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Paralethus montanus n. sp. is described from Chiapas, Mexico. This new species constitutes the first record of the genus for Mexico, previously known only for El Salvador and Guatemala, and it is the first episactid species collected at higher elevations (above 3000 m). A standardization for the abbreviations of the genital structures of episactids is proposed, which could apply to other groups of eumastacoids. A key for the identification of Paralethus species is also provided. Finally, the taxonomy of the genus and the spatial and altitudinal distribution of Central American taxa are discussed.

The pupa, female and male genitalia of Aedes (Howardina) guerrero Berlin, 1969 are described and illustrated for the first time. Additionally, the geographical distribution of Ae. (How.) guatemala Berlin, 1969 is extended. Valuable information on the distribution, larval habitats, taxonomy and keys to species within the Sexlineatus Section of the subgenus Howardina is provided.

Three new species of oil-collecting bees of the genus Centris (Xanthemisia) Moure are described and illustrated: C. jakalteka sp. nov., C. maya sp. nov. and C. purhepecha sp. nov. The new proposed taxa are distributed in the north of the Neotropical Region, specifically in the Mesoamerican Dominion and the Mexican Transition Zone, between the Neotropics and Nearctic. In addition, a distribution map and an identification key for the species of the subgenus occurring in the aforementioned regions are also presented.

Two new species of Travisiidae, Travisia satunensis sp. nov. and T. thailandensis sp. nov., were collected from different locations in Thailand waters. Travisia satunensis sp. nov. was collected in the Andaman Sea, at 214 m water depths. Travisia thailandensis sp. nov. was collected from offshore petroleum concession areas in the Gulf of Thailand, at 5080 m water depths. Travisia satunensis sp. nov. differs from all other species by having branched annulated branchiae on chaetigers 235, each annulated with a single filament, chaetae throughout the body and pygidium with 10 anal cirri, six digitiform and four short cirri, alternately arranged. Travisia thailandensis sp. nov. differs from all other species by having 21 pairs of cirriform, annulated branchiae from chaetiger 2, a mid-ventral groove along body, two last segments achaetous, and nephridiopores on chaetigers 714. A key for Travisia species from the Indo-Pacific region is also provided.

Chloeia Savigny in Lamarck, 1818 is the largest genus in the Amphinomidae by including more species than other genera. Members of Chloeia species thrive in mixed substrates or sediments, mostly in tropical waters, and rarely reach deep water, or cold-temperate environments. A recent revision dealt with the species from tropical American seas and resulted in the redescription of five species, and the description of two other new ones. The objective for this additional contribution was to revise type and non-type specimens deposited in 12 of the largest world collections, and by applying a slightly modified approach from the precedent revision. Species were grouped herein after the type of branchiae, the first chaetiger with branchiae, and the dorsal pigmentation pattern. The results include the redescription of 16 species, with C. flava (Pallas, 1766) and C. fusca M'Intosh, 1885 being restricted, and three others reinstated: C. incerta de Quatrefages, 1866; C. fucata de Quatrefages, 1866, and C. pulchella Baird, 1868; 10 species are regarded as indeterminable: C. ancora Frickhinger, 1916; C. bengalensis Kinberg, 1867; C. candida Kinberg, 1857; C. egena Grube, 1855; C. furcigera de Quatrefages, 1866; C. macleayi Haswell, 1879; C. malaica Kinberg, 1867; C. nuda de Quatrefages, 1866; C. quatrefagesii Baird, 1868; and C. rupestris Risso, 1826. Further, 10 recently described species are being diagnosed and compared to their most similar species, but not redescribed; and 17 species are newly described: C. amoureuxi sp. n. from Madagascar, C. bemisae sp. n. from The Philippines, C. boucheti sp. n. from Indonesia, C. fauveli sp. n. from the Bay of Bengal, C. fiegei sp. n. from the Red Sea, C. gesae sp. n. from the Northeastern Atlantic, C. gilleti sp. n. from Western Africa, C. hutchingsae sp. n. from Australia, C. keablei sp. n. from Papua New Guinea, C. mezianei sp. n. from Western Africa, C. murrayae sp. n. from Australia, C. piotrowskiae sp. n. from The Philippines, C. poupini sp. n. from the French Polynesia, C. richeri sp. n. from New Caledonia, C. slapcisnkyi sp. n. from The Philippines, C wangi sp. n. from The Philippines, and C. zibrowii sp. n. from the French Polynesia. Keys to all archinomin genera and to all species of Chloeia are also included.

The American genus Phonotimpus Gertsch & Davis, 1940 (Araneae, Phrurolithidae) was described on the basis of two species from northern Mexico. Recently, four species were described from Central and South Mexico and one species was transferred to this genus. Here we describe the males of Phonotimpus separatus Gertsch & Davis (the type species) and P. eutypus Gertsch & Davis, both previously known only from female specimens. Moreover, we describe 25 new species from Northeast Mexico (Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and San Luis Potosí): P. ahuacatlan sp. nov., P. arcitos sp. nov., P. boneti sp. nov., P. calenturas sp. nov., P. chipinque sp. nov., P. cielo sp. nov., P. cima sp. nov., P. cuauhtemoc sp. nov., P. cumbres sp. nov., P. elviejo sp. nov., P. escondida sp. nov., P. farias sp. nov., P. frio sp. nov., P. gertschi sp. nov., P. llera sp. nov., P. perra sp. nov., P. pozas sp. nov., P. puente sp. nov., P. revilla sp. nov., P. sanpedro sp. nov., P. vacas sp. nov., P. valles sp. nov., P. taman sp. nov., P. tetrico sp. nov. and P. xilitla sp. nov. Furthermore, we propose five species groups that include almost all of the new species and all the species described to date.

The family Scoliidae is represented by approximately 560 species worldwide. Of these, 64 species are known to occur in the New World. The greatest diversity of these wasps is concentrated in the Pantropical region. However, both the biology and the taxonomy of Scoliidae has remained understudied over the last six decades in the Americas. Taxonomic keys for the New World species are limited to certain regions of North and South America, showing ambiguous descriptions and unillustrated specimens. This situation has largely restricted aspects such as the species richness, ecology, and thus conservation status of these wasps, especially in Mexico, where there are no taxonomic revisions. In this work, the Scoliidae species from Mexico were revised from 12 entomological collections to update and homologize the list of species. In total, we examined 747 specimens from 23 morphospecies and 9 genera. The diagnosis of each species is presented, including their distribution, and a species checklist is provided. Moreover, the first taxonomic key for the Mexican species is presented. Stygocampsomeris servillei Guérin is a new record for the country. Also, two new Nearctic and four Neotropical records are added. The occurrence records are now expanded to 30 Mexican states. Most species (41.6%) occur in both Nearctic and Neotropical regions. The species Scolia fuscipennis Bartlett is still known from a single sex. This work is the first attempt towards the taxonomy and biogeography of the Mexican Scoliidae; thus, it could be an important baseline for faunistic, ecological, and conservation purposes. Overall, the family Scoliidae has been overlooked and poorly represented in Mexican collections. The specimens were scarce and frequently in bad condition, and none of them include biological or ecological attributes. Systematic sampling and appropriate curation of specimens would help to conduct future revisions, as well as the possible integration of barcoding information allowing integrative taxonomic approaches.

To accurately identify the species that make up the assemblage of the family Cichlidae in the Mexican state of Chiapas, we first updated the total species account (36 species) for the state and then created an identification key. For the distribution maps, the geographic records were projected using a geographic information system considering the layers of the two largest basins in the state (Grijalva and Usumacinta) and the Chiapas coast basin. The dichotomous key includes meristic, morphometric and coloration patterns that facilitate species identification present in the state. Rheoheros coeruleus (Stawikowski and Werner 1987) and Vieja breidohri Werner and Stawikowski 1987 are included in a key for the first time. The distributions of Paraneetroplus gibbiceps Steindachner 1864a, Rheoheros coeruleus, and Vieja zonata Meek 1905 in the state are mapped for the first time, and the range of 16 species was expanded. By updating and creating tools of great taxonomic use, we contribute to the study of this complex family with high morphological diversity.

We present a review of the genus Xylocopa (Neoxylocopa) of Mexico and Mesoamerica in which 11 species are recognized, including: X. clarionenis, X. fimbriata, X. frontalis, X. gualanensis, X. mexicanorum, X. nautlana, X. ocellaris, X. sonorina, X. wilmattae. Additionally, two new species are described, X. griswoldi sp. nov. with distribution in the United States and Mexico, and X. maya sp. nov. present in Mexico and Belize. Three species groups within the subgenus Neoxylocopa are recognized: frontalis, mexicanorum and sonorina. Identification keys are presented for identifying species groups and species. Furthermore, images of species and morphological structures as well as information regarding distribution are provided.

The species of Chloeia Savigny in Lamarck, 1818 include some of the most colorful amphinomid annelids in tropical seas. Their pigmentation patterns can be diagnostic but because some pigments may fade after ethanol preservation, they have been disregarded as useful taxonomic characters. In this contribution we revise the tropical American species of Chloeia, and we confirm stability of pigmentation patterns, the presence of cirriform branchiae along a few anterior chaetigers, and emphasize the size of eyes and of ventral cirri as diagnostic characters. Five species are redescribed and two ones are newly described; the redescribed species are C. entypa Chamberlin, 1919 from Western Mexico, C. euglochis Ehlers, 1887 from the Grand Caribbean (reinstated), C. pinnata Moore, 1911 from Southern California (extended southwards in Western Mexico), C. pseudeuglochis Augener, 1922 from Pacific Costa Rica (includes several records for a colorful shallow water species in the Eastern Pacific), and C. viridis Schmarda, 1861 from the Grand Caribbean, which is restricted to specimens having a single, dorsal longitudinal T-shaped band. New species are Chloeia nuriae sp. n. from the Gulf of California, and C. paulayi sp. n. from the Gulf of Mexico . Two other species previously recorded for the region, C. conspicua Horst, 1910 and C. flava (Pallas, 1766) are briefly characterized in order to avoid future misidentifications. Further, C. candida Kinberg, 1857 from the Virgin Islands, is regarded as indeterminable. A key to identify tropical American species of Chloeia is also included.

Twelve species of the family Oxycephalidae were collected during a deep-water survey off western Mexico: four species of Rhabdosoma, three species of Streetsia, two species of Oxycephalus, and one species each of Cranocephalus, Glossocephalus, and Leptocotis. In total, 321 specimens were collected, 114 males and 207 females, in 33 sampling localities in the Gulf of California (28) and off southwestern Mexico (5). Two species dominated in the samples and co-occurred in 17 of the 33 samples containing hyperiids: Oxycephalus clausi (24 localities, 152 specimens) and Rhabdosoma whitei (20 localities, 121 specimens). Considering this study and previous records, a total of 16 of the 18 described species of Oxycephalidae (89%) have been reported from western Mexico. Distribution of this new material off western Mexico is provided together with update data on species occurrence in the eastern Pacific.

In this contribution, three new species of sternaspids collected from sediments along the coast of southern Thailand are described: Petersenaspis apinyae sp. nov. from a depth of 5080 m offshore in the Gulf of Thailand; P. narisarae sp. nov. from 9 m depth in the Songkhla Sea, Gulf of Thailand; and P. pakbaraensis sp. nov. from tidal mudflats on the Andaman Coast. All three species resemble P. palpallatoci Sendall Salazar-Vallejo, 2013. They differ mainly in the pigmentation and shape of the shield, the number of ventral chaetae and chaetae at the posterior shield, body papillae, and size of the abdomen. Further, P. apinyae sp. nov. is clearly distinguished from other species of the genus by having dark orange to red butterfly wing-shaped shields, with strongly curved anterior margins. P. narisarae sp. nov. differs from other species by having concentric colored bands over shields and an expanded oval abdomen. P. pakbaraensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from other species by its dark brown-purple shield and laterally expanded fan. These three species have a unique character in their branchial plates: long brownish filaments. A key to the identification of all species of Petersenaspis is included.

Ten species belonging to the families Paraphronimidae and Vibiliidae were collected during a deep-water survey off western Mexico: two species of Paraphronima and eight species of Vibilia. This represents about 40% of all known species of these two genera world-wide. A total of 419 males and 607 females were obtained in 39 samples from localities in the Gulf of California (33) and off southwestern Mexico (6). Vibilia armata was by far the most frequently (32 localities) and most abundantly (687 specimens, 67% of the total) collected species, followed by V. longicarpus (231 specimens in nine localities) and P. crassipes (35 specimens in 9 localities). Co-ocurrence of species of Vibilioidea in our samples was very low, with maxima of seven and five species collected in the same sample, once each. Considering previous records, a total of 16 species of Vibilioidea (almost 70% of all known species) have now been reported from western Mexico: two species of Paraphronima and 14 species of Vibilia, including V. australis occasionally reported in the area as its junior synonym, V. wolterecki.

Chrysopetalids annelids have been little studied in the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP), with only 24 species recorded in the region. Most records are from northwestern Mexico and Costa Rica, leaving many sites along the Tropical Pacific coast of America unexplored. Furthermore, there are species recorded and described from the region with problems in their status, including questionable records, modest illustrations or descriptions, and lost type material. This paper aims to improve the knowledge of this family in the TEP. Almost 290 specimens were revised, provided from five scientific collections, covering 51 sites along the TEP and nearby. Two subfamilies: Calamyzinae and Chrysopetalinae, nine genera and 20 species were determined. Of these, ten species have been previously recorded, three are indeterminable and seven are new species: Paleanotus karlyae n. sp., Arichlidon mucropaleum n. sp., Bhawania bastidai n. sp., Chrysopetalum mexicanum n. sp., C. tovarae n. sp. A new genus is proposed, Bhawatsonia n. gen. which includes two new species, B. fusa n. sp. as its type species, B. nenoae n. sp. and, the new combination and neotype of B. purpurea n. comb. An updated and revised checklist of all chrysopetalids species recorded in the region is included, currently composed of 16 genera, 30 species, and four morphospecies.

The Sabellariidae has been scarcely studied in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, and there are 18 species recorded out of 140 species known in the world. This work aims to improve the knowledge of the sabellariids in the northwestern tropical Atlantic region, provide standardized descriptions, and generate taxonomic identification keys. Sabellariids from three scientific collections were revised: Reference Collection of Laboratorio de Poliquetos, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), Chetumal, Collection of Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Cambio Climtico, ECOSUR, Campeche and Invertebrate Zoology Collection of Florida Natural History Museum, University of Florida, Gainesville. Three new species are described: Idanthyrsus bastidai n. sp. and I. mikeli n. sp. from Venezuela, and Sabellaria salazari n. sp. from the Yucat Peninsula. In addition, new records of S. floridensis Hartman, 1944, S. vulgaris Verrill, 1873, and Phragmatopoma caudata Kryer in Mrch, 1863 are provided.

In order to complete the information related to the little studied deep-sea planktonic fauna of western Mexico, samples from a wide depth range (surface to 1550 m depth) were obtained using different gear. Six species and 108 individuals of hyperiid amphipods of the family Amphithyridae were collected at 26 localities, including a new species of Amphithyropsis Zeidler, 2016, which is herein described based on an adult male and a gravid female. Other species include Amphithyrus bispinosus Claus, 1879, the most abundant and frequently collected species (70 specimens at 17 localities), A. muratus Volkov, 1982 (11 specimens at 8 localities), A. sculpturatus Claus, 1879 (14 specimens at 7 localities), Paralycaea gracilis Claus, 1879 (10 specimens from 6 localities), and P. hoylei Stebbing, 1888 (one specimen from one locality). Worldwide and regional distributions are provided for each species.

The taxonomy of the monotypic genus Diguetinus Roewer, 1912 is discussed with a redescription of the only named species. The redescription, illustrations, and photographs are based upon male and female type specimens as well as a pair of more recently collected specimens from a relatively nearby location; both in Jalisco, Mexico. The genitalia are illustrated for the first time. A distribution map is provided with all verified records from iNaturalist included from: Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Querétaro, Michoacán, Estado de México, Ciudad de México, Hidalgo, and Puebla. All available knowledge on the natural history is presented including biogeography and distribution, local distribution and habitat use, influence of physical factors, and interspecific relations.

Thirteen species belonging to five genera of pelagic amphipods of the family Lestrigonidae were collected during a deep-water survey off western Mexico: four species of Hyperietta, two species of Hyperioides, five species of Lestrigonus, and one species each of Phronimopsis and Themistella. This represents 93% of all known species of Lestrigonidae world-wide. A total of 1092 specimens were obtained in 40 sampling localities in the Gulf of California (35) and off southwestern Mexico (5). Although sampling methodology was rather heterogeneous, two species, Hyperioides sibaginis and Lestrigonus bengalensis, were particularly abundant (336 and 562 specimens) and frequent (present in 24 and 31 localities) in the samples, representing 82% of the total catch. The southernmost distribution limit of Hyperietta stebbingi is extended to off SW Mexico. Of the 13 species that were collected during this survey, 10 and 8 species co-occurred at two sampling localities in the SE Gulf of California.

During deep-water (0-1550m) sampling operations off western Mexico performed between 1989 and 2014, a series of 89 specimens of pelagic amphipods of the family Eupronoidae was obtained, including two genera and four species: Eupronoe armata, E. maculata, E. minuta, and Parapronoe parva. The most abundant species (50% of total number of individuals) and frequently collected species (in 65% of samples with eupronoids) was E. maculata. Worldwide and regional distributions are provided for each species. Notes on previously used names are provided.

Phonotimpus padillai sp. nov. is described on the basis of morphological characteristics of both sexes: males are easily distinguished by the shape of the embolus and females by the shape of the copulatory openings. Additionally, Gosiphrurus schulzefenai Chamberlin Ivie, 1936 is transferred to the genus Phonotimpus Gertsch Davis, 1940, based on the redescription of the female and first description of the male, with an update of the diagnosis of this species.

The discovery of four undescribed flabelligerid species from deep-water in Pacific Costa Rica resulted in the restriction of Diplocirrus Haase, 1915. As currently understood, Diplocirrus and Pherusa Oken, 1807 are separated after their morphological pattern. The species belonging in Diplocirrus have two types of branchiae, poorly developed cephalic cages and multiarticulate neurochaetae, whereas Pherusa species have branchiae of one type, well-developed cephalic cages and completely anchylosed neurochaetae. Benthic sampling and processing usually damage cephalic cages and if chaetae are completely broken, one could regard specimens without them, when they actually have it, but lost after sieving. Sampling using Alvin deep-sea submarine at methane seeps off Costa Rica resulted in some well-preserved specimens, and some of them fall between these two genera because they have well developed cephalic cages, and multiarticulate neurochaetae. Saphobranchia Chamberlin, 1919, with Stylarioides longisetosa von Marenzeller, 1890, as type species, is herein reinstated for some species previously included in Diplocirrus, restricted. The transferred species, including three ones newly described herein, have branchiae of a single type, long cephalic cage and body chaetae, and neurochaetae basally anchylosed and medially and distally articulated; some species currently included in Diplocirrus described from Arctic or deep water sediments are transferred into it. A key to identify all species in Saphobranchia, and another key to identify species in the restricted Diplocirrus are also included. The three new Saphobranchia species are S. canela n. sp., S. ilys n. sp. and S. omorpha n. sp. The fourth species belongs in Lamispina Salazar-Vallejo, 2014, and it is herein described as L. polycerata n. sp. after the presence of some long papillae along anterior margin of chaetiger 1.

Four new species of the spider genus Novalena Chamberlin Ivie, 1942 are described: N. bola sp. nov., N. mayae sp. nov., N. padillai sp. nov., and N. zootaxa sp. nov. All species were collected in montane forests in Chiapas, Mexico, and three of them occur in sympatry across their distribution range.

The genus Phragmatopoma included, until now, only four valid species with distributions in Eastern Pacific and Western Atlantic. Since most taxonomic studies of Phragmatopoma include poor and uninformative descriptions, the aim of this work was to expand previous descriptions of the sabellariids of Phragmatopoma genus from Tropical America. Sabellariids from two Mexican collections, the Reference Collection of El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Chetumal, and Laboratorio de Sistemática de Invertebrados Marinos (LABSIM), Universidad del Mar, Puerto Ángel, were revised. Six hundred sixty-six specimens were revised, and eight species were identified. Three new species are proposed: Phragmatopoma balbinae n. sp., from southern Mexican Pacific, P. carlosi n. sp., from northern Mexican Pacific and P. villalobosi n. sp., from Pacific of Costa Rica. Another morphospecies, Phragmatopoma sp., from Pacific of Costa Rica is characterized; however, it is only one specimen. Two species, Phragmatopoma digitata and P. peruensis, previously buried in the synonyms of P. virgini (type locality: Straits of Magellan, Chile), are considered as valid species. Also, new records of P. californica and P. caudata were made in Baja California and Veracruz, respectively. Additionally, the use of standard terminology for the description of opercular paleae and chaetae is proposed.

Marphysa sanguinea Montagu, 1813, the type species of genus Marphysa, was described with few characteristics and subsequently reported in tropical and temperate waters as a cosmopolitan species. Recent comparative studies have shown that M. sanguinea has a limited distribution to the Northeast Atlantic. As a result, species from the tropical and subtropical zones are now being redescribed as new species. However, this issue is not completely resolved because of the taxonomic status of seven nominal species, considered as junior synonymies of M. sanguinea. Herein, we examined the type and additional materials from five species in synonymy M. sanguinea and performed a compared analysis with the neotype of M. sanguinea. Additionally, we reviewed specimens from two localities in the mid-Pacific Ocean and the Adriatic Sea, where M. sanguinea was previously reported. As a result of this study, three species were reinstated (M. californica Moore, 1909, M. leidii de Quatrefages, 1866, and M. parishii Baird, 1869) and two subspecies, are now raised to species level (M. americana n. status and M. brevibranchiata n. status). In addition, two new species from Hawaii and Croatia are described: M. baileybrockae n. sp. and M. birgeri n. sp., respectively. Morphological comparisons with most species currently assigned to the M. sanguinea complex are presented. This work provides more support for rejecting the hypothesis that M. sanguinea is a cosmopolitan species and we encourage the use of novel and traditional morphological characters to differentiate species within the complex.

Only a few previous surveys of the deep-water planktonic fauna have been accomplished off western Mexico, in particular in the Gulf of California. Samples of pelagic amphipods were obtained between surface and as deep as 2394 m using different gear during an extensive survey in this area. Among these samples, nine species of the genus Scina were recognized, including 78 specimens: 27 males and 51 females. The genus Scina inhabits mesopelagic waters at depths over 200 m, a community that remains largely unknown. The material examined includes a new species, the first reported from the Gulf of California, which is described and compared with its closest congeners, S. setigera Wagler, 1926 and S. parasetigera Zeidler, 1990. These three species share the presence of a long bristle on the base of the dactylus of pereopods 5 and 6. Scina sp. nov. differs from these other two species mainly by: 1) the shape and proportions of pereiopods 1-7; 2) the presence of three inner spiniform elements on uropod 1; 3) the insertion of the exopod on distal 1/3 of uropods. Of the remaining species collected during the survey S. borealis was by far the most abundant and widely distributed, followed by S. wolterecki and S. marginata. The other five species, S. curvidactyla, S. nana, S. pacifica, S. setigera, and S. submarginata, were represented by one or two specimens only. Co-occurence of species of Scina in samples was low with a maximum of four species in a single sample, all associated with S. borealis, the most common species. The distribution of Scina species collected during this survey is briefly discussed.

Recently, Suárez-Morales Üstün (2018) described two new species of monstrilloid copepods, Cymbasoma turcorum and Monstrillopsis pontoeuxinensis from Turkish coastal waters of the Black Sea. The morphological descriptions, illustrations, and type designations presented in that paper fully characterized both new species; however, the journal issue in which the description appeared was published only online, with no print version (Suárez-Morales Üstün 2018), and the article in which these new names were introduced did not include a ZooBank registration number (LSID) for the article or any other evidence of such registration. This is currently required by Article 8.5 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature for an electronic work to be deemed "published" under the Code (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 2012). Inasmuch as Suárez-Morales Üstün (2018) is an "unpublished work", the specific names turcorum and pontoeuxinensis proposed in it are unavailable. The present note is intended to fully validate these two names by proposing them once again as new while also fulfilling all of the Code's current conditions for nomenclatural availability of this work itself and the two new names. The date and authorship of these two specific names will, accordingly, be those of this note, not Suárez-Morales Üstün (2018).

Leocrates Kinberg, 1866 and Leocratides Ehlers, 1908 are two genera of hesionid errant annelids (Hesionidae, Hesioninae) whose species have 16 chaetigers (21 segments). Leocrates species are free living in rocky or mixed bottoms, whereas Leocratides species are usually symbiotic with hexactinellid sponges. Marian Pettibone revised both genera as part of the R/V Siboga Expedition monographs 50 years ago, and most of her ideas have remained unchallenged regarding synonymy for genera and species. For example, she included three genera as junior synonyms of Leocrates: Lamprophaes Grube, 1867, Tyrrhena Claparède, 1868, and Dalhousia McIntosh, 1885, and from 21 nominal species, she regarded only eight as valid. In this revision, all material available was studied, and different morphological patterns were noted in nuchal organs lobes, pharynx armature, and chaetal features. Leocratides species belong to a single pattern; however, in Leocrates several patterns were detected. Three patterns are present for nuchal organs lobes: barely projected posteriorly (horizontal C-shaped), markedly projected posteriorly (U-shaped), and with lateral transverse projections (L-shaped). In the pharynx, upper jaws were noted as single, fang-shaped, or as double, T-shaped structures, whereas the lower jaw can be single, fang-shaped, or a transverse plate. Neurochaetal blades can be bidentate with guards approaching subdistal tooth, unidentate without guards, or with guards hypertrophied projected beyond distal tooth. The combinations of these features are regarded as different genera and consequently, Leocrates is restricted (including Tyrrhena), but Dalhousia, and Lamprophaea (name corrected) are reinstated, and three new genus-group names are proposed: Paradalhousia n. gen., Paralamprophaea n. gen., and Paraleocrates n. gen. Further, the standardization of morphological features allowed several modifications and the recognition of novelties. Thus, four type species were redescribed, four others were reinstated, 10 were newly combined, and 18 from different World localities are described as new. The new species are Lamprophaea cornuta n. sp. from the French Polynesia, L. ockeri n. sp. from the Hawaiian Islands, L. paulayi n. sp. from the Red Sea, L. pettiboneae n. sp. from the Marshall Islands, L. pleijeli n. sp. from La Réunion, L. poupini n. sp. from the French Polynesia, Leocrates ahlfeldae n. sp. from India, L. harrisae n. sp. from the Revillagigedo Islands, L. mooreae n. sp. from New Caledonia, L. reishi n. sp. from the Marshall Islands, L. rizzoae n. sp. from the Seychelles Islands, L. rousei n. sp. from Papua New Guinea, L. seidae n. sp. from the French Polynesia, Leocratides jimii n. sp. from Madagascar, Paralamprophaea bemisae n. sp. from the Maldives, P. crosnieri n. sp. from Madagascar, P. leslieae n. sp. from Kiribati, and P. meyeri n. sp. from the French Polynesia. However, Leocrates japonicus Gustafson, 1930 is a nomen nudum. Keys are included for identifying all hesioninae genera, and for all species in all the included genera.

Marine tardigrades were sampled at three sites on Mexico's Caribbean coast. Eleven taxa were collected, one of which is described as a new species. Styraconyx robertoi sp. nov. is characterized by: asymmetric primary clavae; dorsal cuticle with a grid-like sculpture; claws with reduced accessory hooks; females with peduncles on only two digits (the external) of legs I-IV; males with peduncles only on the external digits of legs I-III and peduncles on all four digits of leg IV. Styraconyx robertoi sp. nov. is most similar to S. craticuliformis Chang Rho, 1998 and S. kristenseni Renaud-Mornant, 1981 by having asymmetric primary clavae but differs from S. craticuliformis mainly by the number of peduncles and from S. kristenseni mainly by the presence of a grid-like dorsal sculpture. Additionally, a comparison of material collected from the same region, but reported previously only as genus level records, was carried out in order to produce a refined list of the known Mexican marine tardigrade species.

Members of the Crotalus durissus species complex are widely distributed from Mexico to Argentina in areas with mainly seasonally dry tropical deciduous forest. Although four species (C. culminatus, C. durissus, C. simus and C. tzabcan) are currently recognized, species limits remain to be tested. Previous genetic studies suggest that C. durissus and C. simus may be paraphyletic and that at least one cryptic species may be present. We analyzed 2596 bp of DNA sequence data from three mitochondrial and one nuclear gene to infer phylogenetic relationships in the Neotropical rattlesnakes. We also examined museum and wild specimens as well as captive animals to analyze morphological characters. Our results suggest that the current taxonomy of the Crotalus durissus species complex does not reflect evolutionary history. We found strong support for five independent lineages within Crotalus simus (sensu lato), with genetic and morphological evidence for three previously recognized taxa and two new species, as well as three major lineages within C. durissus that each represent species hypothesis to be tested with additional evidence. We also found support to retain C. totonacus in the Crotalus molossus species complex. We suggest conservative taxonomic changes to the complex and related species, but more evidence is needed (e.g., morphology, ecology and venom composition) to clarify relationships among species.

Abyssal polychaetes are usually difficult to be identified because they are small, their body patterns differ from their shallow water relatives, their delicate bodies are often damaged during sampling and sieving, and their taxonomy is in need of revision. Members of the family Fauveliopsidae Hartman, 1971 are widespread in deep ocean basins and they follow the above statements. In this contribution, we present a revision of all available type and non-type material for the family. Our objective is to provide keys to identify genera and species, as well as standardized diagnoses, and illustrations for most species, excluding those described since 2011, or where type material was not available. One genus, Riseriopsis n. gen., is proposed and four species are newly described. The Fauveliopsidae now includes 24 species in three genera: Fauveliopsis McIntosh, 1922 (13 species), Laubieriopsis Petersen, 2000 (8 species), and Riseriopsis n. gen. (3 species). Fauveliopsis includes species usually living inside gastropod or scaphopod shells or foraminiferan tubes, Laubieriopsis and Riseriopsis include species commonly regarded as free living, although some species of the latter have very long bodies and have been found inside soft tubes. Fauveliopsis includes: F. adriatica Katzmann Laubier, 1974, F. armata Fauchald Hancock, 1981, F. brattegardi Fauchald, 1972a, F. brevipodus Hartman, 1971, F. challengeriae McIntosh, 1922, F. glabra (Hartman in Hartman Barnard, 1960), F. jameoaquensis Núñez in Núñez, Ocaña Brito, 1997, F. levensteinae n. sp., F. magalhaesi n. sp., F. magna Fauchald Hancock, 1981, F. olgae Hartmann-Schröder, 1983, F. rugosa Fauchald, 1972b, and F. scabra Hartman Fauchald, 1971. Laubieriopsis includes: L. arenicola (Riser, 1987), L. blakei n. sp., L. brevis (Hartman, 1965), L. cabiochi (Amoureux, 1982), L. fauchaldi (Katzmann Laubier, 1974) n. comb., L. hartmanae (Levenstein, 1970) reinst., L. norvegica Zhadan Atroshchenko, 2012, and L. petersenae Magalhães, Bailey-Brock Rizzo, 2014. Riseriopsis includes: R. arabica (Hartman, 1976) n. comb., R. confusa (Thiel, Purschke Böggemann, 2011) n. comb., and R. santosae n. sp. Keywords. Deep-sea species, taxonomy, genital papillae, genera, species  Introduction The family-group name Fauveliopsidae was established by Hartman (1971) and derived from Fauveliopsis McIntosh, 1922. The genus-group name was dedicated to Pierre Fauvel, famous French polychaetologist, and the type species, F. challengeriae McIntosh, 1922, was described based on specimens collected during the HMS Challenger expedition. The phylogenetic affinities of fauveliopsids are unsettled in part due to the fact that only a few species have been included in past analyses; after the analysis of morphological and molecular characters (Zrzavý et al. 2009, figure 6), Fauveliopsidae groups with Cossuridae and Paraonidae, as a sister group to what has been regarded as Cirratuliformia (Cirratulidae, Acrocirridae, Flabelligeridae).            This family includes benthic species that are rarely abundant, and they tend to prefer silty bottoms. Most species have been described from deep-sea locations including trenchs (Menzies George 1967); however, a few shallow water species were described from the Canary Islands (5 m), New Zealand (20 m), and the Adriatic Sea (60 m). Members of the family are free living or find shelter in tubes of cemented silt grains (Blake Petersen 2000, Petersen 2000); they can also be found inside scaphopod, or gastropod mollusk shells, or inside tubular foraminiferans (Bathysiphon Sars, 1872). It should be noted, however, that typical Bathysiphon tests include sponge spicules, and that Psammosiphonella Avnimelech, 1952 was proposed for those agglutinated foraminiferans whose tests do not include sponge spicules; this latter genus has been regarded as distinct (Rögl 1995; Kaminski 2004; Kaminski et al. 2009). This is relevant because at least in some cases, as we show below, fauveliopsid tubes have a complex organization, such that other interpretations might be involved. Another interesting issue is that Małecki (1973) regarded these foraminiferan tests (Bathysiphon and Psammosiphonella) as polychaete tubes, because they lack the characteristic basal embryonic chamber, proloculus, which define foraminiferans. This idea was not followed and the above genera are still regarded as foraminiferans (Kaminski 2004).            Fauveliopsid bodies are subcylindrical, wider medially, or club-shaped; in the latter, the anterior region is the narrower one. Parapodia are displaced dorsally with notopodia being clearly dorsolateral, whereas neuropodia are lateral and chaetae are directed anteriorly, usually along anterior region, and it is related to free living species. The combination of a usually posterior wider region and the parapodial disposition, together with the presence of some anal papillae has made it difficult to assess body polarity and for some descriptions the body ends were incorrectly characterized (Laubier 1972:698; Hartman 1976:236, Fig. 12a). There are four morphological traits of typical polychaete body patterns that can explain this difficulty: 1) anterior region is wider than the rest of the body; 2) segments are less clear cut anteriorly; 3) chaetal bundles are displaced to the anterior border of each chaetiger, being displaced to the median region and eventually towards the posterior region in median to posterior chaetigers; and 4) chaetae are directed anteriorly in a few anterior chaetigers, and towards the posterior region in the rest of the body.            Surprisingly, these patterns are reversed among fauveliopsids because many have evolved to live within tubes, bending their bodies obliquely or ventrally, and by directing their chaetal bundles anteriorly (originally noticed by McIntosh 1922:6). These modifications could provide better anchoring for chaetae and parapodia. Inside gastropod shells, there are different conditions for what lies dorsally or ventrally; this might have selected for body modifications. For example, parapodia become dorsally displaced and this would enlarge ventral and lateral surface areas to be in close contact with the shell.            Katzmann Laubier (1974:10, Fig. 3C) showed that in some fauveliopsids the narrower region is exposed through the shell aperture. Blake Petersen (2000) clarified the body end confusion, standardized concepts about morphological features, and redescribed some species. However, earlier descriptions deserve re-evaluation because of a potential confusion of body ends. Riser (1987) provided some histological details and indicated that stomach contents consisted of foraminiferans and silt, whereas Purschke (1997) made SEM illustrations of nuchal organs.            Hartman (1971:1411) proposed Fauveliopsidae to include four genera that she regarded as flabelligerid-like: Bruunilla Hartman, 1971, Fauveliopsis, Flabelligella Hartman, 1965, and Flota Hartman, 1967. In a subsequent publication, Hartman (1974:199, 235) apparently changed her perspective and transferred Fauveliopsis to the Flabelligeridae; however, in a posthumous publication (Hartman 1978:175) she used the family as originally proposed.            The composition of the Fauveliopsidae has been modified over the years, with Orensanz (1974) transferring Flabelligella to Acrocirridae, Pettibone (1979) indicating that Bruunilla belongs in Polynoidae, and Buzhinskaja (1996) proposing an independent family for Flota. For the latter genus group name, Salazar-Vallejo Zhadan (2007) regarded it as a junior synonym of Buskiella McIntosh, 1885. The family was thus restricted to Fauveliopsis but it now also includes Laubieriopsis Petersen, 2000 and Riseriopsis n. gen.            Three major publications have addressed identification problems in Fauveliopsis. Katzmann Laubier (1974) prepared a key to species based upon the number of chaetigers, integument features and type of chaetae throughout body. Amoureux (1982) compiled the known species and pointed out their number of chaetigers. Hartmann-Schröder (1983) had a different approach and relied more on chaetal patterns than on number of chaetigers.            Because body ends were confused in some of the original descriptions, the species deserve reinterpretation. In order to standardize the morphological features, the diagnoses below combine these approaches and additional observations based upon specimens with some remarks about the match between previous descriptions and these standardized diagnoses, as made elsewhere for tropical American species (Salazar-Vallejo 2009).            In this contribution, we have dealt with all material available of fauveliopsid genera and species. We propose a new genus, Riseriopsis n. gen., to include two species of Fauveliopsis provided with long, posteriorly swollen bodies, with long segments along median region, and two known species are newly combined. Further, four species are newly described, and another one, Laubieriopsis hartmanae (Levenstein, 1970), is redescribed and reinstated.

The monotypic genera Lycastonereis Rao, 1981 and Ganganereis Misra, 1999, and their respective species L. indica Rao, 1981 and G. sootai Misra, 1999, have unique morphological traits, and are only known from India and nearby countries. Lycastonereis is diagnosed by having three pairs of anterior cirri and biramous parapodia, whereas for Ganganereis the pharynx has partially sclerotized papillae arranged in a semi-continuous row in the maxillary ring, and chaetae include only spinigers throughout the body. The morphology of these species is not adequately understood as shown by their exclusion in phylogenetic analyses, and therefore an additional morphological evaluation is needed. The re-evaluation of the genera is based upon three specimens of L. indica and the original description of G. sootai. It is shown that L. indica has rounded papillae present in both maxillary and oral rings (not restricted to the oral ring), and in all areas except area V, and neuroacicular ligules are bilobed (not the postchaetal lobes). In addition, G. sootai is morphological similar to species of Paraleonnates Khlebovich Wu, 1962, mainly in the arrangement and kind of structures of the pharynx, parapodial morphology, and chaetae; therefore, G. sootai is transferred to Paraleonnates, and Ganganereis is regarded as a junior synonym of Paraleonnates. A key to species of Paraleonnates is included.

Gammaropsis elvirae sp. nov. is described and illustrated here, as a new species of the family Photidae Boeck, 1871, occurring on sites widely distributed in the soft-sediment habitats from the Yucatan shelf, southern Gulf of Mexico. This new species differs from all other congeners by a unique set of characteristics: lateral cephalic lobes rounded; outer lobes of lower lip with one cone on each lobe; gnathopod 1 propodus longer than carpus; gnathopod 2 propodus enlarged with small convoluted processes on posterior margin and palmar angle undefined; gnathopod 2 dactylus short, less than one half in length of propodus; dense setation on basis, carpus, and propodus of gnathopod 2; epimeral plates 1-3 rounded; inner ramus of uropods 1-3 longer than outer ramus; and telson emarginated. Ecological comments on spatial distribution and associated environmental variables are included, as well an identification key to the genus in tropical America.

The genus Phonotimpus Gertsch Davis, 1940 includes four species all known only from Mexico (World Spider Catalog 2018). P. separatus and P. eutypus were described by Gertsch Davis (1940) from San Luis Potosí and from Nuevo León, respectively. Phonotimpus pennimani and P. talquian, described by Chamé-Vázquez, Ibarra-Núñez Jiménez (2018), are the southernmost species in this genus (Chamé-Vázquez et al. 2018), and have restricted allopatric geographic distributions in Chiapas. This genus differs from other American phrurolithid genera by the following combination of characters: posterior eye row recurved, posterior median eyes closer to posterior lateral eyes than to each other, posterior median eyes smaller than posterior lateral eyes, females with dorsal scutum on the opisthosoma; palpi of males with retrolateral and dorsal tibial apophyses not joined at the base, and copulatory bulb with a conductor, embolus and embolar basal process (Gertsch Davis 1940; Penniman 1985; Chamé-Vázquez et al. 2018). In this paper, a new species of Phonotimpus is described and illustrated, based on specimens collected in soil of a pine-oak forest in the state of Mexico.

Alitta virens species complex encompasses elongate nereidids appreciated commercially both in the fishing and aquaculture industries. This complex has been well studied in biological and ecological terms. Nevertheless, detailed taxonomic analyses have scarcely been addressed, to the extent that only a few species in the complex have been recognized as valid but with some difficulties: Alitta brandti Malmgren, 1865 (Sea of Okhotsk), A. grandis (Stimpson, 1853) (northeastern USA) and A. virens (Sars, 1835) (Norway). Whereas, other several species have typically been regarded as synonyms, including those originally described from the North Pacific Ocean: Nereis (Alitta) virens plenidentata Moore, 1909 (California, USA), Nereis dyamusi Izuka, 1912 (Japan) and Nereis foliata Baird, 1863 (Vancouver, Canada). In this study, an examination of the immature and epitoke type and non-type material available for the A. virens species complex from the North Pacific was carried out. Herein, the status of A. brandti as a valid species is reinforced being clearly distinct from A. virens and related species. Alitta dyamusi n. comb., A. plenidentata n. comb. and A. williami nom. nov. are reinstated and transferred to Alitta, the specific epithet of the latter species is a replacement name for Nereis foliata Baird, 1863, which is a junior, primary homonym of Nereis foliata Dalyell, 1853. Lectotypes for A. plenidentata n. comb. and A. williami nom. nov. are designated. The North Pacific species of the A. virens complex, excluding A. plenidentata n. comb. which has several distinctive features that differ from all the Alitta species, are characterized by having homogomph spinigers in both supracicular and subacicular neurochaetae, oral ring with a larger number of rows and paragnaths, and epitoke males with unmetamorphosed pygidium and epitoke-modified chaetae in both neuropodial fascicles. The morphology of epitoke females in the A. virens complex is described for the first time. Identification keys to atoke and epitoke species of this complex are also provided.

Fifteen species of Marphysa classified in the Subgroup 1 Fauchald (1970) were reviewed and evaluated in a morphological analysis of the subgroup. It was found that 13 of these have a characteristic morphological pattern distinct from that of Marphysa sensu stricto; as a consequence, a new genus is proposed, Paucibranchia n. gen. This new genus includes the species that have branchiae restricted to a few chaetigers in the anterior region, maxillae I with a rounded falcal arch and outer edge with a straight base plus a curvature in the basal inner edge, dorsal cirri longer in the branchial region and in media-posterior region as long or longer than pre-branchial chaetigers, and the postchaetal lobe in the branchial region well developed, elongated. Paucibranchia n. gen. includes six new species (P. andresi n. sp., P. carrerai n. sp., P. gathofi n. sp., P. gilberti n. sp., P. miroi n. sp. and P. patriciae n. sp.), two species not formally named, and other 13 species previously included in Marphysa (P. adenensis (Gravier, 1900) n. comb., P. bellii (Audouin Milne-Edwards, 1833) n. comb., P. cinari (Kurt-Sahin, 2014) n. comb., P. conferta (Moore, 1911) n. comb., P. disjuncta (Hartman, 1961) n. comb., P. fallax (Marion Bobretzky, 1875) n. comb., P. gemmata (Mohammad, 1973) n. comb., P. kinbergi (McIntosh, 1910) n. comb., P. oculata (Treadwell, 1921) n. comb., P. purcellana (Willey, 1904) n. comb., P. sinensis (Monro, 1934) n. comb., P. stragula (Grube, 1878) n. comb., P. totospinata (Lu Fauchald, 1998) n. comb.). One species previously classified in the subgroup, Marphysa striata (Kinberg, 1865), was considered indeterminate. Finally, some statistical analyses on size dependent features and an identification key for species of the new genus were included.

Pseudonereis gallapagensis Kinberg, 1865 and P. variegata (Grube Kröyer in Grube, 1858) are the only two species of this genus commonly recorded along Atlantic American coasts, but their type localities are in the Eastern Pacific, and their morphology differs. Two new Pseudonereis species are described from Eastern Mexico: P. brunnea sp. n. from the Gulf of Mexico, and P. citrina sp. n. from the Caribbean Sea, previously confused with P. gallapagensis. In order to facilitate comparisons, descriptions based on specimens from near the type locality for P. gallapagensis (Peru and Ecuador), and topotypes for P. variegata (Valparaiso, Chile), are included. Based on these comparisons and current descriptions, the synonymies of Nereis ferox Hansen, 1882 described from Brazil with P. variegata, and of Pseudonereis formosa Kinberg, 1865 described from Hawaii with P. gallapagensis, are rejected. Consequently, both are regarded as distinct species and revised diagnoses are provided for them. The record of P. ferox from the Gulf of Guinea proved to be an undescribed species, and is herein described as P. fauveli sp. n. The number of paragnath rows in nereidid pharynx areas VII-VIII has been interpreted in several ways, leading to confusion; an alternative method to determine the number of bands and rows is proposed. The midventral region, the division of areas VII-VIII in furrow and ridge regions, and the description of the arrangement based on the pattern of paragnaths in such regions, are proposed. Further, the terms shield-shaped and pointed (P-bars) bars are redefined, and a new term, crescent-shaped bars, is proposed for paragnaths in the areas VI in some Pseudonereis and Perinereis species. A key for all Pseudonereis species is also included.

Wirada Keyserling, 1886 is one of the smallest genera of Theridiidae with only five South American species (World Spider Catalog 2018). Keyserling (1886) described first Wirada punctata (male) from Peru. Simon (1895) described W. rugithorax and W. tovarensis (males) from Venezuela, but Levi (1963) synonymized W. rugithorax with W. punctata. Later, Levi (1967) described W. tijuca (male) from southeastern Brazil, and lately Lise et al. (2009) described W. sigillata Lise, Silva Bertocello, 2009 and W. araucaria Lise, Silva Bertocello, 2009 (males and females) from southern Brazil. Simon (1894) placed Wirada in its group Histogonieae, and stated it is close to Pholcommateae. Until now, none species of Wirada has been included in any phylogenetic study of Theridiidae, only Agnarsson (2004) when commented the Pholcommatinae said "Based on the synapomorphies of the group it is likely that ... Wirada belong to this subfamily." Recently, this genus was reported (as Wirada sp1) from two localities in Mexico (Ibarra et al. 2011; Álvarez-Padilla 2015; Rivera-Quiroz et al. 2016) and subsequent samplings on three other sites from Chiapas (Campuzano et al. 2016) exposed more specimens. After examining these specimens, we found they do not match any of the known species and therefore we propose a new species. We also include taxonomic and biological notes about the genus and a key to the species.

The female of Phonotimpus separatus Gertsch Davis (the type species of the genus) is redescribed from a specimen collected at the type locality, and two new species of Phonotimpus from Mexico are described: P. pennimani sp. nov. and P. talquian sp. nov. A more detailed description of P. separatus is provided to better distinguish them from related taxa. The two new species are closely related; males and females of both species share several somatic and genitalic characters not found in P. separatus. The resemblance of both new species to P. separatus is discussed.

Among flabelligerid genera Brada Stimpson, 1853 includes several species whose bodies are fusiform or club-shaped, often with a reduced number of chaetigers, and their members are found in temperate and polar waters. In contrast, Bradabyssa Hartman, 1967 is regarded as a monotypic genus with a single Antarctic species with a cylindrical body and a variable number of chaetigers. After examination of all type and non-type material available of both genera, two distinct body patterns were distinguished: one includes the type species for Brada, B. granosa Stimpson, 1853, has only 8 branchial filaments and the neurochaetae are thick, blunt, often falcate, whereas the other includes the type species of Bradabyssa, B. papillata Hartman, 1967, usually has many branchial filaments and neurochaetae are straighter and mucronate. Consequently, Brada is herein restricted to include only 5 species, one of which is new, Brada kudenovi n. sp. Bradabyssa is herein emended to include many species formerly regarded as belonging in Brada, as new combinations, and species can be separated into four groups according to the development of the tunic and its sediment load. Thirteen new species of Bradabyssa are also described: B. indica n. sp., B. mexicana n. sp., B. alaskensis n. sp., B. elinae n. sp., B. grangieri n. sp., B. levensteinae n. sp., B. harrisae n. sp., B. hartmanae n. sp., B. jirkovi n. sp., B. kirkegaardi n. sp., B. monnioti n. sp., B. mezianei n. sp. and B. willeyi n. sp. The species belonging to Brada are B. granosa, B. granulosa Hansen, 1880, B. incrustata Støp-Bowitz, 1948, B. inhabilis (Rathke, 1843), and B. kudenovi n. sp. The species belonging to Bradabyssa are separated into four groups according to the development of their tunic and its sediment load. Group crustosa includes B. indica n. sp., B. mexicana n. sp., B. minuta (Amoureux, 1986) n. comb., and B. sachalina (Annenkova-Chlopina, 1922) n. comb. Group nuda includes B. alaskensis n. sp., B. antarctica (Hartman, 1978) n. comb., B. bransfieldia (Hartman, 1966) n. comb., B. nuda (Annenkova-Chlopina, 1922) n. comb., B. rugosa (Hansen, 1880) n. comb., and B. strelzovi (Jirkov & Filippova in Jirkov, 2001) n. comb. Group verrucosa contains B. abyssalis (Fauchald, 1972) n. comb., B. annenkovae (Buzhinskaja, 2001) n. comb., B. elinae n. sp., B. grangieri n. sp., B. irenaia (Chamberlin, 1919) n. comb., B. levensteinae n. sp., B. mammillata (Grube, 1877) n. comb., B. ochotensis (Annenkova-Chlopina, 1922) n. comb., B. papillata Hartman, 1967, B. tenebricosa (Berkeley, 1966) n. comb., n. status, and B. verrucosa (Chamberlin, 1919) n. comb. Group villosa contains B. capensis (Day, 1961) n. comb., n. status, B. harrisae n. sp., B. hartmanae n. sp., B. ilyvestis (Hartman, 1960) n. comb., B. intoshi (Caullery, 1944) n. comb., B. jirkovi n. sp., B. kirkegaardi n. sp., B. monnioti n. sp., B. parthenopeia (Lo Bianco, 1893) n. comb., B. pilosa (Moore, 1906) n. comb., B. pluribranchiata (Moore, 1923) n. comb., B. setosa (Verrill, 1873) n. comb., B. mezianei n. sp., B. tzetlini (Jirkov & Filippova in Jirkov, 2001) n. comb, B. villosa (Rathke, 1843) n. comb., B. whiteavesi (McIntosh, 1885) n. comb and  B. willeyi n. sp. Keys to aid identification of all genera in Flabelligeridae, to species in Brada, and for the species belonging in the four species groups of Bradabyssa are included.

Nine species of Marphysa from the Grand Caribbean Region are recognized and described based on the type and non-type specimens. One species is formally described as new: M. emiliae n. sp., and one is re-established as a valid species: M. fragilis Treadwell, 1911. The diagnosis of Nicidion Kinberg, 1865 is restricted based on novel features of the maxillary apparatus. Nicidion angeli (Carrera-Parra & Salazar-Vallejo, 1998) is redescribed, and two species that previously belonged to Marphysa, are transferred to Nicidion: N. longula (Ehlers, 1887) n. comb. and N. obtusa (Verrill, 1900) n. comb.. A new genus Treadwellphysa n. gen. is proposed to include those species having a newly described type of chaetae named spinifalcigers (exhibiting a mixture of falciger and spiniger blades), the base of maxillae II with a small elevation, and the ventral cirri with swollen base as transverse welt with short digitiform tip. Treadwellphysa n. gen. includes a new species, T. yucatanensis n. sp. and three other species previously included in Marphysa: T. amadae (Fauchald, 1977) n. comb., T. languida (Treadwell, 1921) n. comb., and T. veracruzensis (de León-González & Díaz-Castañeda, 2006) n. comb. Some morphological features are evaluated to clarify their variability with respect to specimen size. A key to Eunicidae genera, and keys to species of Marphysa and Treadwellphysa n. gen. from the Grand Caribbean region are given.

A female ovigerous specimen of the rare deep-living hyperiid Megalanceoloides remipes (Barnard, 1932) was collected with a remotely operated submersible (ROV) at a depth of 2,094 m in the Farallon Basin, Gulf of California. The specimen was found to be symbiotically associated with the siphonophore Apolemia sp. Eschscholtz, 1829. Hitherto, this species was known only from two other specimens, one from the South Atlantic and another from the Indian Ocean; the present record is the first from the Pacific Ocean. Previous descriptions lacked morphological details of different appendages; these data are provided here. In addition, we present the first data on its symbiotic association from in situ observations. The colors of the hyperiid and of some parts of the Apolemid were very similar, thus supporting the notion that some hyperiids tend to mimic the color of its host.

Members of the copepod genus Caligus Müller, 1785 (Siphonostomatoida: Caligidae) are commonly referred to as sea lice. Virtually all of the more than 450 species utilize marine fishes as hosts, however, an increasing number of records from marine plankton samples shows that at least some species reside in the water column during their adult phase. Members of three different genera, Caligus, Lepeophtheirus von Nordmann, 1832, and Metacaligus Thomsen, 1949 have been reported from plankton samples off eastern Asia and in the north-western Atlantic. Thirteen species have so far been consistently reported from the plankton only with no information on their hosts. Here we review the various hypotheses previously proposed to explain the presence of caligids in the water column, i.e. accidental occurrence, behavioral detachment from the host during mate location, and host-switching. The discovery of adults of two species of Caligus with no other developmental stages on their teleost hosts, suggests an ontogenetic host-switching after the final molt since both species also occurred in plankton samples. A checklist of all caligid records from the marine plankton, including known host data, is presented.

During a survey of the zooplankton community of a protected reef system on the southern coast of the Mexican Caribbean, many female and male specimens of an undescribed species of Caligus Müller, 1785 were collected. The new species closely resembles C. wilsoni Delamare Deboutteville & Nunez-Ruivo, 1958 and C. belones (Krøyer, 1863) and has affinities with C. balistae Steenstrup & Lütken, 1861 and C. longipedis Bassett-Smith, 1898, all known from the Caribbean Sea and adjacent waters of the north-western Atlantic Ocean. Caligus ilhoikimi sp. nov., is described in full and illustrations of both sexes are also provided. The new species differs from C. wilsoni and C. belones in several features, including the shape of the sternal furca, the shape and proportions of the genital complex and abdomen, the lack of accessory processes on the distal elements of leg 1 exopod, and the presence of a lateral spine on the third exopodal segment of leg 2. This is the seventh species of Caligus known from waters of the Atlantic seaboard of Mexico and the 32nd species of the genus recorded in Mexican waters. The specimens were caught with a plankton light trap. The unusually high number of individuals captured and the fact that the sample was monospecific (i.e. only adults of this caligid species were collected) suggests that it is a chiefly planktonic form. This is a mode of life recently revealed as being more common among caligids than previously thought.

Ambaeolothrips gen. n. is diagnosed for three Neotropical species: the type species romanruizi Ruiz-De la Cruz et al. comb. n. from Mexico, microstriatus Hood comb. n. from Panama, and pampeanus sp. n. from southern Brazil. Variation is discussed among character states that are used in the generic classification of the family Aeolothripidae, including segmentation of the antennae and maxillary palps, sculpture of the metanotum and presence of sternal discal setae. New field observations on the biology of romanruizi indicate that this species is phytophagous in flowers and on leaves, with no evidence of predation on the larvae of other thrips.

A phylogeny is presented for 34 species of Astyanax, 27 of them once included within A. aeneus or A. fasciatus in Central America and Mexico, based on 52 morphological characters (mostly osteological, but also pigmentation and meristics), with three outgroups. Monophyly is not supported for A. aeneus s. lat., as Brazilian species such as A. fasciatus s. str. and others occur also within that clade. There were only five resolved clades, three of them including both Brazilian and Central American species, one purely Nicaraguan, and one for central-northern Mexico and Texas. Coincidence with previous cladistic hypotheses is only partial. The genus Bramocharax Gill is not recovered, and thus confirmed as a synonym of Astyanax Baird & Girard. The findings point at a more complex biogeographic history of the region than usually recognized.

Monstrilloid copepods collected during the past two decades from zooplankton surveys in reef and coastal areas of Australia were analyzed. A first contribution included the taxonomic analysis of three genera of the Monstrilloida, Monstrillopsis Sars, 1921, Maemonstrilla Grygier & Ohtsuka, 2008, and the newly described Australomonstrillopsis Suárez-Morales & McKinnon, 2014. In this document a taxonomic analysis of the species belonging to the genus Cymbasoma Thompson, 1888 is provided. A total of 28 species were found, most of them being undescribed. Seventeen species were described based on females only and eight on male specimens while three species were described from both sexes. Males of Australian species of Cymbasoma are distinguished by details of the genital complex, body size and proportions, ornamentation and processes of the cephalic region, number of caudal setae, and the characteristic structure or ornamentation of the genital lappets. Two main groups of males were distinguished on the basis of the number of caudal setae (3 or 4). As for the females, 20 of the 25 new species of Cymbasoma have fifth legs with an unarmed inner lobe and three setae on the outer lobe; one of these species (C. jinigudira sp. nov.) belongs to the C. longispinosum species-group (sensu Üstün et al. 2014). Another group, consisting of five species, has only two setae on the outer (exopodal) lobe. There were no Australian species of Cymbasoma with a single lobe. A species group, named after C. agoense, is proposed to include species sharing a globose body and a female fifth leg with a large endopodal lobe and an outer (exopodal) lobe with two setae. The females of the new species of Cymbasoma from Australia can be distinguished from their known congeners by unique combinations of characters including the type of body ornamentation, body size and shape, antennule armature and proportions, the presence of distinctive features of the legs 1-4, the presence/absence of processes on the genital compound somite, and the presence/absence of a constriction of the anal somite. We report the occurrence of two previously described species, C. agoense Sekiguchi, 1982 from Japan and C. bali Desai & Krishnaswamy, 1962 from India in Australian waters. Considering the addition of the 25 new species here described, the number of nominal species of the genus is now 66. A key to the Australian species of Cymbasoma (males and females) and a map showing their occurrence in Australia are also provided.

Two species of Sternaspidae, Sternaspis chinensis sp. nov. and S. liui sp. nov., are described based on historic material and recently collected specimens in the sea areas of China. Sternaspis chinensis is abundantly distributed from the Bohai Sea southwards to the East China Sea. It has been frequently misidentified as the nominally cosmopolitan species S. scutata (Ranzani, 1817) in China since the 1950s. However, S. chinensis differs from the latter by possessing concentric bands on the shield (vs. absent) and crenulated posterior margin reaching or slightly expanded beyond the posterolateral corners (vs. posterior margin smooth and markedly expanded beyond the posterolateral corners). Sternaspis chinensis most resembles the NE Pacific species S. affinis Stimpson, 1864, but differs distinctly by its markedly concentric bands decorated from margin to center (vs. mainly restricted in the marginal area). Sternaspis liui is characterized within the genus by its slightly soft shield with firmly adhered sediment particles, which gives it a superficial resemblance to species of Caulleryaspis Sendall & Salazar-Vallejo, 2013. However, the shields of the latter are remarkably soft and poorly developed, without ribs and concentric lines, while in Sternaspis liui both the ribs and concentric lines are well defined. Variations of both species with remarks on juvenile shield development are provided.

As part of a study on Marphysa de Quatrefages, 1865 from the Grand Caribbean, three species regarded as junior synonyms of M. sanguinea (Montagu, 1913) were studied to clarify their taxonomic status. The examination of type and additional materials collected in the southern Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Caribbean regions, allowed us to clarify that M. acicularum Webster, 1884, M. nobilis Treadwell, 1917 and M. viridis Treadwell, 1917 are distinct species. Therefore, the three species were redescribed and some important morphological features such as maxillary apparatus, shape of parapodial lobes, shape of ventral cirri and pectinate chaetae, among others, were described and evaluated. Furthermore, we consider that previous records of M. sanguinea for the Grand Caribbean are doubtful and it is necessary to reassess those specimens to clarify their taxonomic identity.