitochondrial COI gene. Three approaches of species delimitation (ABGD, mPTP and GMYC) were applied to define species partitions. All approaches resulted in eight species. According to previous taxonomic studies and shell morphology, 23 available names potentially apply to the eight Cryptogemma species that were recognized herein. Shell morphometrics, radular characters and geographical and bathymetric distributions were used to link type specimens to these delimited species. In all, 23 of these available names are here attributed to seven species, resulting in 16 synonymizations, and one species is described as new: Cryptogemma powelli sp. nov. We discuss the possible reasons underlying the apparent overdescription of species within Cryptogemma, which is shown here to constitute a rare case of DNA-based species lumping in the hyper-diversified superfamily Conoidea.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, CONCALIS, DongSha 2014, EBISCO, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, TAIWAN 2013, TARASOC, TERRASSES, ZhongSha 2015

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, CONCALIS, CORSICABENTHOS 1, DongSha 2014, EBISCO, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, INHACA 2011, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KARUBENTHOS 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.1, KOUMAC 2.3, MADEEP, MADIBENTHOS, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, MUSORSTOM 9, NORFOLK 2, NanHai 2014, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, TAIWAN 2004, TAIWAN 2013, TARASOC, TERRASSES, ZhongSha 2015

PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

Imagery has become a key tool for assessing deep-sea megafaunal biodiversity, historically based on physical sampling using fishing gears. Image datasets provide quantitative and repeatable estimates, small-scale spatial patterns and habitat descriptions. However, taxon identification from images is challenging and often relies on morphotypes without considering a taxonomic framework. Taxon identification is particularly challenging in regions where the fauna is poorly known and/or highly diverse. Furthermore, the efficiency of imagery and physical sampling may vary among habitat types. Here, we compared biodiversity metrics (alpha and gamma diversity, composition) based on physical sampling (dredging and trawling) and towed-camera still images (1) along the upper continental slope of Papua New Guinea (sedimented slope with wood-falls, a canyon and cold seeps), and (2) on the outer slopes of the volcanic islands of Mayotte, dominated by hard bottoms. The comparison was done on selected taxa (Pisces, Crustacea, Echinoidea, and Asteroidea), which are good candidates for identification from images. Taxonomic identification ranks obtained for the images varied among these taxa (e.g., family/order for fishes, genus for echinoderms). At these ranks, imagery provided a higher taxonomic richness for hard-bottom and complex habitats, partially explained by the poor performance of trawling on these rough substrates. For the same reason, the gamma diversity of Pisces and Crustacea was also higher from images, but no difference was observed for echinoderms. On soft bottoms, physical sampling provided higher alpha and gamma diversity for fishes and crustaceans, but these differences tended to decrease for crustaceans identified to the species/morphospecies level from images. Physical sampling and imagery were selective against some taxa (e.g., according to size or behavior), therefore providing different facets of biodiversity. In addition, specimens collected at a larger scale facilitated megafauna identification from images. Based on this complementary approach, we propose a robust methodology for image-based faunal identification relying on a taxonomic framework, from collaborative work with taxonomists. An original outcome of this collaborative work is the creation of identification keys dedicated specifically to in situ images and which take into account the state of the taxonomic knowledge for the explored sites.

BENTHEDI, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, ???msg.security.private???, ???msg.security.private???, PAPUA NIUGINI

Nepinnotheres villosulus (Guérin-Méneville, 1832) [Guérin-Méneville, 1829–1837] [type locality: Timor] and Nepinnotheres edwardsi (De Man, 1887) [type locality: Mergui Archipelago], as currently understood, are both reportedly widespread in Southeast Asia and northern Australia, and unique in the genus in having females densely covered by a setal tomentum that completely obscures the surfaces of the carapace and pereiopods. Based on the limited information contained in the type accounts, N. edwardsi and N. villosulus appear indistinguishable, but this cannot currently be confirmed by comparing type material because the holotype of N. villosulus, the senior name, is lost. A neotype is therefore designated for N. villosulus to fix its identity and taxonomic status as a senior synonym of N. edwardsi. In addition to the unique setation pattern of female N. villosulus, males of the species also present important differences from those of male Nepinnotheres sensu stricto. Pinnotheres trichopus Tesch, 1918 [type locality: Elat, Great Kei Island, Indonesia], is also shown to be a junior synonym of P. villosulus. Moreover, recent molecular phylogenetic analyses determined that N. villosulus is phylogenetically distant from Nepinnotheres sensu stricto. As such, we establish a new genus for N. villosulus.

PAPUA NIUGINI

Two uncommon, morphologically similar snapping shrimps, Alpheus percyi Coutiere, 1908 and A. pseudopugnax (Banner, 1953), are reported from various localities across the Indo-West and Central Pacific. Both species are re-diagnosed based on type specimens and recently collected material; a lectotype is designated for A. percyi. The range of A. pseudopugnax, previously known only from the type locality in Hawaii, is extended considerably to French Polynesia and Reunion Island in the western Indian Ocean. Both A. percyi and A. pseudopugnax present a significant variation in the postrostral region of the carapace, making identification of specimens based solely on morphology rather difficult. In the field, however, the two species can be easily separated by their diagnostic and very striking colour patterns. Colour patterns also suggest that A. percyi may be more closely related to the species of the A. gracilipes Stimpson, 1860 complex than to A. pseudopugnax.

PAPUA NIUGINI

Parabetaeus acanthus sp. nov. is described based on two specimens from Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, and Madang, Papua New Guinea. The new species is unique within the genus in possessing an anteriorly directed, spine-like tooth on the mid-dorsal line of the carapace, posterior to base of the eyes, and in the stylocerite not reaching the mid-length of the first article of the antennular peduncle. The chelipeds of P. acanthus sp. nov. are variable in size and proportions, as well as in the armature on the finger cutting edges. This cheliped polymorphism appears to be typical to all species of the genus.

PAPUA NIUGINI

Three species of the alpheid shrimp genus Salmoneus Holthuis, 1955 associated with burrows of other decapod crustaceans are reported from various Indo-West Pacific localities. Salmoneus venustus sp. nov. is described based on material collected at two distant localities, Nha Trang Bay, southern Vietnam, the type locality of the new species, and the Yiti-Sifah region east of Muscat, northern Oman. Both specimens were collected with the aid of a suction pump applied to burrow entrances or mounds in muddy sand; the holotype was possibly associated with burrows of the callianassid ghost shrimp, Glypturus sp. Salmoneus venustus sp. nov. shares many characteristics with S. latirostris (Coutière, 1897), including the red banding of the pleon, but can be distinguished from S. latirostris and all other species of the genus by a unique combination of morphological characters. The large-sized Salmoneus brucei Komai, 2009 is reported from Sumba, central Indonesia, representing a significant southward extension of the species’ previously known distribution range and the first record since its original description. The callianassid ghost shrimp Lepidophthalmus cf. rosae (Nobili, 1904) is recorded as a new host of S. brucei. Finally, Salmoneus colinorum De Grave, 2004, associated with burrows of larger snapping shrimps from the Alpheus malabaricus Fabricius, 1798 species complex, is reported for the first time from Madang, Papua New Guinea, representing an eastward extension of the species’ previously known distribution range.

PAPUA NIUGINI

The alpheid shrimp Nennalpheus Banner & Banner, 1981, hitherto known only from a few records in the tropical western Pacific, is recorded for the first time from the tropical eastern Atlantic, as well as from the Indian Ocean. Nennalpheus gabonensis sp. nov. is described based on a single but complete male specimen collected in mediocre visibility conditions at 11 m depth on a rocky reef north of Libreville, Gabon. The new species presents a substantial number of morphological differences from the two other species of Nennalpheus, especially in the armature of the cheliped fingers. The previously known distribution range of Nennalpheus sibogae (De Man, 1910), the type species of the genus, is extended significantly to include the Central Pacific (Hawaiian Archipelago) and the Indian Ocean (Glorioso Islands in the Scattered Islands group, and Mayotte Island in the Comoro Archipelago). In addition, new illustrations of N. sibogae are provided, including the previously not figured mouthparts and high-quality, contrasting background colour photographs. Field observations indicate that Nennalpheus is able to produce a weak snapping sound by rapidly closing one or both chelipeds, a previously suspected, but never observed behaviour.

PAPUA NIUGINI

The present study deals with several species of goby-associated snapping shrimp in the taxonomically challenging Alpheus brevirostris (Olivier, 1811) species group. Alpheus djeddensis Coutière, 1897 is redescribed based on two specimens from the original type series and material recently collected on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. Alpheus djiboutensis De Man, 1909, a species without extant type material, is removed from the synonymy of A. djeddensis after a careful analysis of the original description by De Man (1909). A cryptic species, morphologically undistinguishable from A. djeddensis, but with a significant divergence in the COI gene sequence and several consistent differences in colour pattern, is described as A. shukran sp. nov., based on material from Oman and Saudi Arabia. Both A. djeddensis and A. shukran sp. nov. are closely related to A. macellarius Chace, 1988, another potential species complex. Two species previously confused with A. djeddensis or A. djiboutensis in ecological literature and underwater field guides are described as A. tigrinus sp. nov. and A. berumeni sp. nov., based on material from the Red Sea, mainly Saudi Arabia. Each of them has a unique and diagnostic colour pattern and differs from A. djeddensis and A. djiboutensis by a few subtle morphological characters. The identity of the material preliminarily identified as A. cf. tigrinus and A. cf. berumeni from localities outside of the Red Sea needs to be confirmed by molecular analyses. Finally, three specimens from the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia are preliminarily identified as A. cf. djiboutensis; their true taxonomic identity, however, remains to be clarified further. All available information on goby associations for the herein treated species is provided.

KOUMAC 2.1, KOUMAC 2.3, PAPUA NIUGINI

The present study deals with the intricate phylogenetic relationships within an important clade of the caridean shrimp family Alpheidae, which includes the genera Salmoneus, Deioneus, and Triacanthoneus. Using molecular data from four genes (16S, 18S, COI, and H3), we herein provide the most comprehensive phylogenetic hypothesis for this alpheid clade, with 161 terminals representing 117 ESUs, i.e. genetically distinct species. Our analysis reveals four well-supported larger Clades, as well as 25 smaller clades, corresponding to species groups or species complexes. The results also show that the symbiotic lifestyle evolved multiple times within this clade, in some instances promoting convergent evolution. Ancestral character state analysis unveils extreme plasticity and independent shifts in the minor cheliped types. Furthermore, the impact of different lifestyles on the evolution of each minor cheliped type is discussed. Finally, we address the resulting paraphyly of Salmoneus and the intergeneric relationships between Salmoneus, Deioneus and Triacanthoneus.

KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.3, MADIBENTHOS, PAPUA NIUGINI

KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

Snapping shrimps of the genus Alpheus Fabricius, 1798 exhibit remarkable diversity, with over 300 described species. The genus is well-known for its prevalence of species complexes, necessitating the need of new tools to facilitate species discrimination. Traditional taxonomic methods in Alpheus have primarily relied on the examination of morphological traits or comparative morphometric measurements, with an emphasis on variation in the major chela and rostro-orbital region. We applied an integrated approach that combines molecular genetics and geometric morphometrics to investigate the A. gracilipes Stimpson, 1860 species complex. We additionally applied geometric morphometric techniques to study the major chela and the rostrum across different species, and used three mitochondrial genes (12S, COI, and 16S) to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships of this complex. Our results demonstrate the first application of geometric morphometric techniques to Alpheus snapping shrimps, and highlight the significance of the major chela and rostrum as taxonomically informative traits. Furthermore, we use DNA barcodes and geometric morphometric techniques to the A. gracilipes species complex to reveal two previously unidentified cryptic species. We present the first phylogenetic reconstruction of this species complex, with new localities and expanded distribution ranges reported for many species.

KOUMAC 2.3, PAPUA NIUGINI

Collection of 81 species belonging to 11 families of six superfamilies of brachyuran crabs are reported from expeditions in Papua New Guinea (BIOPAPUA (2010), PAPUA NIUGINI (2012), MADEEP (2014), and KAVIENG 2014 (2014) cruises). The species, belonging to Dorippoidea (Ethusidae), Goneplacoidea (Goneplacidae, Euryplacidae, Progeryonidae), Homoloidea (Latreilliidae), Palicoidea (Crossotonotidae, Palicidae), Pilumnoidea (Pilumnidae Eumedoninae) and Trapezioidea (Domeciidae, Tetraliidae, Trapeziidae) were mostly collected from deep water and are rarely collected and studied. Fifty species are recorded from the island of New Guinea for the first time. Ethusina ocellata Castro, 2005 (Ethusidae) was found to be a junior subjective synonym of Ethusina microspina Chen, 2000, and Ethusa crassipodia Castro, 2005 (Ethusidae) of Ethusa curvipes Chen, 1993. Ethusina exophthalma Castro, 2005 is reassigned to Ethusa Smith, 1884, as Ethusa exophthalma (Castro, 2005) n. comb. The females of Parethusa hylophora Castro, 2005 (Ethusidae) and Thyraplax digitodentata Castro, 2007 (Goneplacidae), respectively, are described for the first time. A neotype is designated for Trapezia rubridactyla Garth, 1971 (Trapeziidae). Color photographs of fresh material of many of the species are published for the first time.

AURORA 2007, BATHUS 3, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, EXBODI, HALIPRO 1, KARUBAR, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 5, MUSORSTOM 8, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, TARASOC, TERRASSES

PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

The present study identified a new Calantica species from the deep-sea of the Papua New Guinea. Calantica australpacifica sp. nov. has 13 capitular plates (S-T surrounded by R-RL-L-CL-C-SC) and these plates are arranged in two horizontal whorls and with small degree of plate overlapping in the large hermaphrodites. There are some hermaphroditic individuals have asymmetrical plate arrangement, with additional CL and L on one side. Sexual system of C. australpacifica sp. nov. is androdieocy, with large hermaphrodite being accompanied by dwarf males (with well-developed penis but absences of ovarian tissue) that are often located on the sub-rostral position of the peduncle. Dwarf males are differentiated into peduncle and capitulum. Lateral side of the basal portion of dwarf male peduncle attached to the large hermaphrodite, result in one lateral side of the dwarf male facing the hermaphrodite and vice versa. Capitulum of dwarf males with asymmetrical plate arrangement. The lateral side of dwarf males opposing away from the hermaphrodite has S-T surrounded by R-RL-L-CL-C-SC and the lateral side facing the hermaphrodite composed of S-T, without RL, L and CL. This is the first report on the location of dwarf males on sub-rostral position in Calantica, rather than in the supra-oral position within the capitulum. Morphology of C. australpacifica cannot be assigned to the present 4 morphological groups of Calantica and represent a new group and new species.

BIOPAPUA, PAPUA NIUGINI

Specimens of species closely related to the rare deep-sea lobster Thaumastocheles japonicus Calman, 1913 were obtained from recent deep-sea expeditions in the West Pacific. Close examination of these specimens, as well as molecular analysis, showed that they represent two species new to science, with many morphological and significant genetic differences (barcoding gene COI sequence divergences 11.5- 14.8%) between each other as well as T. japonicus. Re-examination of the specimens previously assigned to T. japonicus revealed that true T. japonicus has a more northern distribution, from Japan to the South China Sea and the Philippines. The two new species have more southern distributions with T. bipristis n. sp. Restricted to the Philippines and Indonesia, and T. massonktenos n. sp. Being widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific, from the South China Sea to Madagascar and New Caledonia. The genetic data also suggest that T. dochmiodon Chan and de Saint Laurent, 1999 may represent a polymorphic male form of T. japonicus.

BATHUS 1, BATHUS 2, BIOPAPUA, ???msg.security.private???, HALIPRO 1, MUSORSTOM 2, MUSORSTOM 3, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, TAIWAN 2001

BATHUS 2, BIOPAPUA, HALIPRO 1, MUSORSTOM 3, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2

The infraorder Stenopodidea is a relatively small group of marine decapod crustaceans including the well known cleaner shrimps, but their higher taxonomy has been rather controversial. This study provides the most comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analyses of Stenopodidea using sequence data from two mitochondrial (16S and 12S rRNA) and two nuclear (histone H3 and sodium–potassium ATPase a-subunit (NaK)) genes. We included all 12 nominal genera from the three stenopodidean families in order to test the proposed evolutionary hypothesis and taxonomic scheme of the group. The inferred phylogeny did not support the familial ranking of Macromaxillocarididae and rejected the reciprocal monophyly of Spongicolidae and Stenopididae. The genera Stenopus, Richardina, Spongiocaris, Odontozona, Spongicola and Spongicoloides are showed to be poly- or paraphyletic, with monophyly of only the latter three genera strongly rejected in the analysis. The present results only strongly support the monophyly of Microprosthema and suggest that Paraspongiola should be synonymised with Spongicola. The three remaining genera, Engystenopus, Juxtastenopus and Globospongicola, may need to be expanded to include species from other genera if their statuses are maintained. All findings suggest that the morphological characters currently adopted to define genera are mostly invalid and substantial taxonomic revisions are required. As the intergeneric relationships were largely unresolved in the present attempt, the hypothesis of evolution of deep-sea sponge-associated taxa from shallow-water free-living species could not be verified here. The present molecular phylogeny, nevertheless, provides some support that stenopoididean shrimps colonised the deep sea in multiple circumstances.

BIOPAPUA, BORDAU 2, EBISCO, GUYANE 2014, KARUBENTHOS 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, MUSORSTOM 9, NORFOLK 2, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PALEO-SURPRISE, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006, ???msg.security.private???

KANACONO, KARUBAR, KOUMAC 2.1, PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

BIOPAPUA, KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1

Within the hyper-diverse group of the amphipods, little is known about deep-sea benthic species that still represent an unknown reservoir of species to be discovered, particularly in remote regions of the southwestern Pacific. Herein, we are describing three new deep-sea species of Rhachotropis from Papua New Guinea, Solomon archipelago, and Vanuatu using an integrative taxonomy approach, combining morphological and molecular characters with biological and ecological information. Nomenclatural comments and a key to Rhachotropis species occurring in the bathyal provinces from the southwestern Pacific are also provided. Comments on the sex ratio and fecundity of the genus are also discussed. The biogeography and distribution of the newly described species as well as congeneric species occurring in the area are discussed, and new DNA data are shedding new light on the global phylogenetic relationships (geography, depth range) of the deep-sea genus Rhachotropis.

BIOPAPUA, KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

A single ovigerous female specimen of marine shrimp of the family Palaemonidae collected from Madang Province, N.E. Papua New Guinea, was recognized as a representative of a new genus and species. Due to the presence of a sternal thoracic process, 3 pairs of posterior telson cuspidate setae, and the simple ambulatory dactyli, as well as the lack of branchiae on the two posterior maxillipeds, the new species clearly belongs to the assemblage of primarily free-living palaemonid taxa surrounding the speciose genera Cuapetes and Palaemonella. As the specimen possesses a short leaf-like rostrum,slender second pereiopods with small chelae similar to and not noticeably longer than the first pereiopods and very slender simple ambulatory dactyli, the specimen is without parallel within this assemblage and clearly represents a new genus. Its position within the Cuapetes/Palaemonella lineage of genera is also confirmed by a molecular comparison. The specimen is described and illustrated as a new genus and species.

PAPUA NIUGINI

The pantropical genus Palaemonella Dana, 1852 (Caridea: Palaemonidae) currently includes 27 species of free-living and symbiotic marine shrimps. The monophyly of Palaemonella with respect to several closely related genera, however, has been questioned by recent analyses. We tested the monophyly of Palaemonella based on multigene phylogenetic analysis and the genus was revealed to be a paraphyletic assemblage by inclusion of species of the genera Eupontonia Bruce, 1971 and Vir Holthuis, 1952, and two genetic lineages of the western Atlantic Cuapetes americanus (Kingsley, 1878). We recognise one of the latter lineages as the previously described Periclimenes rhizophorae Lebour, 1949. Eupontonia and Vir are synonymised with Palaemonella. We also transfer Cuapetes americanus and Periclimenes rhizophorae to Palaemonella. Species previously assigned to Vir were revised; V. colemani Bruce, 2003, V. orientalis (Dana, 1852), V. philippinensis Bruce & Svoboda, 1984 and V. smiti Fransen & Holthuis, 2007 are regarded as valid species of Palaemonella; Vir longidactylus Marin, 2008 is synonymised with P. smiti; and the status of V. euphyllius Marin & Anker, 2005 remains unresolved. Palaemonella is currently regarded as a taxon with variable states of two main diagnostic characters, i.e. the plesiomorphic mandibular palp (fully reduced in P. americana) and the hepatic tooth (fully reduced in former species of Vir and Eupontonia – evidently due to symbiotic modes of life).

ATIMO VATAE, BORDAU 1, GUYANE 2014, KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.1, KOUMAC 2.3, MADEEP, MADIBENTHOS, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PAPUA NIUGINI, PROTEUS-GUYANE, SANTO 2006

The pantropical genus Palaemonella Dana, 1852 (Caridea: Palaemonidae) currently includes 27 species of free-living and symbiotic marine shrimps. The monophyly of Palaemonella with respect to several closely related genera, however, has been questioned by recent analyses. We tested the monophyly of Palaemonella based on multigene phylogenetic analysis and the genus was revealed to be a paraphyletic assemblage by inclusion of species of the genera Eupontonia Bruce, 1971 and Vir Holthuis, 1952, and two genetic lineages of the western Atlantic Cuapetes americanus (Kingsley, 1878). We recognise one of the latter lineages as the previously described Periclimenes rhizophorae Lebour, 1949. Eupontonia and Vir are synonymised with Palaemonella. We also transfer Cuapetes americanus and Periclimenes rhizophorae to Palaemonella. Species previously assigned to Vir were revised; V. colemani Bruce, 2003, V. orientalis (Dana, 1852), V. philippinensis Bruce & Svoboda, 1984 and V. smiti Fransen & Holthuis, 2007 are regarded as valid species of Palaemonella; Vir longidactylus Marin, 2008 is synonymised with P. smiti; and the status of V. euphyllius Marin & Anker, 2005 remains unresolved. Palaemonella is currently regarded as a taxon with variable states of two main diagnostic characters, i.e. the plesiomorphic mandibular palp (fully reduced in P. americana) and the hepatic tooth (fully reduced in former species of Vir and Eupontonia – evidently due to symbiotic modes of life). ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7EEBC655-7EDE-4E46-BCB2-2A3BA16ED7DD

ATIMO VATAE, BORDAU 1, KOUMAC 2.1, KOUMAC 2.3, MADEEP, MADIBENTHOS, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, PROTEUS-GUYANE, SANTO 2006

BIOPAPUA, PAPUA NIUGINI

Chelarctus Holthuis, 2002 is widely distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific, but its biogeographic patterns are unknown because Southern Hemisphere areas, such as the Coral Sea, remained poorly explored. Recent cruises organized by the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle of Paris and the Australian Institute of Marine Science allowed the molecular identification of Crenarctus crenatus (Whitelegge, 1900), Chelarctus aureus (Holthuis, 1963) and Chelarctus crosnieri Holthuis, 2002 phyllosomae. The Coral Sea C. crenatus larvae are identical to stages IX and X of Scyllarus sp. Z, described in detail by Webber and Booth (2001). Descriptions of phyllosoma stages VI, IX and X of Ch. aureus and stages IX and X of Ch. crosnieri are also presented here. Morphological differences between Crenarctus and Chelarctus larvae are established for the first time and previous misidentifications in the literature are re-assessed.

BIOPAPUA, KANADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

PAPUA NIUGINI

Imagery has become a key tool for assessing deep-sea megafaunal biodiversity, historically based on physical sampling using fishing gears. Image datasets provide quantitative and repeatable estimates, small-scale spatial patterns and habitat descriptions. However, taxon identification from images is challenging and often relies on morphotypes without considering a taxonomic framework. Taxon identification is particularly challenging in regions where the fauna is poorly known and/or highly diverse. Furthermore, the efficiency of imagery and physical sampling may vary among habitat types. Here, we compared biodiversity metrics (alpha and gamma diversity, composition) based on physical sampling (dredging and trawling) and towed-camera still images (1) along the upper continental slope of Papua New Guinea (sedimented slope with wood-falls, a canyon and cold seeps), and (2) on the outer slopes of the volcanic islands of Mayotte, dominated by hard bottoms. The comparison was done on selected taxa (Pisces, Crustacea, Echinoidea, and Asteroidea), which are good candidates for identification from images. Taxonomic identification ranks obtained for the images varied among these taxa (e.g., family/order for fishes, genus for echinoderms). At these ranks, imagery provided a higher taxonomic richness for hard-bottom and complex habitats, partially explained by the poor performance of trawling on these rough substrates. For the same reason, the gamma diversity of Pisces and Crustacea was also higher from images, but no difference was observed for echinoderms. On soft bottoms, physical sampling provided higher alpha and gamma diversity for fishes and crustaceans, but these differences tended to decrease for crustaceans identified to the species/morphospecies level from images. Physical sampling and imagery were selective against some taxa (e.g., according to size or behavior), therefore providing different facets of biodiversity. In addition, specimens collected at a larger scale facilitated megafauna identification from images. Based on this complementary approach, we propose a robust methodology for image-based faunal identification relying on a taxonomic framework, from collaborative work with taxonomists. An original outcome of this collaborative work is the creation of identification keys dedicated specifically to in situ images and which take into account the state of the taxonomic knowledge for the explored sites.

BENTHEDI, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, ???msg.security.private???, ???msg.security.private???, PAPUA NIUGINI

KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

Several species of palaemonid shrimps are known to act as fish-cleaning symbionts, with cleaning interactions ranging from dedicated (obligate) to facultative. We confirmed five evolutionarily independent origins of fish cleaning symbioses within the family Palaemonidae based on a phylogenetic analysis and the ancestral state reconstruction of 68 species, including 13 fish-cleaners from the genera Ancylomenes, Brachycarpus, Palaemon, Periclimenes, and Urocaridella. We focus in particular on two distantly related lineages of fish cleaning shrimps with allopatric distributions, the Indo-West Pacific Ancylomenes and the western Atlantic monophyletic Ancylomenes/Periclimenes group, which exhibit striking similarities in morphology, colouration and complex behaviour. Specifically, representatives of both lineages are similar in: (1) the general body shape and colour pattern; (2) the utilization of sea anemones as conspicuous cleaning stations; and (3) the use of sideways body swaying to visually promote their bright colour spots in order to attract fish clients. Such morphological, ecological and ethological convergences are apparently due to adaptations to fish cleaning linked to the establishment of similar modes of communication with fish clients in these species.

ATIMO VATAE, MADIBENTHOS, PAPUA NIUGINI

Salmoneus cristatus (Coutière, 1897) is one of the first described species in the alpheid genus Jousseaumea Coutière, 1897, a name later invalidated and replaced by Salmoneus Holthuis, 1955. The species was described based on material from Djibouti and was initially characterised by the presence of a pronounced, posteriorly extending carina on the mid-dorsal line of the carapace, a shoulder-like elevation of the orbital hoods, and a red-banded colour pattern. Relying mainly on morphological features, various authors reported S. cristatus from several localities in the Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea to southern China and Australia. However, recently collected material attributable to S. cristatus on morphological grounds allowed for the combination of morphological characters, molecular data and colour patterns, demonstrating the existence of at least four species under the name of S. cristatus, including three species that are morphologically similar to, but phylogenetically distant from S. cristatus s. str. Therefore, S. cristatus is redescribed herein based on recent material from Saudi Arabia and Iran, as well as older material from Israel and Madagascar, with designation of a neotype from the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. Three new species, viz. S. paracristatus sp. nov., S. franseni sp. nov., and S. alius sp. nov., are described based on recent material from Papua New Guinea for the former two species, and New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands for the latter species. However, at least two of these new species seem to have wider distributions in the Indo-West Pacific.

KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.1, KOUMAC 2.3, MADIBENTHOS, PAPUA NIUGINI

The swimming crabs (family Portunidae) are distributed worldwide and commonly inhabit estuaries, mangroves, reefs, shallow and the deep sea. Previously, 75 species and 19 genera in this family were known to Taiwan. Our study examined specimens in Taiwanese waters, including the islands, collected between 2016 and 2020 or deposited in museums. Through the cytochrome oxidase subunit I DNA barcode marker and morphological examination, 71 species were identified. The minimum interspecific distances were greater than 4.09%, except in two unresolved groups: Charybdis miles (De Haan, 1835) and Ch. sagamiensis Parisi, 1916, as well as Thranita pelsarti (Montgomery, 1931) and Thr. prymna (Herbst, 1803). In addition, 14 species belonging to nine genera were confirmed as new records to Taiwan, viz. Carupa ohashii Takeda, 1993, Lupocyclus inaequalis (Walker, 1887), Luu. tugelae Barnard, 1950, Lupocycloporus minutus (Shen, 1937), Monomia gladiator (Fabricius, 1798), M. lucida Koch & Ďuriš, 2018, Podophthalmus minabensis Sakai, 1961, Thalamita gatavakensis Nobili, 1906, Tha. spinifera Borradaile, 1902, Thalamitoides quadridens A. Milne-Edwards, 1869, Tho. tridens A. Milne-Edwards, 1869, Thr. cerasma (Wee & Ng, 1995), Thr. coeruleipes (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1846) and Xiphonectes tuberculosus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1861). This study thus raises the total number of Portunidae species in Taiwan to 89.

ATIMO VATAE, LAGON, PAPUA NIUGINI

BIOPAPUA, PAPUA NIUGINI

Two new species of the hitherto monotypic family Intramolgidae are described, both are placed in the type genus Intramolgus Marchenkov & Boxshall, 1995. Intramolgus heardensis sp. nov. was found in association with Polyzoa opuntia Lesson, 1830, and the host of I. atlantis sp. nov. was Styela chaini Monniot C. & Monniot F., 1970. Eleven new species belonging to the family Lichomolgidae are reported. These include four new monotypic genera: Antarctomolgus gen. nov. accommodates A. molgulae gen. et sp. nov. from Molgula pedunculata (Herdman, 1881), Didemnomolgus gen. nov. accommodates D. crenulatus gen. et sp. nov. from Didemnum molle (Herdmann, 1886), Spheromolgus gen. nov. accommodates S. rarus gen. et sp. nov. from Diplosoma simile (Sluiter, 1909), and Alupa gen. nov. accommodates A. geminata gen. et sp. nov. from Leptoclinides madara Tokioka, 1953. The remaining new species are: Debruma deplanata sp. nov. from Ascidia ornata Monniot F. & Monniot C., 2001, Lichomolgidium bipartitum sp. nov. from Pyura stolonifera (Heller, 1878), Lichomolgus papuensis sp. nov. from Rhopalaea circula Monniot F. & Monniot C., 2001, L. brevicaudatus sp. nov. from an unidentified species of Polycarpa Heller, 1877, L. alatus sp. nov. from Synoicum castellatum Kott, 1992, L. lepidotus sp. nov. from Aplidium altarium (Sluiter, 1909), and Lobomolgus foveolatus sp. nov. from Didemnum molle (Herdmann, 1886). In addition, redescriptions are provided for Henicoxiphium redactum Illg & Humes, 1971, Lichomolgidium sardum Kossmann, 1877, Lichomolgus canui Sars, 1917, L. forficula Thorell, 1860, and Zygomolgus dentatus Kim I.H., 2006.

CEAMARC-AA, MADIBENTHOS, PAPUA NIUGINI

Twenty-seven species of crangonid shrimps are reported from material collected in Papua New Guinea by the recent MNHN expeditions BIOPAPUA (2010), PAPUA NIUGINI (2012), MADEEP (2014), and KAVIENG (2014). All except Metacrangon punctata are first records for Papua New Guinea, including four new species, Metacrangon novaguinea n. sp., M. hayashii n. sp., Parapontophilus grandis n. sp., and Philocheras simulans n. sp.

BIOPAPUA, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

BIOPAPUA, PAPUA NIUGINI

Metacrimenes fenestra, a new palaemonid genus and species is described on the basis of an ovigerous female and one juvenile specimen from Suruga Bay, central Japan. The specimens were associated with the stalked crinoid Metacrinus rotundus Carpenter, 1885, collected at a depth of 131–200 m. Photographs taken in situ indicate that the shrimp lives ectosymbiotically on its crinoid host. The greatly reduced bud-like exopod on the third maxilliped links the new genus to Mesopontonia Bruce, 1967 (Indo-West Pacific) and Waldola Holthuis, 1951 (East Pacific), in which the exopod is absent, but the presence of antennal spine on the carapace and the non-elongate, symmetrical second pereopods immediately distinguish Metacrimenes n. gen. from these genera. Molecular phylogenetic analysis using a dataset concatenating two mitochondrial markers (16S rRNA and COI genes) clusters the new genus with Paraclimenes gorgonicola (Bruce, 1967), two species of Mesopontonia and Brucecaris tenuis (Bruce, 1969). However, in Paraclimenes Bruce, 1995 and Brucecaris Marin & Chan, 2006, the third maxilliped exopod is normally developed, flagellum-like. Other differentiating characters between the new taxon and the presumably allied taxa are discussed.

MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

A new genus and species of axiid shrimp, Carolinaxius kexuae gen. et sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on a single specimen collected from an unnamed seamount in the Caroline Ridge, Northwest Pacific. Although both chelipeds are missing, the specimen can be distinguished from other axiid genera by a combination of characteristics: narrowly triangular rostrum; median carina and lateral gastric carina each with one prominent tooth; submedian gastric carinae converging posteriorly, with teeth; cornea weakly pigmented, eyestalk with acute distomesial tooth on dorsal surface; male pleopod 1 two-articled; pleopod 2 with appendix interna and appendix masculina; pleopods 3–5 with appendix interna. The molecular phylogeny suggests the new genus is most closely related to another recently described genus living inside hexactinellid sponges on seamounts in the Indian Ocean, Montanaxius Dworschak, 2016. However, it differs from Montanaxius in the shape of the rostrum, the arrangement of teeth on the carapace, and the shape of the eyestalk. Besides, the significant molecular differences support the two belonging to different genera.

KARUBENTHOS 2, MUSORSTOM 8, PAPUA NIUGINI, Walters Shoal

The deep-water epialtid spider crab (superfamily Majoidea) material collected from recent French expeditions to Papua New Guinea (BIOPAPUA 2010, PAPUA NIUGINI 2012, MADEEP 2014, and KAVIENG 2014) was studied. In addition to several new records for the country, five new species of Oxypleurodon Miers, 1885, Rochinia A. Milne-Edwards, 1875, and Tunepugettia Ng, Komai & Sato, 2017, are described. The taxonomy of Tunepugettia is reappraised, and a new genus, Crocydocinus n. gen., is established, characterised by its smooth ambulatory legs and a distinct male first gonopod structure. Four species from the Bay of Bengal, Sumatra, and Réunion Island, currently placed in Rochinia and Tunepugettia are transferred to Crocydocinus n. gen. and four new species from Papua New Guinea, Philippines, and Vanuatu are described. A new genus, Neophrys n. gen., with one new species from Papua New Guinea, is established, and is characterised by the supraorbital eave being fused with the carapace and the poorly developed pre-orbital angle.

BIOPAPUA, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1

Abstract The shrimp genera Ephyrina, Meningodora and Notostomus have an unusual carapace strengthened with carinae and a half-serrated mandible, which may suggest a possible monophyly of this group. Here we test this hypothesis and present the first phylogenetic study of these genera based on 95 morphological characters (all valid species coded) and six molecular markers (71% of valid species sequenced). Representatives of all genera of Oplophoridae (sister to Acanthephyridae) were outgroups, 32 species belonging to all genera and potentially different clades of Acanthephyridae were ingroups. Both morphological and molecular analyses retrieve trees with similar topology. Our results reject the hypothesis of a clade formed by Ephyrina + Meningodora + Notostomus. We show that Ephyrina and Notostomus are monophyletic, both on morphological and on molecular trees, Meningodora gains support only on morphological trees. Evolutionary traits in the Ephyrina and Meningodora + Notostomus clades are different. Synapomorphies are mostly linked to adaptations to forward motion in Ephyrina (oar-like meri and ischia of pereopods, stempost-like rostrum) and to progressive strengthening of the carapace and pleon in Meningodora and Notostomus (net of sharp carinae). Unusual mandibles evolved in the clades independently and represent convergent adaptations to feeding on gelatinous organisms.

ATIMO VATAE, ???msg.security.private???, BIOPAPUA, ???msg.security.private???, GUYANE 2014, KAVIENG 2014, MAINBAZA, MD20 (SAFARI), MIRIKY, MUSORSTOM 2, MUSORSTOM 3, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMONBOA 3, Walters Shoal

Aim: The high species richness of the Indo‐Australian Archipelago (IAA) marine biodiversity hotspot has been attributed to three competing hypotheses: Centre of Origin/Centre of Overlap/Centre of Accumulation. While most phylogeographic studies testing these hypotheses have focused on marine fishes, we provide a new perspective on this evolutionary important question by examining the population genetics of the horned ghost crab Ocypode ceratophthalmus sensu lato (Ocypodidae) whose distribution spans the entire Indo‐Pacific and contains at least two colour morphs.

ATIMO VATAE, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

The genus Galathea is one of the most speciose and unwieldy groups in the family Galatheidae. The examination of more than 9000 specimens of 144 species collected in the Indian and Pacific Oceans using morphological and molecular characters, has revealed the existence of 92 new species. The specimens examined during this study were obtained by various French expeditions supplemented by other collections from various sources, and including the type specimens of some previously described species. Most of the new species are distinguished by subtle but constant morphological differences, which are in agreement with molecular divergences of the mitochondrial markers COI and/or 16S rRNA. Here, we describe and illustrate the new species and redescribe some previously described species for which earlier accounts are not sufficiently detailed for modern standards. Furthermore we include a dichotomous identification key to all species in the genus from the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

ATIMO VATAE, BATHUS 1, BATHUS 2, BATHUS 3, BATHUS 4, BENTHAUS, BENTHEDI, BIOCAL, BIOPAPUA, BOA0, BOA1, BORDAU 1, BORDAU 2, CALSUB, CHALCAL 1, CHALCAL 2, CORAIL 2, ???msg.security.private???, CORINDON 2, ???msg.security.private???, ???msg.security.private???, EBISCO, HALIPRO 1, KARUBAR, LAGON, LIFOU 2000, MAINBAZA, MD32 (REUNION), MIRIKY, MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 1, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 2, MUSORSTOM 3, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 5, MUSORSTOM 6, MUSORSTOM 7, MUSORSTOM 8, MUSORSTOM 9, NORFOLK 1, NORFOLK 2, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PALEO-SURPRISE, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, ???msg.security.private???, RAPA 2002, ???msg.security.private???, SALOMON 1, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006, SMIB 5, SMIB 8, ???msg.security.private???, ???msg.security.private???, TERRASSES

Examination of numerous specimens of squat lobsters of the genus Eumunida Smith, 1883 collected by French cruises along the coasts of New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands and Papua-New Guinea revealed the presence of six species, including a new species. The collection data of all of these species are recorded. The new species, E. turbulenta n. sp., is described and illustrated from New Caledonia and Chesterfield Islands.

BATHUS 2, BATHUS 3, BERYX 11, BIOPAPUA, CHALCAL 2, EBISCO, EXBODI, HALIPRO 1, HALIPRO 2, KANACONO, KANADEEP, MADEEP, NORFOLK 1, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SMIB 10, SMIB 8, TERRASSES

More than 5000 specimens of squat lobsters belonging to the families Munididae and Munidopsidae were collected during four cruises along the coasts of Papua New Guinea. The study of these specimens revealed the presence of 13 new species (one Babamunida, one Crosnierita, eight Munida, one Paramunida and two Munidopsis). Overall, 109 species of Munididae and 37 of Munidopsidae are recognized. We include the records of all species, describing and illustrating the new species. Furthermore, we provide some new data on the colour patterns for some species. We have also included molecular data from two mitochondrial markers (16S rRNA and COI) to support the taxonomic status of different new species.

BIOPAPUA, EBISCO, EXBODI, KANADEEP, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMONBOA 3

Specimens of munidid squat lobsters belonging to the genera Heteronida Baba & de Saint Laurent, 1996 and Torbenella Baba, 2008 were collected in scientific expeditions made by several French cruises along the southwestern Pacific. These specimens were identified as two species (one new) of Heteronida and six species (four new) of Torbenella. The present paper provides systematic accounts of the five new species, along with new locality records of known species shown by this material and color information where available. Molecular data is provided to support the systematic status of each new species. A key to species for each of the genera is also presented.

BIOPAPUA, BORDAU 2, EBISCO, EXBODI, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MUSORSTOM 7, PAPUA NIUGINI, SPANBIOS

Specimens of squat lobsters belonging to the family MunididaeAhyong et al., 2010, representing the genera Garymunida Macpherson & Baba, 2022, Trapezionida Macpherson & Baba, 2022 and Typhlonida Macpherson & Baba, 2022, were collected during several cruises around New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea, Southwest Pacific. The integrative study of these specimens revealed the presence of one new species in Garymunida , five in Trapezionida and one in Typhlonida . We describe and illustrate these new species, providing some new data on the taxonomy of several rare or scarcely studied species of Trapezionida . Molecular data from different markers (mitochondrial and nuclear) was also included, based on data availability, to support the taxonomic status of different species. Finally, a key to species for each genus is also provided.

BIOPAPUA, EBISCO, EXBODI, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, NORFOLK 2, PAPUA NIUGINI, SPANBIOS, TARASOC, TERRASSES

Specimens of squat lobsters belonging to the family Galatheidae, representing the genera Galathea and Nanogalathea, were collected during several cruises carried out in New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Phoenix Islands. The study of these specimens integrating molecular and morphological data revealed the presence of eight new species in Galathea and one in Nanogalathea. We describe and illustrate these new species. Molecular data from mitochondrial markers were also included to support the taxonomic status of the species. Finally, a key to species for the genus Galathea from the Indian and Pacific Oceans is also provided.

BIOPAPUA, KANACONO, KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.3, MUSORSTOM 3, MUSORSTOM 8, PAPUA NIUGINI, SPANBIOS

PAPUA NIUGINI

BIOPAPUA, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI

ATIMO VATAE, HALIPRO 1, LAGON, MUSORSTOM 2, PAPUA NIUGINI

The identities of the deep-water brachyuran crabs Carcinoplax abyssicola (Miers, 1885), C. longipes (Wood-Mason, 1891), and C. specularis Rathbun, 1914 (family Goneplacidae MacLeay, 1838) are clarified on the basis of the examination of types and of an extensive series of specimens from the Indo-West Pacific region, including colour photographs of fresh specimens. Two species described from the Philippines, C. verdensis Rathbun, 1914 and C. polita Guinot, 1989, and previously synonymised under C. specularis, are shown to be distinct species. Two new species, C. adelphia n. sp. and C. jugum n. sp., are described from Vanuatu and the Philippines, respectively. Carcinoplax adelphia n. sp. differs from the closely allied C. specularis by having a male first gonopod (G1) that is relatively more elongated, particularly the distinctly more slender distal half, than the G1 of C. specularis. Carcinoplax jugum n. sp. is characterized by a suite of characters that includes an epistome with strongly concave lateral margins, a carapace having distinctly swollen gastric and cardiac regions, and a G1 with a subconical distal part. The taxonomies of these seven species, as well as that of the allied C. fasciata Ng & Kumar, 2016 from southwestern India, are revised. A revised, updated key to the 25 known species of Carcinoplax H. Milne Edwards, 1852 is also provided.

BATHUS 4, BIOPAPUA, BOA0, BOA1, BORDAU 1, BORDAU 2, EXBODI, KARUBAR, MUSORSTOM 1, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 3, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SALOMON 2, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006, SMIB 6, TAIWAN 2001, TARASOC

Additional spider crab (superfamily Majoidea) material from four major French-led expeditions to the Papua New Guinea region were examined in this study. One new genus and four new species from the families Inachidae and Oregoniidae are described. Dorhynchus profundus n. sp. is close to D. rostratus (Sakai, 1932) but can easily be separated by the shape of the ambulatory dactylus and the proportionately lower protogastric spines. Achaeus pholcus n. sp. is unusual in that it occurs in deeper waters (beyond 500 m), and can be separated from A. lacertosus Stimpson, 1857, A. villosus Rathbun, 1916, and A. brevidactylus Sakai, 1938, by its distinctive carapace shape, structure of the frontal margin, regions of the carapace, antennular fossa, ambulatory dactylus, male pleon, and proportions of the chela. Parapleisticantha aie n. sp. is closest to P. japonica Yokoya, 1933, but differs in its proportionately longer carapace, more elongated basal antennal article, longer third maxilliped ischium and the relatively less curved male first gonopod with the distal part differently structured. A new genus (Orbicantha n. gen.) with one new species (Orbicantha sacrebleu n. gen., n. sp.) is also described; it is allied to Pleistacantha Miers, 1879, Parapleisticantha Yokoya 1933, and Pleisticanthoides Yokoya, 1933, but is distinctive in its subcircular carapace, shorter regions, short pseudorostral spines, possession of spines on the gastric, cardiac and branchial regions, some of which have rounded tips, a short ocular peduncle, a very short third antennal article, a quadrate epistome, and the more reduced P4 and P5. New records from the family Epialtidae are also reported: Griffinia gilloloensis (Rathbun, 1916), Hyastenus borradailei (Rathbun, 1907), and Oxypleurodon luzonicum (Rathbun, 1916). The taxonomy of Grypachaeus tenuicollis Takeda, 1978 (Oregoniidae) and Griffinia lappacea (Rathbun, 1918) (Epialtidae) is also discussed.

BIOPAPUA, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

A revision of Scalopidia Stimpson, 1858 (Brachyura: Goneplacoidea: Scalopidiidae) has resulted in the description of two new species of Scalopidia from the Indian Ocean and Papua New Guinea, as well as a new genus and new species from Madagascar. The type species of Scalopidia, S. spinosipes Stimpson, 1858, is redescribed and Hypophthalmus leuchochirus Richters, in Lenz & Richters, 1881, is synonymised with S. spinosipes.

MIRIKY, PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

The family Acidopsidae Števčić, 2005, is revised; and two subfamilies are recognised. The Acidopsinae Števčić, 2005, is characterised by the coxal male opening, a quadrate basal antennal article and vulvae arranged near the median longitudinal thoracic sternal groove. Three genera are included in the Acidopsinae: Acidops Stimpson, 1871 (with two species), Parapilumnus Kossmann, 1877 (with two species) and Crinitocinus gen. Nov. (monotypic for Pilumnus alcocki Borradaile, 1902). The Raouliinae Števčić, 2005 (= Typhlocarcinodidae Števčić, 2005; Caecopilumnidae Števčić, 2011), is characterised by its coxo-sternal male opening, a short basal antennal article which is distinctly wider than long and vulvae arranged submedially on thoracic sternite 6. Four genera are included in the Raouliinae: Raoulia Ng, 1987 (with five species, three of which are described as new), Caecopilumnus Borradaile, 1902 (with three species of which one is described as new), Typhlocarcinodes Alcock, 1900 (monotypic) and Thecaplax gen. Nov. (for one new species).

PANGLAO 2004, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

The family Chasmocarcinidae Serène, 1964, is revised based on the examination of the type material of many of its species as well as unidentified and previously identified material from around the world. The revised family now consists of three subfamilies comprising 16 genera (including eight described as new) and 51 species (including 19 described as new). The subfamily Chasmocarciinae Serène, 1964, consists of Amboplax n. gen. with one species; Angustopelta n. gen. with four species, two of which are new; Camatopsis Alcock & Anderson, 1899, with six species, five of which are new; Chasmocarcinops Alcock, 1900, with one species; Chasmocarcinus Rathbun, 1898, with 11 species, one of which is new; Chinommatia n. gen. with five species, two of which are new; Deltopelta n. gen. with one species; Hephthopelta Alcock, 1899, with two species, one of which is new; Microtopsis Komai, Ng & Yamada, 2012, with two species, one of which is new; Notopelta n. gen. with one species; Statommatia n. gen. with five species, two of which are new; and Tenagopelta n. gen. with three species, two of which are new. The subfamily Megaesthesiinae Števčić, 2005, consists of Alainthesius n. gen. with two species, both of which are new; Megaesthesius Rathbun, 1909, with four species, one of which is new. The subfamily Trogloplacinae Guinot, 1986, consists of Australocarcinus Davie, 1988, with three species, and Trogloplax Guinot, 1986, with one species. A neotype is selected for Chasmocarcinus cylindricus Rathbun, 1901. Three nominal species were found to be junior subjective synonyms of other species: Chasmocarcinus panamensis Serène, 1964, of C. longipes Garth, 1940; Chasmocarcinus rathbuni Bouvier, 1917, of C. typicus Rathbun, 1898; and Hephthopelta superba Boone, 1927, of Deltopelta obliqua (Rathbun, 1898). Thirteen chasmocarcinid genera are exclusively found in the Indo-West Pacific region, one (Chasmocarcinus) in both the Western Atlantic and Tropical Eastern Pacific regions, and two (Deltopelta n. gen. and Amboplax n. gen.) exclusively in the Western Atlantic. Chasmocarcinids are remarkable for occurring from depths exceeding 1000 m to shallow water and completely freshwater habitats: chasmocarcinines and megaesthesiines are found from shallow to deep water marine ecosystems, whereas trogloplacines live in freshwater streams, including cave systems.

ATIMO VATAE, AURORA 2007, BATHUS 1, BATHUS 2, BATHUS 4, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, BORDAU 1, ???msg.security.private???, CORINDON 2, EXBODI, HALIPRO 1, KARUBAR, KARUBENTHOS 2012, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, MUSORSTOM 1, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 2, MUSORSTOM 3, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 6, MUSORSTOM 8, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SALOMONBOA 3, SANTO 2006

Abstract Paratrypaea Komai & Tachikawa, 2008 has for more than a decade been thought to contain only two species, both widespread throughout the Indo-West Pacific, or briefly three species. Molecular studies using mitochondrial 16S rRNA and 12S rRNA plus nuclear H3 and 18S rRNA genes, repeated here with samples from more individuals, have shown well separated clades within the genus. Morphological examination has found differences, especially in the form of the adult male cheliped, between the clades leading to the conclusion that Paratrypaea comprises at least eight species of which four are new and described herein. Not all closely related clades could be morphologically distinguished. Some species are narrowly and others widely distributed. The species are: P. baliensissp. nov. from Indonesia; P. bouvieri (Nobili, 1904) from the Red Sea and Indian Ocean; P. chichijimaensis (Sakai, 2015) comb. nov. from Japan; P. dworschakisp. nov. from the Hawaiian Islands; P. maldivensis (Borradaile, 1904) from the eastern Indian Ocean, Papua New Guinea, and possibly western Pacific; P. niuginiensissp. nov. from Papua New Guinea; P. rectangularis (Ngoc-Ho, 1991) from French Polynesia to the Red Sea; and P. rempiensissp. nov. from Papua New Guinea. A published partial 16S sequence from Japan has provided evidence of one more species than those proposed here. Paratrypaea cristata (Borradaile, 1910) comb. nov. remains a species inquirenda.

KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

Callianideidae and Thomassiniidae, two families of Axiidea, are synonymised and Callianideidae diagnosed. The six genera, Callianidea H. Milne Edwards, 1837, Crosniera Kensley & Heard, 1991, Mictaxius Kensley & Heard, 1991, Heardaxius Sakai, 2011, Paracallianidea Sakai, 1992 and Thomassinia de Saint Laurent, 1979 are diagnosed and all species listed. Garyia Sakai, 2011 is synonymised with Thomassinia. A key to genera is provided. A new species Heardaxius rogerbamberi is described from Papua New Guinea. Thomassinia aimsae Poore, 1997 is newly recorded from Papua New Guinea.

KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

BIOPAPUA, BORDAU 1, MUSORSTOM 7, PAPUA NIUGINI

Surveys of coral reefs and associated habitats have discovered nine species of Axiidae and one of Micheleidae in Papua New Guinea. Only the micheleid is new to science. The collection provides an opportunity to provide colour photographs of some and to revisit their taxonomy. Two species are synonymised with others: Alienaxiopsis lizardensis Sakai, 2011 with A. clypeata (De Man, 1905) and Allaxiopsis bougainvillensis Sakai, 2011 with Axiopsis Picteti var. spinimana De Man, 1905, now Allaxiopsis spinimana (De Man, 1905). Axiopsis pica Kensley, 2003 is recognised as distinct from A. serratifrons, with which it co-occurs. Michelea papua sp. nov. is described as new.

KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

The synonymy of Axius (Neaxius) gundlachi var. orientalis De Man, 1925, with Axius (Neaxius?) euryrhynchus De Man, 1905, now Neaxiopsis euryrhynchus (De Man, 1905), is confirmed. The synonymy of Axia acantha (A. Milne Edwards, 1879), Eiconaxius taliliensis Borradaile, 1900, and Axius acanthus mauritianus Bouvier, 1914, is confirmed; they are a single species, Neaxius acanthus. They and a second species from the Indo-West Pacific, Neaxius trondlei Ngoc-Ho, 2005, are not synonyms of Neaxius glyptocercus (von Martens, 1868), as was proposed in Sakai’s (2011) family synthesis. Instead, a second species (from southern Queensland, Australia, Fiji and French Polynesia) close to Neaxius glyptocercus from north-eastern Australia is diagnosed as Neaxius capricornicus sp. nov.

MD32 (REUNION), MUSORSTOM 9, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI

Poore, G.C.B. (2023). New records and one new species of Callichiridae (Crustacea, Axiidea) from the Indo-West Pacific with keys to species of Corallianassa, Lepidophthalmus and Neocallichirus. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 82: 71–95. Collections of Callichiridae from surveys of coral reefs and sandy shallow environments in the Indo-West Pacific, particularly Papua New Guinea and Australia, have been used to redescribe and differentiate poorly known species and/or extend the range of others. Keys are provided for identification of the Indo-West Pacific species of Corallianassa Manning, 1987 (six species) and Lepidophthalmus Holmes, 1904 (four species). The distribution of Glypturus armatus (A. MilneEdwards, 1870) now includes Tonga, within its previously known geographic range. Supplementary descriptions and illustrations are provided for Michaelcallianassa indica Sakai, 2002, Mocallichirus mocambiquensis (Sakai, 2004) and Mucrollichirus mucronatus (Strahl, 1862). The 15 Indo-West Pacific and Australian species of the genus Neocallichirus Sakai, 1988 are diagnosed with a key for identification (N. variabilis (Edmondson, 1944) excepted). N. nagoi sp. nov. is described as a new species.

KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

Poore, G.C.B. 2023. New records, one new genus and 21 new species of Callianassidae (Crustacea, Axiidea) from the Indo-West Pacific. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 82: 167–255. The collections of ghost shrimps from the Indo-West Pacific that contributed to recent molecular phylogeny and resulting reclassification of Callianassidae (Poore et al., 2019; Robles et al., 2020) provide opportunities to review 11 genera and describe one new genus, redescribe existing species and describe 21 new species. Aqaballianassa aqabaensis (Dworschak, 2003), A. brevirostris (Sakai, 2002), A. lewtonae (Ngoc-Ho, 1994) are rediagnosed and Aqaballianassa papua sp. nov. from Papua New Guinea and Aqaballianassa seychellensis sp. nov. from the Seychelles are described as new. Three new species of Caviallianassa Poore, Dworschak, Robles, Mantelatto and Felder, 2019 are compared in a key with Caviallianassa cavifrons (Komai and Fujiwara, 2012): Caviallianassa arafura sp. nov. from the Arafura Sea, Caviallianassa riwo sp. nov. from Papua New Guinea and Caviallianassa moorea sp. nov. from French Polynesia. Callianassa thailandica Sakai, 2005 is treated as species inquirenda. No species of Cheramus Bate, 1888 occurs in the Indo-West Pacific despite the genus name having been widely used. Five species of Coriollianassa Poore, Dworschak, Robles, Mantelatto and Felder, 2019 are recognised and figured: C. sibogae (De Man, 1905), C. coriolisae (Ngoc-Ho, 2014) and new species, Coriollianassa mainbazae sp. nov. and Coriollianassa maputo sp. nov. from the Mozambique Channel, and Coriollianassa nyinggulu sp. nov. from the North West Australian slope. Darryllianassa felderi gen. et sp. nov. is described from Papua New Guinea. Necallianassa nosybeensis sp. nov. is described as a new species from Madagascar. Praedatrypaea Poore, Dworschak, Robles, Mantelatto and Felder, 2019 is rediagnosed. Thirteen species are recognised and most diagnosed; four species are described as new: Praedatrypaea jangamo sp. nov. and Praedatrypaea mozambiquensis sp. nov. from Mozambique, and Praedatrypaea mandu sp. nov. and Praedatrypaea ningaloo sp. nov. from the North West Shelf of Australia. Callianassa malaccaensis Sakai, 2002 is treated as a junior synonym of P. orientalis (Bate, 1888). A key to separate ten species of Praedatrypaea is presented. Pugnatrypaea Poore, Dworschak, Robles, Mantelatto and Felder, 2019 is rediagnosed and confined to three species. Rayllianassa Komai and Tachikawa, 2008 is rediagnosed and its species discussed. Rayllianassa amboinensis (De Man, 1888), a variable species, is rediagnosed; Callianassa ngochoae Sakai, 1999 and Callianassa sahul Poore, 2008 are treated as synonyms. Rayllianassa aurora sp. nov., Rayllianassa bifida sp. nov. and Rayllianassa huonensis sp. nov. are described as new species; the first two are associated with submerged wood at depths greater than 100 m. Rudisullianassa Poore, Dworschak, Robles, Mantelatto and Felder, 2019 is rediagnosed. Rudisullianassa rudisulcus Komai, Fujita and Maenosono, 2014 is discussed and partially illustrated; Rudisullianassa pandan sp. nov. is described as a new species from submerged wood. Spinicallianassa Poore, Dworschak, Robles, Mantelatto and Felder, 2019 is reviewed and a key is provided to five species; three species are described as new: Spinicallianassa bilbili sp. nov. from Papua New Guinea; Spinicallianassa papetoai sp. nov. from French Polynesia; and Spinicallianassa westralia sp. nov. from Western Australia. Callianassa parvula Sakai, 1988 is treated as a possible synonym of S. spinicauda (Komai, Maenosono and Fujita, 2014). Trypaea Dana, 1852 contains only T. australiensis Dana, 1852 and does not occur in the Indo-West Pacific as sometimes reported.

AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, MUSORSTOM 3, PANGLAO 2004, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 2, SANTO 2006

Eight species of deep-water porter crabs of the family Homolidae are recorded from Papua New Guinea from three MNHN-led cruises to these waters: Homola orientalis Henderson, 1888, Homola coriolisi Guinot & Richer de Forges, 1995, Homolomannia sibogae Ihle, 1912, Homolomannia occlusa Guinot & Richer de Forges, 1981, Paromolopsis boasi Wood-Mason in Wood-Mason & Alcock, 1891, Lamoha woodmasoni n. sp., Ihlopsis multispinosa (Ihle, 1912) and Latreillopsis gracilipes Guinot & Richer de Forges, 1981. Most are new records for the country, Lamoha woodmasoni n. sp. appears to be the Pacific sister species of the Indian Ocean L. longipes (Alcock & Anderson, 1899). The old records of the latter species from the Solomon Islands are now referred to the new species. The taxonomy of the other species is also discussed. Saint Laurent, 1989: Platyaxius Sakai, 1994; Albatrossaxius Sakai, 2011; Platyaxiopsis Sakai, 2011 and Newzealandaxius Sakai, 2011. Calaxius tungi Zhong, 2000 is synonymised with C. sibogae (De Man, 1925), Eiconaxius bandaensis Sakai, 2011 is synonymised with E. sibogae (De Man, 1925) and Tethisea mindoro Poore, 1997 is synonymised with T. indica Poore, 1994. Acanthaxius clevai Ngoc-Ho, 2006 is transferred to Pillsburyaxius, now Pillsburyaxius clevai (Ngoc-Ho, 2006), new combination.

BATHUS 1, BIOCAL, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, BOA1, BORDAU 2, ???msg.security.private???, ???msg.security.private???, EBISCO, KARUBAR, KAVIENG 2014, LITHIST, MADEEP, MAINBAZA, MUSORSTOM 1, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 2, MUSORSTOM 3, MUSORSTOM 5, MUSORSTOM 6, MUSORSTOM 8, NORFOLK 1, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMON 1, SALOMONBOA 3, VOLSMAR, Walters Shoal

Surveys of coral reefs and sandy shallow environments in the Indo-West Pacific and Australia have discovered 14 species of Eucalliacidae, of which four are new. All species are diagnosed, and Andamancalliax arafura sp. nov., Eucalliaxiopsis dworschaki sp. nov., Eucalliaxiopsis paradoxa sp. nov. and Eucalliaxiopsis patio sp. nov. are described as new. The collection is an opportunity to re-diagnose other species and provide colour photographs of some. Calliaxina xishaensis Liu and Liang, 2016, is synonymised with Calliaxina novaebritanniae (Borradaile, 1900).

KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

The hexapodid genera Hexapus De Haan, 1833, Hexapinus Manning & Holthuis, 1981, Latohexapus Huang, Hsueh & Ng, 2002, and Hexaplax Doflein, 1904, are revised and redescribed on the basis of their respective type species. Hexapus s. str. is redefined and a new species is described from Indonesia. Hexapinus is restricted for H. latipes (De Haan, 1835), H. edwardsi (Serène & Soh, 1976) and three new species from Indonesia, Philippines, China and Japan. A new genus, Mariaplax, is established for Lambdophallus anfractus Rathbun, 1909, Hexapus granuliferus Campbell & Stephenson, 1970, and 11 new species from the China, Japan, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, New Guinea and Australia. A new genus, Rayapinus, is recognised for an unusual new species from Japan. Two new species of Hexaplax from Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan are described. A new genus, Theoxapus, is also established for the east Atlantic Hexapus buchanani Monod, 1956, which had previously been placed in Hexapinus. A revised key to the genera of Hexapodidae is presented.

AURORA 2007, BIOPAPUA, PANGLAO 2005, PAPUA NIUGINI

The axiidean families Callianassidae and Ctenochelidae, sometimes treated together as Callianassoidea, are shown to represent a monophyletic taxon. It comprises 265 accepted species in 74 genera, twice this number of species if fossil taxa are included. The higher taxonomy of the group has proved difficult and fluid. In a molecular phylogenetic approach, we inferred evolutionary relationships from a maximum-likelihood (ML) and Bayesian analysis of four genes, mitochondrial 16S rRNA and 12S rRNA along with nuclear histone H3 and 18S rRNA. Our sample consisted of 298 specimens representing 123 species plus two species each of Axiidae and Callianideidae serving as outgroups. This number represented about half of all known species, but included 26 species undescribed or not confidently identified, 9% of all known. In a parallel morphological approach, the published descriptions of all species were examined and detailed observations made on about two-thirds of the known fauna in museum collections. A DELTA (Description Language for Taxonomy), database of 135 characters was made for 195 putative species, 18 of which were undescribed. A PAUP analysis found small clades coincident with the terminal clades found in the molecular treatment. Bayesian analysis of a totalevidence dataset combined elements of both molecular and morphological analyses. Clades were interpreted as seven families and 53 genera. Seventeen new genera are required to reflect the molecular and morphological phylograms. Relationships between the families and genera inferred from the two analyses differed between the two strategies in spite of retrospective searches for morphological features supporting intermediate clades. The family Ctenochelidae was recovered in both analyses but the monophyly of Paragourretia was not supported by molecular data. The hitherto well recognised family Eucalliacidae was found to be polyphyletic in the molecular analysis, but the family and its genera were well defined by morphological synapomorphies. The phylogram for Callianassidae suggested the isolation of several species from the genera to which they had traditionally been assigned and necessitated 12 new generic names. The same was true for Callichiridae, with stronger ML than Bayesian support, and five new genera are proposed. Morphological data did not reliably reflect generic relationships inferred from the molecular analysis though they did diagnose terminal taxa treated as genera. We conclude that discrepancies between molecular and morphological analyses are due at least in part to missing sequences for key species, but no less to our inability to recognise unambiguously informative morphological synapomorphies. The ML analysis revealed the presence of at least 10 complexes wherein 2–4 cryptic species masquerade under single species names.

AURORA 2007, KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

BATHUS 1, BORDAU 1, HALIPRO 1, KAVIENG 2014, MUSORSTOM 10, MUSORSTOM 8, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

ATIMO VATAE, BENTHAUS, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, CALSUB, CHALCAL 1, CHALCAL 2, CORAIL 2, EBISCO, EXBODI, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KARUBAR, KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.3, LAGON, LIFOU 2000, MD08 (BENTHOS), MD32 (REUNION), MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 1, MUSORSTOM 2, MUSORSTOM 3, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 6, MUSORSTOM 8, MUSORSTOM 9, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PALEO-SURPRISE, PAPUA NIUGINI, RAPA 2002, SANTO 2006, TARASOC, Walters Shoal

KAVIENG 2014, LAGON, LIFOU 2000, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

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

The genus Phylladiorhynchus Baba, 1969 currently contains 11 species, all occurring in the shallow waters and on the continental shelf of the Indian and Pacific oceans. Recent expeditions in these oceans have resulted in the collection of numerous new specimens in need of analysis. We have studied this material using an integrative approach analysing both morphological and molecular (COI and 16S) characters. We describe 41 new species and resurrect three old names: P. integrus (Benedict, 1902) and P. lenzi (Rathbun, 1907), previously synonymized with P. pusillus (Henderson, 1885), and P. serrirostris (Melin, 1939), previously synonymized with P. integrirostris (Dana, 1852). Most species of the genus are described and illustrated. Some species are barely discernible on the basis of morphological characters but are highly divergent genetically. Species of Phylladiorhynchus are mainly distinguishable by the number of epigastric spines and lateral spines of the carapace, the shape and the armature of the rostrum, the number and pattern of the ridges on the carapace and pleon, the shape of thoracic sternite 3 and the armature of the P2–4 dactyli. A dichotomous identification key to all species is provided.

ATIMO VATAE, BENTHAUS, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, CALSUB, CHALCAL 1, CHALCAL 2, CORAIL 2, EBISCO, EXBODI, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KARUBAR, KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.1, KOUMAC 2.3, LAGON, LIFOU 2000, MD08 (BENTHOS), MD32 (REUNION), MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 1, MUSORSTOM 2, MUSORSTOM 3, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 6, MUSORSTOM 8, MUSORSTOM 9, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PALEO-SURPRISE, PAPUA NIUGINI, RAPA 2002, SANTO 2006, TARASOC, Walters Shoal

Squat lobsters (family Galatheidae Samouelle, 1819) inhabiting shallow reefs are small crustaceans that can exhibit bright colors and include many cryptic species. Despite being a group with active taxonomists, basic details on their natural history, population structure, ecological associations, and even live coloration patterns remain largely unknown for many species. After a 2-week expedition aimed to conduct general collections of crustaceans from Guam, we recorded several new galatheids, including two new species. We sequenced the universal barcode region of the mitochondrial gene COI using Oxford Nanopore Technology to study the molecular diversity of squat lobsters in Guam and to detect potential species complexes across the Central Pacific. As a result, we describe the two new species, Coralliogalathea viridis Rodríguez-Flores & Giribet sp. nov. and Galathea calcifer Rodríguez-Flores & Giribet sp. nov., and provide new records and new data on the phylogenetic relationships, natural history, coloration patterns, geographic distribution, and biological associations of a total of ten species of galatheid squat lobsters.

KAVIENG 2014, LIFOU 2000, MONTROUZIER, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

The ecology, abundance and diversity of galatheoid squat lobsters make them an ideal group to study deep-sea diversification processes. Here, we reconstructed the evolutionary and biogeographic history of Leiogalathea, a genus of circum-tropical deep-sea squat lobsters, in order to compare patterns and processes that have affected shallow-water and deep-sea squat lobster species. We first built a multilocus phylogeny and a calibrated species tree with a relaxed clock using StarBEAST2 to reconstruct evolutionary relationships and divergence times among Leiogalathea species. We used BioGeoBEARS and a DEC model, implemented in RevBayes, to reconstruct ancestral distribution ranges and the biogeographic history of the genus. Our results showed that Leiogalathea is monophyletic and comprises four main lineages; morphological homogeneity is common within and between clades, except in one; the reconstructed ancestral range of the genus is in the Atlantic and Indian oceans (Tethys). They also revealed the divergence of the Atlantic species around 25 million years ago (Ma), intense cladogenesis 15–25 Ma and low levels of speciation over the last 5 million years (Myr). The four Leiogalathea lineages showed similar patterns of speciation: allopatric speciation followed by range expansion and subsequent stasis. Leiogalathea started diversifying during the Oligocene, likely in the Tethyan. The Atlantic lineage then split from its Indo-Pacific sister group due to vicariance driven by closure of the Tethys Seaway. The Atlantic lineage is less speciose compared with the Indo-Pacific lineages, with the Tropical Southwestern Pacific being the current centre of diversity. Leiogalathea diversification coincided with cladogenetic peaks in shallow-water genera, indicating that historical biogeographic events similarly shaped the diversification and distribution of both deep-sea and shallow-water squat lobsters.

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

We use molecular analyses, color patterns, and records of distribution of mating pairs to reconstruct the global phylogeography of Alpheus lottini, a complex of cryptic coral-associated snapping shrimp species. Molecular data support the delineation of ancestral clades A, B, and C, and suggest five additional subdivisions within clades A and B. Clades A, B1, B2, and C exhibit color pattern differences and/or evidence of assortative mating, and thus merit species-level recognition. There is no evidence for assortative mating within clades A and B1, with likely reproductive compatibility (i.e., fertile clutches) in areas of sympatry. The clade diversity peaks in the Mariana Islands and the early branching clade C is restricted to the northern periphery of the Central and Western Pacific suggesting a Pacific origin of this group outside of the Coral Triangle. These findings underscore the prevalence of allopatric processes with possible ecological or microallopatric speciation in areas where clades overlap.

PAPUA NIUGINI

The family Ammotheidae is the most diversified group of the class Pycnogonida, with 297 species described in 20 genera. Its monophyly and intergeneric relationships have been highly debated in previous studies. Here, we investigated the phylogeny of Ammotheidae using specimens from poorly studied areas. We sequenced the mitochondrial gene encoding the first subunit of cytochrome c oxidase (CO1) from 104 specimens. The complete nuclear 18S rRNA gene was sequenced from a selection of 80 taxa to provide further phylogenetic signal. The base composition in CO1 shows a higher heterogeneity in Ammotheidae than in other families, which may explain their apparent polyphyly in the CO1 tree. Although deeper nodes of the tree receive no statistical support, Ammotheidae was found to be monophyletic and divided into two clades, here defined as distinct subfamilies: Achelinae comprises the genera Achelia Hodge, 1864, Ammothella Verrill, 1900, Nymphopsis Haswell, 1884 and Tanystylum Miers, 1879; and Ammotheinae includes the genera Ammothea Leach, 1814, Acheliana Arnaud, 1971, Cilunculus Loman, 1908, Sericosura Fry & Hedgpeth, 1969 and also Teratonotum gen. nov., including so far only the type species Ammothella stauromata Child, 1982. The species Cilunculus gracilis Nakamura & Child, 1991 is reassigned to Ammothella, forming the binomen Ammothella gracilis (Nakamura & Child, 1991) comb. nov. Additional taxonomic re-arrangements are suggested for the genera Achelia, Acheliana, Ammothella and Cilunculus.

ATIMO VATAE, BATHUS 3, BIOPAPUA, GUYANE 2014, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, MAINBAZA, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

The phylogeny of sea spiders has been debated for more than a century. Despite several molecular studies in the last twenty years, interfamilial relationships remain uncertain. In the present study, relationships within Pyc­ nogonida are examined in the light of a new dataset composed of 160 mitochondrial genomes (including 152 new sequences) and 130 18S rRNA gene sequences (including 120 new sequences), from 141 sea spider mor­ phospecies representing 26 genera and 9 families. Node congruence between mitochondrial and nuclear markers was analysed to identify the most reliable relationships. We also reanalysed a multilocus dataset previously published and showed that the high percentages of missing data make phylogenetic conclusions difficult and uncertain.

ATIMO VATAE, BICOSE, BIOCAL, BIOMAGLO, BIOPAPUA, CEAMARC-AA, EXBODI, GUYANE 2014, ILES DU SALUT, KANACONO, KANADEEP, KARUBENTHOS 2012, KAVIENG 2014, MADIBENTHOS, MAINBAZA, MIRIKY, MONTROUZIER, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 8, PAPUA NIUGINI, SALOMONBOA 3, TARASOC, Walters Shoal

PAPUA NIUGINI

The New Zealand fauna of the crustacean infraorder Stenopodidea, the coral and sponge shrimps, is reviewed using both classical taxonomic and molecular tools. In addition to the three species so far recorded in the region, we report Spongicola goyi for the first time, and formally describe three new species of Spongicolidae. Following the morphological review and DNA sequencing of type specimens, we propose the synonymy of Spongiocaris yaldwyni with S. neocaledonensis and review a proposed broad Indo-West Pacific distribution range of Spongicoloides novaezelandiae. New records for the latter at nearly 54◦ South on the Macquarie Ridge provide the southernmost record for stenopodidean shrimp known to date.

BATHUS 1, BIOCAL, BIOGEOCAL, BORDAU 2, CALSUB, GUYANE 2014, KARUBENTHOS 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, MIRIKY, MUSORSTOM 4, MUSORSTOM 8, PAKAIHI I TE MOANA, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006, SMIB 4

The parasitological examination of polynoid polychaetes collected in deep water substrates (333–780 m) off Papua New Guinea allowed us to detect four infected specimens, including two new annelid host species (Harmothoe samadiae sp. n., Eunoe corbariae sp. n.), Lepidasthenia brunnea sensu Knox, and Harmothoe sp. Three of the parasites were identified as members of the mesoparasitic copepod genus Herpyllobius Steenstrup and Lütken, and one of Gottoniella López-González, Bresciani and Conradi, (Herpyllobiidae). Herpyllobius chambardi sp. n., found on L. brunnea, is distinguished from its con­ generic species by having a longitudinal constriction dividing its glo­ bose ectosoma into two symmetrical hemispheres. The second species, H. hourdezi sp. n., on H. samadiae, shows a depressed intergenital margin, lacks sclerotised dots, and exhibits a large endosoma with several thick lobes. Herpyllobius pabloi sp. n., found on E. corbariae, closely resembles its congeneric species H. polynoes, but differs in the endosomal structure and details of the ectosoma. Herpyllobius species are known to infect at least 14 polynoid genera, to which we can now add Lepidasthenia Malmgren, thus expanding its host range among polynoids. These three Papuan species are additional new records of this chiefly cold-temperate copepod genus to be reported from sub­ tropical latitudes. The discovery of Herpyllobius parasitising a species of Harmothoe confirms its preference for infecting this polynoid genus. The new Gottoniella, also on Harmothoe sp. is the third known species of the genus; it has heavily sclerotised genital swellings, slit-like genital openings, a distinctive fin-like lateral ectosomal process, a short, sclero­ tised ring, and a pipe-like stalk connecting the endosoma. Both H. chambardi and H. hourdezi are among the deep-living members of Herpyllobius in the Southern Hemisphere, the latter representing the deepest record of the genus (780 m) worldwide.

MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI

Pea crabs of the superfamily Pinnotheroidea De Haan, 1833 are known for their obligate commensal relationships with other marine invertebrates. The concomitant specialisations and adaptations of pinnotheroids have resulted in superficially similar body forms that include a high degree of structural reduction. This has confounded interpretation of their phylogenetic position in the Brachyura and interrelationships within Pinnotheroidea, though all were nevertheless believed to be united by a monophyletic origin of obligate commensalism. The family Aphanodactylidae Ahyong & Ng, 2009 was proposed for a group of genera associated with tube-dwelling polychaetes formerly classified in Pinnotheridae, and provisionally retained in the Pinnotheroidea. We investigated the phylogenetic position of Aphanodactylidae using molecular data from three markers (mitochondrial 12S and 16S rRNAs, and nuclear histone H3) covering five of the 12 described aphanodactylid species and a total of 15 thoracotreme families. We found Aphanodactylidae to be monophyletic, but widely distant from Pinnotheridae and instead most closely related to Macrophthalmidae (Ocypodoidea) and Varunidae (Grapsoidea). Therefore, the family Aphanodactylidae is corroborated, but its placement in Pinnotheroidea is rejected. Instead, the phylogenetic position of Aphanodactylidae, as clearly distant from other pinnotheroids, demonstrates that obligate commensalism has evolved independently multiple times within Thoracotremata.

PAPUA NIUGINI

Anilocra harazakii sp. nov. and Anilocra boucheti sp. nov. are described from specimens collected from Pterocaesio marri (Caesionidae) in the northern Ryukyu Islands, Japan and Myripristis kuntee (Holocentridae) off Madang, Papua New Guinea, respectively. Anilocra harazakii sp. nov. is characterized by the combination of the following characters in the female: the elongate narrow body dorsally vaulted; the pleonite 1 concealed by the pereonite 7; the uropod extending that of the angled pleotelson, and its endopod longer than the exopod; and the dactyli of only pereopods 2 and 3 with one nodule on anterior margins. Anilocra boucheti sp. nov. is characterized by the following: body with convex lateral margins; almost part of the pleonite 1 not concealed by the pereonite 7; pleonite 5 with posterolateral acute angle strongly produced; coxa 3 clearly smaller than coxae 1 and 2; the uropod not extending past the posterior margin of the pleotelson with the tip of one of the rami not exceeding the other; and the dactyli of pereopods 1–4 without nodules. Furthermore, the coloration, i.e., the orange body with black margins, of A. boucheti sp. nov. is unique. Bayesian inference tree using partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) genes supported the monophyletic clade composed of the members of the genus Anilocra including the two new species. Since the wounds caused by A. harazakii sp. nov. are often hemorrhagic, the isopod might have severe negative effects on the host.

PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

ATIMO VATAE, EXBODI, PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

The commercial deep-sea penaeid shrimp genus Parapenaeus contains 15 species, three subspecies and two forms in the Indo-West Pacific and the Atlantic. Novel nucleotide sequence data from five different genes (COI, 16S, 12S, NaK and PEPCK) were collected to estimate phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic status amongst all but one subspecies in this genus. The phylogenetic results only support two of the four species groups previously proposed for this genus and indicate an evolution direction of the genital organs from simple to complex. The present results suggest that Parapenaeus originated in the shallow waters of the West Pacific with subsequent migration to the deep sea and the Atlantic. The molecular data reveal that there was probably misidentification of females between Parapenaeus australiensis and Parapenaeus ruberoculatus, with females previously assigned as P. australiensis likely being the females of P. ruberoculatus, while material identified as P. australiensis forma nodosa being the true P. australiensis females. On the other hand, Parapenaeus longipes forma denticulata truly represents a variation of the same species, while the subspecies Parapenaeus fissuroides indicus warrants a specific rank.

ATIMO VATAE, BORDAU 2, KARUBENTHOS 2012, MAINBAZA, MUSORSTOM 1, MUSORSTOM 10, PAPUA NIUGINI

The commercial deep‐sea penaeid shrimp genus Parapenaeus contains 15 species, three subspecies and two forms in the Indo‐West Pacific and the Atlantic. Novel nucleotide sequence data from five different genes ( COI , 16S, 12S, NaK and PEPCK ) were collected to estimate phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic status amongst all but one subspecies in this genus. The phylogenetic results only support two of the four species groups previously proposed for this genus and indicate an evolution direction of the genital organs from simple to complex. The present results suggest that Parapenaeus originated in the shallow waters of the West Pacific with subsequent migration to the deep sea and the Atlantic. The molecular data reveal that there was probably misidentification of females between Parapenaeus australiensis and Parapenaeus ruberoculatus , with females previously assigned as P. australiensis likely being the females of P. ruberoculatus, while material identified as P. australiensis forma nodosa being the true P. australiensis females. On the other hand, Parapenaeus longipes forma denticulata truly represents a variation of the same species, while the subspecies Parapenaeus fissuroides indicus warrants a specific rank.

ATIMO VATAE, BORDAU 2, MAINBAZA, PAPUA NIUGINI

The swimming crabs (family Portunidae) are distributed worldwide and commonly inhabit estuaries, mangroves, reefs, shallow and the deep sea. Previously, 75 species and 19 genera in this family were known to Taiwan. Our study examined specimens in Taiwanese waters, including the islands, collected between 2016 and 2020 or deposited in museums. Through the cytochrome oxidase subunit I DNA barcode marker and morphological examination, 71 species were identified. The minimum interspecific distances were greater than 4.09%, except in two unresolved groups: Charybdis miles (De Haan, 1835) and Ch. sagamiensis Parisi, 1916, as well as Thranita pelsarti (Montgomery, 1931) and Thr. prymna (Herbst, 1803). In addition, 14 species belonging to nine genera were confirmed as new records to Taiwan, viz. Carupa ohashii Takeda, 1993, Lupocyclus inaequalis (Walker, 1887), Luu. tugelae Barnard, 1950, Lupocycloporus minutus (Shen, 1937), Monomia gladiator (Fabricius, 1798), M. lucida Koch & Ďuriš, 2018, Podophthalmus minabensis Sakai, 1961, Thalamita gatavakensis Nobili, 1906, Tha. spinifera Borradaile, 1902, Thalamitoides quadridens A. Milne-Edwards, 1869, Tho. tridens A. Milne-Edwards, 1869, Thr. cerasma (Wee & Ng, 1995), Thr. coeruleipes (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1846) and Xiphonectes tuberculosus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1861). This study thus raises the total number of Portunidae species in Taiwan to 89.

ATIMO VATAE, PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

Material collected during the expeditions BIOPAPUA 2010, PAPUA NIUGINI 2012, MADEEP 2014, and KAVIENG 2014, in the waters of the Bismarck and Solomon Seas of Papua New Guinea (PNG) yielded 12 species of deep-sea shrimps of the family Palaemonidae. Besides one new species of the genus Amphipontonia described in this paper, seven others, namely Bathymenes aleator, Echinopericlimenes calcaratus, Palaemonella dolichodactylus, P. komaii, P. spinulata, Periclimenes laccadivensis, and P. uniunguiculatus, are new records for Papua New Guinea. An extension to the known bathymetric range is reported here for the deep-water species Palaemonella dolichodactylus, P. komaii, P. spinulata, and Periclimenes uniunguiculatus, and also for two species previously considered as restricted to shallow water, i.e., Laomenes amboinensis and Ancylomenes sp., collected from depths over 90 and 180 m, respectively. Based on the present molecular analysis and additional GenBank sequences, three deep-water Periclimenes species, i.e., P. boucheti, P. leptunguis, and P. sandybrucei, are formally transferred here to the genus Bathymenes, and B. brevirostris is synonymized with B. aleator.

BIOPAPUA, KAVIENG 2014, MADEEP, PAPUA NIUGINI

Multigene molecular revision of a series of specimens of the rare spongobiotic palaemonid shrimp genus, Onycocaridella Bruce, 1981, collected predominantly from Papua New Guinea, has doubled the known species diversity to six. Of the previously known species, O. monodoa (Fujino & Miyake, 1969) and O. stenolepis (Holthuis, 1952) were analysed in the present study, whereas sequenceable specimens of the type species, O. prima Bruce, 1981, were not available. The present molecular analysis (combined COI, 16S, H3 markers) recovered six separate genetic lineages, indicating the presence of four undescribed species. Three of the latter are described in the present study. Remarkably higher known species diversity of Onycocaridella is thus recorded from a single geographic region – Papua New Guinea. The increased diversity reported here was discovered by application of complementary collecting techniques (hand picking, stone brushing, dead-coral sorting, suction sampling). One of the present new species is also reported from Australia, and O. monodoa is newly recorded from New Caledonia. A revised diagnosis of the genus and a key to identification of all known species of Onycocaridella are provided.

KAVIENG 2014, KOUMAC 2.3, PAPUA NIUGINI

We investigated the globally distributed red algal genus Pterocladiella , comprising 24 described species, many of which are economically important sources of agar and agarose. We used DNA-based species delimitation approaches, phylogenetic, and historical biogeographical analyses to uncover cryptic diversity and infer the drivers of biogeographic patterns. We delimited 43 species in Pterocladiella , of which 19 are undescribed. Our multigene time-calibrated phylogeny and ancestral area reconstruction indicated that Pterocladiella most likely originated during the Early Cretaceous in the Tethys Sea. Ancient Tethyan vicariance and long-distance dispersal have shaped current distribution patterns. The ancestor of Eastern Pacific species likely arose before the formation of the formidable Eastern Pacific Barrier—a first confirmation using molecular data in red algae. Divergences of Northeast and Southeast Pacific species have been driven by the Central American Seaway barrier, which, paradoxically, served as a dispersal pathway for Atlantic species. Both long- and short-distance dispersal scenarios are supported by genetic relationships within cosmopolitan species based on haplotype analysis. Asymmetrical distributions and the predominance of peripatry and sympatry between sister species suggest the importance of budding speciation in Pterocladiella . Our study highlights the underestimation of global diversity in these crucial components of coastal ecosystems and provides evidence for the complex evolution of current species distributions.

ATIMO VATAE, KARUBENTHOS 2012, MADIBENTHOS, PAPUA NIUGINI

ATIMO VATAE, KARUBENTHOS 2, KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI, SANTO 2006

PAPUA NIUGINI

Abstract The calcified encrusting brown-algal genus Newhousia was collected in 2012 from two sites in Madang Lagoon, northern Papua New Guinea. This is the first report of that enigmatic genus since its original description in 2004 from Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. Morphologies of thalli from both Papuan localities agree with the original diagnosis and the published figures of the Hawaiian Newhousia imbricata . Ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase large subunit ( rbc L) sequences of Papuan specimens were 96% identical to those of N. imbricata , and although there were no outstanding morphological differences between the Hawaiian and the Papuan specimens, the genetic divergence between the two strongly indicates they are not conspecific. A formal description of the new species, Newhousia yhaga , is provided and the phylogenetic implications of concatenated cox 3, psb A and rbc L sequences evaluated. A multi-marker phylogeny was generated in the hope to establish the precise phylogenetic position of Newhousia within the order Dictyotales. Even though both Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) analysis point to Newhousia being sister to Lobophora , these results are not supported by ML bootstrap values. The present documentation of Newhousia in a southwest Pacific locality considerably extends the geographical range of this unusual genus.

PAPUA NIUGINI

Abstract The calcified encrusting brown-algal genus Newhousia was collected in 2012 from two sites in Madang Lagoon, northern Papua New Guinea. This is the first report of that enigmatic genus since its original description in 2004 from Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. Morphologies of thalli from both Papuan localities agree with the original diagnosis and the published figures of the Hawaiian Newhousia imbricata . Ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase large subunit ( rbc L) sequences of Papuan specimens were 96% identical to those of N. imbricata , and although there were no outstanding morphological differences between the Hawaiian and the Papuan specimens, the genetic divergence between the two strongly indicates they are not conspecific. A formal description of the new species, Newhousia yhaga , is provided and the phylogenetic implications of concatenated cox 3, psb A and rbc L sequences evaluated. A multi-marker phylogeny was generated in the hope to establish the precise phylogenetic position of Newhousia within the order Dictyotales. Even though both Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) analysis point to Newhousia being sister to Lobophora , these results are not supported by ML bootstrap values. The present documentation of Newhousia in a southwest Pacific locality considerably extends the geographical range of this unusual genus.

PAPUA NIUGINI

PAPUA NIUGINI

The existence of massive cryptic diversity in algae makes linking DNA-based lineages to existing taxa exceedingly difficult. A better integration of historical collections into modern taxonomic research is therefore highly desirable. Using the brown algal genus Lobophora as a test case, we explore the feasibility of linking taxonomic names to clades in modern phylogenies. Despite Lobophora being a pantropical genus with probably more than 100 species, traditionally only a handful of species have been recognized. In this study we reevaluated the identity of 17 historical taxa thought to belong to Lobophora by attempting DNA amplification of herbarium material as well as specimens recently collected from the type localities (epitypes). In an attempt to assign them to Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units, the obtained sequences were integrated in a global Lobophora phylogeny based upon data derived from more than 650 specimens. Our results indicate that although five sequences were obtained from type specimens, exclusive reliance on information preserved in type specimens is problematic. Epitype material proved a more successful way forward, but this route often comes with a considerable degree of uncertainty, especially in tropical regions where the extent of sympatry among Lobophora lineages is often considerable. More problematic from a broader perspective is the fact that for 35% of historical taxa, either the type could not be traced or permission was not granted to extract DNA from the types. Such a low accessibility rate may reduce our reliance on type material and jeopardize future efforts to integrate historical taxa into a framework of a modern DNA-based taxonomy.

KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

Aim: Historical processes that shaped current diversity patterns of seaweeds remain poorly understood. Using Dictyotales, a globally distributed order of brown seaweeds as a model, we test if historical biogeographical and diversification patterns are comparable across clades. Dictyotales contain some 22 genera, three of which, Dictyota, Lobophora and Padina, are exceptionally diverse. Specifically, we test whether the evolutionary processes that produced the latitudinal diversity patterns in these clades are in line with the tropical conservatism, out-of-the-tropics or diversification rate hypotheses.

KAVIENG 2014, PAPUA NIUGINI

Marine reserve placement must account for the importance of places for resource use to minimize negative socioeconomic impacts and improve compliance. It is often assumed that placing marine reserves in locations that minimize lost fishing opportunities will reduce impacts on coastal communities, but the influence of the fishing data used on this outcome remains poorly understood. In the Madang Lagoon (Papua New Guinea), we compared three types of proxies for conservation costs to local fishing communities. We developed two types of proxies of opportunity costs commonly used in marine conservation planning: current fishing activity with fisher surveys (n = 68) and proximity from shore. We also developed proxies based on areas of importance for fishing as perceived by surveyed households (n = 52). Although all proxies led to different configurations of potential marine reserves, the three types of cost data reflect different aspects of importance for fishing and should be used as complementary measures.

PAPUA NIUGINI