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Species of the genus Anaspides, known as mountain shrimps, are endemic to Tasmania and inhabit a variety of freshwater habitats such as mountain tarns, pools, creeks and runnels, as well as caves. Until 2015 only two species of Tasmanian mountain shrimps were recognized, A. tasmaniae (Thomson, 1893), which was believed to be widespread all over the island and A. spinulae from Lake St. Clair. Revision of the genus by Ahyong in 2016 recognized 7 species, most having narrow geographic distributions. Only two widespread species remained: A. richardsoni, occurring mainly on the Central Plateau and its margins, and A. swaini, occurring largely in south-western Tasmania. Notably, within A. swaini, three geographically correlated morphological forms were observed. We re-evaluated all three forms of A. swaini and herein describe one of the forms as a new species, A. driesseni, on the basis of morphological and molecular data. Anaspides driesseni corresponds to A. swaini form 3 and occurs mainly in south-eastern Tasmania from the Hartz Mountains over the Snowy Mountains to the Wellington Range. Telson structure, spination and male secondary sexual characters proved taxonomically instrumental.

Unravelling the evolutionary history of taxa requires solid delimitation of the traits characterising these. This can be challenging especially in groups with a highly complex taxonomy. The squat lobster family Munididae contains more than 450 species distributed among 21 genera, Munida being the most speciose (~300 species). Previous phylogenetic studies, based on a small part of the diversity of the group, have suggested polyphyletic origins for Munida and the paraphyly of Munididae. Here, we use an integrative approach based on multi-locus phylogenies (two mitochondrial and three nuclear markers) paired with 120 morphological characters, to resolve taxonomic and evolutionary relationships within Munididae. Our study covers ~60% of the family’s known diversity (over 800 specimens of 291 species belonging to 19 of the 21 genera collected from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans). Using this information, we confirm the validity of most genera, proposing new ones in cases where the genetic analyses are compatible with morphological characters. Four well-defined munidid clades were recovered, suggesting that new genera should be erected in the currently recognised Munididae (three for the genus Agononida and eleven in Munida), and the genus Grimothea is resurrected. A key to all genera of the family is presented. Molecular clock estimates and ancestral biogeographic area reconstructions complement the taxonomic profiles and suggest some explosive diversification within Munididae during the Cretaceous and the Palaeogene. Further anagenetic events and narrow sympatry accounting for changes in distribution indicate a more limited dispersal capacity than previously considered. Our study unravels how diversification may occur in deep waters and further highlights the importance of the integrative approach in accurately delineating species in understanding the history of a family and the factors driving the evolution. ZooBank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:16A61C4A-8D96-4372-820F-8EBDF179B43C

The poorly known brachyuran crab, Pronotonyx laevis Ward, 1936, from northern Australia, is redescribed based on type and other material. We document adults of both sexes and confirm the taxonomic placement of the Pronotonyx in the Pilumnidae. Pronotonyx is most similar to the Australian Pseudocryptocoeloma parvum Ward, 1936, differing in features of the carapace and pereopods.

Aim: After environmental disasters, species with large population losses may need urgent protection to prevent extinction and support recovery. Following the 2019–2020 Australian megafires, we estimated population losses and recovery in fire-affected fauna, to inform conservation status assessments and management. Location: Temperate and subtropical Australia. Time period: 2019–2030 and beyond. Major taxa: Australian terrestrial and freshwater vertebrates; one invertebrate group. Methods: From > 1,050 fire-affected taxa, we selected 173 whose distributions substantially overlapped the fire extent. We estimated the proportion of each taxon’s distribution affected by fires, using fire severity and aquatic impact mapping, and new distribution mapping. Using expert elicitation informed by evidence of responses to previous wildfires, we estimated local population responses to fires of varying severity. We combined the spatial and elicitation data to estimate overall population loss and recovery trajectories, and thus indicate potential eligibility for listing as threatened, or uplisting, under Australian legislation. Results: We estimate that the 2019–2020 Australian megafires caused, or contributed to, population declines that make 70–82 taxa eligible for listing as threatened; and another 21–27 taxa eligible for uplisting. If so-listed, this represents a 22–26% increase in Australian statutory lists of threatened terrestrial and freshwater vertebrates and spiny crayfish, and uplisting for 8–10% of threatened taxa. Such changes would cause an abrupt worsening of underlying trajectories in vertebrates, as measured by Red List Indices. We predict that 54–88% of 173 assessed taxa will not recover to pre-fire population size within 10 years/three generations. Main conclusions: We suggest the 2019–2020 Australian megafires have worsened the conservation prospects for many species. Of the 91 taxa recommended for listing/uplisting consideration, 84 are now under formal review through national processes. Improving predictions about taxon vulnerability with empirical data on population responses, reducing the likelihood of future catastrophic events and mitigating their impacts on biodiversity, are critical.

This study reports on new squat lobsters of the genus Munida collected during recent surveys of Australia’s continental margins. We report on 33 species of Munida including seven new species and 14 new range extensions for Australia. More than 500 specimens were collected, mostly from the western continental margin of Australia, but also including a new species from deep water (>2000 m) off Tasmania. We provide new data on the colour patterns of some species and include molecular data from two mitochondrial markers (16S rRNA and COI) to support the taxonomic status of the new species.

Aim: The incidence of major fires is increasing globally, creating extraordinary challenges for governments, managers and conservation scientists. In 2019–2020, Australia experienced precedent-setting fires that burned over several months, affecting seven states and territories and causing massive biodiversity loss. Whilst the fires were still burning, the Australian Government convened a biodiversity Expert Panel to guide its bushfire response. A pressing need was to target emergency investment and management to reduce the chance of extinctions and maximise the chances of longer-term recovery. We describe the approach taken to rapidly prioritise fire-affected animal species. We use the experience to consider the organisational and data requirements for evidence-based responses to future ecological disasters. Location: Forested biomes of subtropical and temperate Australia, with lessons for other regions. Methods: We developed assessment frameworks to screen fire-affected species based on their pre-fire conservation status, the proportion of their distribution overlapping with fires, and their behavioural/ecological traits relating to fire vulnerability. Using formal and informal networks of scientists, government and non-government staff and managers, we collated expert input and data from multiple sources, undertook the analyses, and completed the assessments in 3 weeks for vertebrates and 8 weeks for invertebrates. Results: The assessments prioritised 92 vertebrate and 213 invertebrate species for urgent management response; another 147 invertebrate species were placed on a watchlist requiring further information. Conclusions: The priority species lists helped focus government and non-government investment, management and research effort, and communication to the public. Using multiple expert networks allowed the assessments to be completed rapidly using the best information available. However, the assessments highlighted substantial gaps in data availability and access, deficiencies in statutory threatened species listings, and the need for capacity-building across the conservation science and management sectors. We outline a flexible template for using evidence effectively in emergency responses for future ecological disasters.

The Giant Sydney Crayfish (Euastacus spinifer (Heller, 1865)) was thought to have a wide range in New South Wales, Australia, spanning some 600 km north–south. A recent extensive molecular phylogenetic and population genomic analysis of E. spinifer across its geographical range revealed strong population structure corresponding to several major geographically correlated clades, the southernmost clade being the most genetically divergent and clearly a separate species. This southern clade corresponds to the junior synonym E. clydensis Riek, 1969 and is sister to the clade comprising the remaining populations of E. spinifer and Euastacus vesper. We formally remove E. clydensis from the synonymy of E. spinifer, increasing the recognised number of species of Euastacus to 54. Euastacus clydensis is redescribed based on type and other material, and is distinguished from E. spinifer by differences in abdominal spination and the form of the antennal scaphocerite. Euastacus clydensis has a restricted southern New South Wales range in the Shoalhaven and Jervis Bay–Clyde River catchments, from Moss Vale south to the vicinity of Clyde Mountain; much of the known range of E. clydensis was burnt in the 2019–2020 eastern Australian megafires.

For much of terrestrial biodiversity, the evolutionary pathways of adaptation from marine ancestors are poorly understood, and have usually been viewed as a binary trait. True crabs, the decapod crustacean infraorder Brachyura, comprise over 7,600 species representing a striking diversity of morphology and ecology, including repeated adaptation to non-marine habitats. Here, we reconstruct the evolutionary history of Brachyura using new and published sequences of 10 genes for 344 tips spanning 88 of 109 families. Using 36 newly vetted fossil calibrations, we infer that brachyurans most likely diverged in the Triassic, with family-level splits in the late Cretaceous and early Paleogene. By contrast, the root age is underestimated with automated sampling of 328 fossil occurrences explicitly incorporated into the tree prior, suggesting such models are a poor fit under heterogeneous fossil preservation. We apply recently defined trait-by-environment associations to classify a gradient of transitions from marine to terrestrial lifestyles. We estimate that crabs left the marine environment at least seven and up to 17 times convergently, and returned to the sea from non-marine environments at least twice.Although the most highly terrestrial- and many freshwater-adapted crabs are concentrated in Thoracotremata, Bayesian threshold models of ancestral state reconstruction fail to identify shifts to higher terrestrial grades due to the degree of underlying change required. Lineages throughout our tree inhabit intertidal and marginal marine environments, corroborating the inference that the early stages of terrestrial adaptation have a lower threshold to evolve. Our framework and extensive new fossil and natural history datasets will enable future comparisons of non-marine adaptation at the morphological and molecular level. Crabs provide an important window into the early processes of adaptation to novel environments, and different degrees of evolutionary constraint that might help predict these pathways.

The iconic ‘mountain shrimps’ of the genus Anaspides Thomson, 1894, are endemic to Tasmania, inhabiting various freshwater habitats such as mountain tarns and creeks, as well as streams inside caves. They are often labelled as ‘living fossils’ because of their close resemblance to their Triassic relatives. Prior to 2015, only two species were recognised but recent studies have uncovered a total of at least seven species. The type species of Anaspides, A. tasmaniae (Thomson, 1893), was previously believed to occur throughout Tasmania, but following a review in 2016, this species was confirmed only from a small range on the east and south-east side of Mt Wellington, with Anaspides from other parts of Tasmania referable to other species. We herein provide a detailed assessment of the distribution and genetic structure of A. tasmaniae based on extensive field surveys throughout the ranges of all species of Anaspides. The distribution of A. tasmaniae is extended to include four separate localities in and around the Mt Field National Park, 50 km north-west of Mt Wellington. The recovered genetic structure of A. tasmaniae based on 48 specimens indicates that the disjunct distribution is unlikely to be the result of artificial translocation but, instead, probably reflects postglacial relictualisation of a formerly continuous range present during Pleistocene glacial maxima. Of particular interest is the record of syntopy in Anaspides, observed at the entrance of Khazad Dum cave, where both A. tasmaniae and A. swaini inhabit the inflow stream.

A new genus and new species of blind freshwater cave crab are described from Chongzuo City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China based on morphology and mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences. The new genus,Phasmongen. nov., is established forP. typhlopssp. nov., which is only the second blind cave crab known from China and East Asia. The combination of a very wide carapace, overall depigmentation, reduced orbits and vestigial unpigmented eyes ofPhasmonimmediately separates it from all known potamid genera. Molecular divergence estimates based on 16S rDNA suggest that the lineage to which the new genus belongs diverged from other potamids at the beginning of the Late Miocene (10.8 million years ago), much earlier than other Chinese cave crabs.

Prior to the present study, the mantis shrimp superfamily Eurysquilloidea Manning, 1977, with the single family Eurysquillidae Manning, 1977, contained six genera and 32 species, most of which occur in the Indo-West Pacific. A new genus and species of eurysquilloid, Liusquilla taiwanica, recently discovered off southeastern Taiwan, is described herein, constituting the first record of the superfamily from the island. Sixty-eight species in six of the seven stomatopod superfamilies are now known from Taiwan. Liusquilla differs from other eurysquillids in the combination of four teeth on the dactylus of the raptorial claw and form of the eye and ocular scale. Liusquilla is possibly most closely related to Sinosquillla Liu & Wang, 1978, based on eye form and in the similarly ornamented, densely spinose telson and abdominal somite 6. A key to the eurysquillid genera is provided.

The poorly known genus Lacunipotamon Dai, Song, He, Cao, Xu & Zhong, 1975, is studied and reviewed. Two new species, Lacunipotamon yuanshi sp. nov. and Lacunipotamon cymatile sp. nov. from Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, respectively, are described based on morphology and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences. Both superficially resemble Lacunipotamon albusorbitum Dai, Song, He, Cao, Xu & Zhong, 1975, the type and previously only known species in the genus, but can be distinguished by the combination of live colour, size, maxilliped III, male thoracic sternum, male pleon, male gonopod, and female gonopore characters. Phylogenetic analysis of the molecular data corroborates the novelty of the two species.

Pinnotherid crabs are well known as obligate associates of other marine invertebrates, frequently bivalve molluscs. Knowledge of the Australian pinnotherid crab fauna is expanded by description of a new species of Viridotheres Manning, 1996, representing the first record of the genus from Western Australia. The new species of Viridotheres is most similar to V. gracilis (Bürger, 1895) from the Philippines and V. takedai Ahyong, Komai & Watanabe, 2012 from Japan, but is unique in the genus in the elongated maxilliped 3 palp that distinctly overreaches the propodal apex. The identity of the poorly known northern Australian species, Pinnotheres latipes Hombron & Jacquinot, 1846, originally described from the Northern Territory, is resolved by designation of a neotype that places the species in the genus Nepinnotheres Manning, 1993. Nepinnotheres latipescomb. nov. is widespread in northern Australia and commonly hosted by the bivalve mollusc Pinna Linnaeus, 1758. Previous Australian records of Nepinnotheres cardii (Bürger, 1895) and N. edwardsi (De Man, 1888) from Australia are referable to N. latipes. Nepinnotheres latipes is one of only five known pinnotherids having androgynous males. Few pinnotherids are known from males, so estimating the extent of androgyny in Pinnotheridae must await discovery of males of additional species.

Caprellids from mesophotic and deep-sea waters from Australia have been scarcely studied. A new genus Pseudoliropus gen. nov., and two new species Pseudoliropus keablei and Pseudoprotella australiensis sp. nov. are described based on material collected from 56 to 1125 m deep during surveys on board the vessels RV Sprightly (1973), FRV Kapala (1977–1986) and RV Southern Surveyor (2005) along the coast of the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Pseudoliropus is superficially very close to Liropus but can be readily distinguished by the absence of a mandibular molar (present in Liropus) and 2-articulate mandibular palp (3-articulate in Liropus). Pseudoprotella australiensis can be differentiated from all the remaining species of Pseudoprotella mainly on the basis of the unique body ornamentation (acute projection on the head, pereonites with abundant tiny tubercles scattered over the surface, and rows of lateral tubercles on the proximal end of pereonites 2–4). Further collections in deep ecosystems are mandatory to properly understand global amphipod diversity in Australian waters. Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España. Programa “Salvador Madariaga”

The brachyuran crab Pseudorhombila haswelli Miers, 1884, described on the basis of two juveniles from the Arafura Sea, is a poorly known species of uncertain systematic position. It was made the type and only species of Homoioplax Rathbun, 1914, and assigned to the Prionoplacinae (Goneplacidae). Subsequent revisions of the goneplacids showed Prionoplacinae to be a junior synonym of Eucratopsinae Stimpson, 1871, as a member of the Panopeidae Ortmann, 1893, but no one has re-evaluated the position of Homoioplax. As a result, Homoioplax has remained in the Panopeidae as the only Indo-West Pacific representative of the family. This study assesses the systematic status of Homoioplax haswelli based on a re-examination of the type and other material of the species. Homoioplax haswelli is here attributed to Carcinoplax H. Milne Edwards, 1852 (Goneplacidae), justifying the recognition of the species described by Miers as C. haswelli. Moreover, Carcinoplax haswelli is shown to be a senior synonym of C. sinica Chen, 1984, described from the South China Sea. Therefore, C. haswelli is now known to range from southern Taiwan and the Philippines, through the South China Sea, northern Vietnam, the eastern waters of Singapore to the Madura Straits in eastern Java and Arafura Sea, northern Australia, at 25–187 m, but usually less than 100 m depth.

Australia is home to over 140 species of freshwater crayfish (Decapoda: Parastacidae), representing a centre of diversity for this group in the Southern Hemisphere. Species delimitation in freshwater crayfish is difficult because many species show significant variation in colouration and morphology. This is particularly evident in the genus Euastacus, which exhibits large variations in colour and spination throughout its putative range. To understand this variation, we investigated the genetic diversity, population structure, phylogeny, and evolutionary timescale of the Giant Sydney Crayfish (Euastacus spinifer (Heller, 1865)). Our data set is sampled from over 70 individuals from across the ∼600 km range of the species, and includes a combination of two mitochondrial markers and more than 7000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the nuclear genome. Data were also obtained for representatives of the close relative, Euastacus vesper McCormack and Ahyong, 2017. Genomic SNP analyses revealed strong population structure, with multiple distinct populations showing little evidence of gene flow or migration. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial data revealed similar structure between populations. Taken together, our analyses suggest that E. spinifer, as currently understood, represents a species complex, of which E. vesper is a member. Molecular clock estimates place the divergences within this group during the Pleistocene. The isolated and highly fragmented populations identified in our analyses probably represent relict populations of a previously widespread ancestral species. Periodic flooding events during the Pleistocene are likely to have facilitated the movement of these otherwise restricted freshwater crayfish within and between drainage basins, including the Murray-Darling and South East Coast Drainages. We present evidence supporting the recognition of populations in the southern parts of the range of E. spinifer as one or two separate species, which would raise the number of species within the E. spinifer complex to at least three. Our results add to the growing body of evidence that many freshwater crayfish exhibit highly fragmented, range-restricted distributions. In combination with the life-history traits of these species, the restricted distributions exacerbate the threats already placed on freshwater crayfish, which are among the five most endangered animal groups globally.

Peppermint shrimp resembling Lysmata vittataStimpson, 1860, a species native to the Indo-West Pacific, were found in the lower Chesapeake Bay and adjacent coastal embayments in 2013, representing the first recorded introduction of this species in the northwestern Atlantic. Conflicting morphological descriptions, inconsistent morphological terminology, and limited molecular data (i.e., unresolved taxonomy), as well as the destruction of the type material of L. vittata, created uncertainty regarding proper identification. We provide the first phylogeny incorporating individuals from across the presumed native and introduced range of L. vittata. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses clearly indicate L. vittata represents a species complex of two widely divergent groups: 1) “Bruce Type” with a uniramous dorsal antennule that agrees with A.J. Bruce’s 1990 redescription of L. vittata, and 2) “Rauli Type” with a one-article accessory branch on the dorsal antennule that agrees most closely with the junior synonym L. rauliLaubenheimer & Rhyne, 2010. Given the taxonomic ambiguity surrounding L. vittata, we designate the individual used by A.J. Bruce to redescribe L. vittata and incorporated in our analyses as a neotype to fix the identity of this species. We therefore identify introduced North American and New Zealand populations as L. vittata sensu stricto and postulate that the native range spans temperate/subtropical East Asia. These data suggest that L. rauli is a valid species, which includes a possible undescribed sister species. We confirm the presence of L. californicaStimpson, 1866 in New Zealand, the first non-native record for this species. We also provide data suggesting L. disparHayashi, 2007 may be more widespread in the Indo-West Pacific than currently known and consider L. lipkeiOkuno & Fiedler, 2010 to be a likely junior synonym.

The coastal marine environments in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone harbour a rich diversity of mantis shrimps. However, several regions have not been adequately surveyed for their stomatopod faunal composition. In this paper, we report the first records of two species, Gonodactylopsis drepanophora (de Man, 1902) and Cloridina malaccensis (Manning, 1968) from Indian waters. Samples were collected using a chain dredge deployed by the Fishery Oceanographic Research Vessel Sagar Sampada on the shallow reefs (53–56 m depths) of the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal during August–November 2019. Gonodactylopsis drepanophora was previously known only from Indonesia, and Cloridina malaccensis from Southeast Asia, New Caledonia and Madagascar.

We report the mitochondrial genome of Sabella spallanzanii, an invasive Mediterranean sabellid introduced to Australia and New Zealand. The mitogenome is 15,581 bp long and consists of 38 genes, including 13 protein coding genes, two rRNA genes, and 23 tRNA genes. It shows deviations from the putative annelid ground pattern, such as gene order re-arrangements and regions encoding on the negative strand. It is, however, very different from the mitogenome of the closely related serpulid, Spirobranchus giganteus. Phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial genes support a sister relationship of Sabella spallanzanii and Spirobranchus giganteus.

The Stomatopoda of Korea have, in general, been poorly studied, with eight species recorded to date. A recent study of stomatopods collected by SCUBA diving and commercial fishing trawlers from Korean waters, however, resulted in the discovery of first records of six species from the study area. Among them, four belong to the superfamily Squilloidea Latreille, 1802 [Levisquilla inermis (Manning, 1965), Levisquilla jurichi (Makarov, 1979), Anchisquilla fasciata (De Haan, 1844), and Cloridopsis scorpio (Latreille, 1828)], and two belong to the Lysiosquilloidea Giesbrecht, 1910, one each in Tetrasquillidae Manning & Camp, 1993 [Acaenosquilla latifrons (De Haan, 1844)] and Nannosquillidae Manning, 1980 [Acanthosquilla multifasciata (Wood-Mason, 1895)]. Thus, fourteen species of Stomatopoda are now known from Korea. The superfamily Lysiosquilloidea is reported for the first time from Korean waters. A key to the species of Korean mantis shrimps is provided.

The holotype of the pinnotherid, Pinnotheres socius Lanchester, 1902, is extant and deposited in the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. The taxonomy of this pea crab is treated in this note and the specimen is illustrated by photographs and line drawings of the third maxilliped and pereiopods. Although the ovigerous type specimen is damaged, it is sufficiently intact to identify the specimen and synonymize the species with Nepinnotheres cardii (Bürger, 1895), described from the Philippines.

Ahyong, Shane T. (2019): The Cymonomid Crabs of New Zealand and Australia (Crustacea: Brachyura: Cyclodorripoida). Records of the Australian Museum 71 (2): 33-69, DOI: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.71.2019.1682

New methods in taxonomy and systematics can influence the overall practice of formally naming and describing biodiversity. DNA barcoding has been controversial since its emergence, but now, large scale species descriptions exclusively based on barcodes have created what can be called a ‘new quality of performance’. Its limitations are discussed from different perspectives: nomenclature, general pragmatism, and problems of DNA-based species delimitation in the light of the central aim of achieving a robust and stable nomenclature of organisms, essential for all applications of biodiversity research. This issue needs to be addressed to prevent restraining the progress of taxonomy and its ability to contribute to modern science.

Pelagic biofoulers such as barnacles or bryozoans settle and raft on natural debris like pumice or seeds. Recent influxes of marine debris into the world’s oceans, especially plastic, have increased habitat availability for these biofoulers. Goose barnacles in the genus Lepas are some of the most common biofouling taxa globally, and play an important role in biofouling communities as foundation species. We examined community succession, growth rates and isotopic composition in Lepas and their associated biofouling communities in coastal waters of eastern Australia. Community succession on a fixed surface mooring showed an increase in species diversity over 25 weeks. Using the abundances of L. anserifera, L. anatifera, and the amphipods Caprella danilevskii and Jassa slatteryi, we created an equation to estimate minimum duration at sea. Predators such as the polychaete Amphinome rostrata may influence the biofouling community, as can beach scavengers once floating debris is cast ashore. We report a new maximum growth rate for L. anserifera of 1.45 mm−1, and our study is the first to report growth rates for any species of Lepas faster than 1 mm day−1. Lepas were larger on moored floats than on smaller, free-floating drifters. δ18O content of Lepas shells was a robust predictor of sea surface temperatures during formation for L. anatifera and L. anserifera. Our findings have important applications for estimating drift duration and trajectories of marine debris.

Este artículo contiene 8 páginas, 5 figuras., The French carcinologist and oceanographer Alain Crosnier (1930–2021) had a most influential role in modern carcinology. This tribute reviews his contributions to organising oceanographic expeditions; expanding collections of specimens, particularly from the deep sea; and supporting international collaboration for taxonomic investigations of the rich collections of material obtained from these expeditions. His expertise and enthusiasm also extended to the publication of the results of these investigations.

Many species of the gastropod genus Philine have been named from northeastern Asia but scanty descriptions based predominantly on shells make it difficult to determine which are valid. This, plus the sporadic anatomical and genetic information available for many of these species has led to what may be described as an un-integrated taxonomy. In this situation, it is generally preferable to postpone dissection of rare and unusual specimens until relevant diagnostic characters can be established in broader studies. Micro-CT scanning and DNA sequencing were used to examine such a specimen collected recently from deep waters off northeastern Taiwan. Micro-CT examination of the morphology of the internal shell and gizzard plates suggested that, among named species, the sequenced specimen is most similar to P. otukai. It cannot, however, be definitively referred to P. otukai as that species lacks adequate anatomical description or known DNA sequences. Phylogenetic analyses of newly collected DNA sequences show the specimen to be most closely related to, but distinct from the northern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean species, Philine quadripartita. The sequences also confirm genetically that five or more species of Philine occur in northeast Asia, including at least three subject to considerable taxonomic uncertainty.

Background Our knowledge of the benthic fauna at lower bathyal to abyssal (LBA, > 2000 m) depths off Eastern Australia was very limited with only a few samples having been collected from these habitats over the last 150 years. In May–June 2017, the IN2017_V03 expedition of the RV Investigator sampled LBA benthic communities along the lower slope and abyss of Australia’s eastern margin from off mid-Tasmania (42°S) to the Coral Sea (23°S), with particular emphasis on describing and analysing patterns of biodiversity that occur within a newly declared network of offshore marine parks. Methods The study design was to deploy a 4 m (metal) beam trawl and Brenke sled to collect samples on soft sediment substrata at the target seafloor depths of 2500 and 4000 m at every 1.5 degrees of latitude along the western boundary of the Tasman Sea from 42° to 23°S, traversing seven Australian Marine Parks. Results The biological sampling included 35 beam trawls, 28 Brenke sleds, 8 box cores, 20 surface meso-zooplankton tows, and 7 Deep Towed Camera transects. In total, 25,710 specimens were identified to 1084 taxonomic entities, including 847 species-level, 144 genus-level and 69 family-level and 24 higher-level taxa. Of the species-level taxa, only 457 were assigned species-level taxonomic names, which implies that up to 58% of the collected fauna is undescribed. In addition, the ranges of numerous species have been extended to include the western Tasman Sea. Conclusions The lower bathyal and abyssal fauna of soft sediment seafloors off eastern Australia has been systematically surveyed for the first time. The resultant collections will provide the foundation for much future ecological, biogeographical, phylogenetic and taxonomic research.

About 12,000 of the 67,000 described species of crustaceans occur in fresh water. Crustaceans have colonized almost every type of freshwater environment in most parts of all continents. A common theme in marine-to-freshwater transitions is not only acquisition of osmoregulatory capabilities to cope with hyposalinity, but also optimizing reproductive strategies to cope with ecological and environmental variability. A key reproductive adaptation for fresh water is direct rather than extended planktonic development. Some groups, such as peracarids, were preadapted, already having direct development, whereas others, such as decapods, had to acquire it. Other crustaceans, such as branchiopods, are adapted not only to hyposalinity (and hypersalinity) but also to surviving in transient waters. Crustaceans have been colonizing fresh waters since the Middle Cambrian to Early Ordovician and have independently adapted to life in inland waters many times throughout geological history. The pattern and timing of invasions has shaped present-day distributions. Contemporary distributions and diversity of crustaceans in surface waters are surveyed in the context of their paleohistory. Different groups of crustaceans have very different current distributions that reflect the differential influence of different patterns of colonization, geological history, ecology, and the constraints (or benefits) of their evolutionary heritage.

The evolution of the Crustacea following their origins in the Cambrian is outlined, with an overview of their paleontological history and global distributions into modern times. Major recent developments in arthropod evolution include recognition that Hexapoda is nested within Crustacea. Perspectives also changed during the last decades of the 20th century on the form of the crustacean ancestor, from being a long-bodied, serially homonomous form (like a remipede or cephalocarid) to a short-bodied, possibly ostracod-like form similar to Cambrian stem and crown group fossil forms. These changes have come through a shift to formal methods of phylogenetic analysis combined with the much larger volume of both morphological and molecular data now available. The most extensive current phylogenies typically recover the short-bodied Oligostraca (containing ostracods and a few minor groups) as basal crustaceans; Malacostraca and Maxillopoda are high in the tree; and Cephalocarida and Remipedia are derived forms as sister to Branchiopoda and Hexapoda, respectively. Each of these major groups can be understood through variations in tagmatization (differentiation of body segments into regions). The early crustacean fossil record (especially the Ordovician) is dominated by ostracods. Malacostracans, although having Cambrian origins, did not significantly radiate until the Mesozoic. Eumalacostraca continued to actively radiate in the Cenozoic and are now the most ubiquitous and morphologically disparate crustaceans. The processes driving crustacean evolution remain to be fully evaluated. Contingency and external factors are undoubtedly important, but most deep lineages of the Crustacea show pervasive macroevolutionary trends toward increasing tagmatization. These trends are apparently driven, meaning the formation of new body plans is not merely a contingent outcome—intrinsic factors may contribute to increasing tagmatization. Further data are required from ontogeny and developmental genetics, paleontology, and phylogenetics in order to better understand how crustaceans have evolved.

The deep-sea biome (> 200 m depth) is the world’s last great wilderness, covering more than 65% of the earth’s surface. Due to rapid technological advances, deep-sea environments are becoming more accessible to scientific research and ocean exploration around the world and, in recent years, this is also true for the Galapagos Islands. Deep-sea habitats cover the largest proportion of Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR), yet to date, no comprehensive baseline exists on the biodiversity of the benthic fauna associated with volcanic seafloor formations within this region. Closing this knowledge gap is essential to provide information for decision-making for the management of marine resources within the GMR and assessing any potential changes in biodiversity resulting from climate-driven alterations that deep-sea environments are expected to experience. In 2015, the Charles Darwin Foundation’s Seamounts of the GMR Research Project, together with the Galapagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) and Ocean Exploration Trust (OET), conducted a joint expedition on board the EV Nautilus. Using Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), the aim of the expedition was to characterise the geological formations and biological communities present on seamounts, lava flows and other deep-sea habitats (> 200 m) within the GMR. We provide the first comprehensive image inventory for the phylum Arthropoda from 260 to 3400 m of depth within the GMR. Past studies on deep-sea macroinvertebrates in the GMR have been limited to voucher samples collected from dredging (restricted to soft bottom environments) or by submersibles (only allowing limited biological sampling). The image inventory, presented here, is based on high-definition video transects conducted by the Hercules ROV on board the EV Nautilus. Images of macroinvertebrate morphospecies were captured, catalogued and identified, thus providing the first known image inventory of in-situ macroinvertebrate species from the deep-sea region of the GMR. We present 32 distinct morphospecies occurrences within the class Malacostraca and order Decapoda. We also report 17 different families, three species that are new records to the GMR, in-situ images of two new species to science recently described and one possible new squat lobster, as well as interesting behavioural observations.

Three new Indo-West Pacific species of pinnotherid crabs are described, one each of Arcotheres, Buergeres and Nepinnotheres. Arcotheres pollus, described from Paway Island, Mergui Archipelago, is most similar to A. boninensis (Stimpson, 1858), A. pernicola (Bürger, 1895) and A. purpureus (Alcock, 1900), sharing a transversely ovate carapace and long, slender, almost styliform dactyli of P4 and 5 that are about twice the length of those of P2 and 3. Buergeres choprai, described from Papua New Guinea, is most similar to B. deccanesis (Chopra, 1931) from eastern India but differentiated by segment proportions and setation of the walking legs. Buergeres tenuipes (Bürger, 1895) is synonymised with B. ortmanni (Bürger, 1895), which is also reported for the first time from Indonesia. A male of an undetermined species of Buergeres from the Philippines, possibly B. ortmanni, is figured and described, documenting the gonopod morphology in Buergeres for the first time. A key to the species of Buergeres based on females is provided. Nepinnotheres fulvia sp. nov. is also described from Papua New Guinea, and resembles N. cardii (Bürger, 1895) from the Philippines and Malaysia but can be distinguished by features of the chelipeds and maxilliped 3.

An annotated checklist of the mantis shrimps (Stomatopoda) occurring in India is compiled from published literature and specimens collected from coastal areas of Gujarat state. A total of 72 species, 35 genera, 10 families and 5 superfamilies reported from Indian waters are listed. Four species were recorded for the first time from Gujarat while one species, Erugosquilla hesperia (Manning, 1968), is confirmed for the first time from India. The maximum number of species was reported from Tamil Nadu (48 species), while fewest species were reported from Karnataka (2 species). The results also suggest that the east coast is more diverse (66 species) than the west coast of India (32 species).

A new species of Viridotheres is described from material in the collections of the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, representing the first record of the genus from Indonesia. The new species most closely resembles V. takedai Ahyong, Komai & Watanabe, 2012 from Japan, and, significantly, shares the well-developed G2 exopod. Males of a second species of pinnotherid crab in the Berlin collection, misidentified as Ostracotheres tridacnae (Rüppell, 1830), proved referable to Afropinnotheres dofleini (Lenz in Lenz & Strunck, 1914), from South Africa, for which only females were known in detail. The male of A. dofleini is redescribed and figured in detail for the first time. Notably, males of A. dofleini also have a gonopod 2 exopod, the first such report for the genus. Confirmation of the gonopod 2 exopod in A. dofleini and V. kupang sp. nov. highlights the increasing significance of the gonopod 2 exopod in pinnotherid systematics and morphology.

The pinnotherid crab genus, Viridotheres Manning, 1996, is recorded for the first time from the southwestern Pacific in the new species, V. asaphis, described based on specimens from Australia and New Caledonia. The new species most closely resembles V. sanguinolariae (Pillai, 1951) from India, differing chiefly in the proportional length of the walking legs; both species are hosted by bivalve molluscs of the family Psammobiidae, but of different genera. The pinnotherid crab Discorsotheres camposi Ahyong, 2018, an associate of the bivalve Spondylus, is recorded for the first time from New Caledonia. Fifteen species of pinnotherid are now known from Australian waters and five from New Caledonia.