New Zealand fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri) forage mostly in open waters at night and spend parts of the day in coastal sheltered sites, where they may play, rest and eliminate wastes. We recorded the purple wrasse (Notolabrus fucicola) feeding on faeces and vomits of these pinnipeds at Fortescue Bay in the Tasman Peninsula, Australia. This behaviour allows the wrasse to get nutrients from open waters that otherwise would not be available. Thus, it is suggested that the fur seals have the role of transferring nutrients from open waters to inshore reefs and provide them as particulate food to fish. This functional role is apparently recorded for only one species of marine mammal so far, the spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris), in tropical oceanic waters.

The scorpionfish Setarches guentheri (Scorpaeniformes: Setarchidae) usually dwells offshore, in soft bottom deep areas at depths of about 150 to 780 m and at bottom temperature range of 5.5°C–12.5°C. This species has the widest distribution of any known scorpaenid, although this is a rare bathydemersal scorpaenid. Setarches guentheri has a large distribution, occurring from the Indo-West Pacific (Tanzania to South Africa, India and Sri Lanka to the Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea, north to Japan, Fiji and Hawaii, south to the Philippines, Indonesia and Western Australia), from the eastern Pacific (Chile) and from the Atlantic Ocean (in the western Atlantic, USA to Brazil, and in the eastern Atlantic). In the eastern Atlantic, it has been recorded from Morocco, Madeira and Cape Verde to South Africa and, in the Iberian Peninsula, there was only one previous record from the Algarve coast, Portugal. The present record constitutes a new extended northern limit for the distribution of S. guentheri in this area.

The present work reports the first record of the cardinal fish, Apogon smithi and second record of the goby fish, Vanderhorstia mertensi in the Gulf of Antalya, Turkey. It constitutes also the second location records of these species from the Turkish coastline and provides information that they are an established alien species in the Mediterranean Sea.

Usually, Halymenia and Cryptonemia species have been reported as associated with rhodolith beds, but based on surveys of rhodolith beds and rocky areas along the Gulf of California (60 localities), in five localities we found the range extension (5 localities) of three other blade-like species, Kallymenia norrisii and K. oblongifructa previously reported on the North Pacific coast of California State (USA) and K. pertusa previously reported in the northern Gulf of California. The present study reports for the first time the presence of K. norrisii, K. oblongifructa and K. pertusa associated with rodolith beds. This suggests that the understanding of biodiversity of marine plants from the Gulf of California still needs attention, especially in deeper areas and habitats such as rhodolith beds.

The present paper reports the first record of occurrence of the stargazer snake eel, Brachysomophis cirrocheilos, from Indian waters. Seven specimens were collected from the cooling water system of the Madras Atomic Power Station located near Kalpakkam, east coast of India, during July 2008. The paper provides a brief description with a photograph of the specimen, discussion on its relation with congeners and distribution.

Assessments have been made of the increasing populations of Osilinus lineatus near its eastern English Channel limit of distribution for the year 2008. The first record of a breeding population of Osilinus east of the Isle of Portland at Western Ledges in Portland Harbour was made during a survey in 2004. The 2008 study provides evidence that the breeding range in East Dorset has since extended to Redcliff Point and Osmington Mills, east of Weymouth Bay. Surveyed sites from Portland Harbour to White Nothe have shown large increases in numbers since 2004. The small size of populations to the east of White Nothe indicates that recruitment to sites further east still depended on small numbers of larvae that drifted around Portland Bill from Lyme Bay without supplementation from the Portland Harbour to Osmington Mills sites.

Specimens of the fiddler crab Uca (Paraleptuca) sindensis were collected from the intertidal zones of Khor Al-Zubair, Basrah, Iraq in 2009. A literature review on the distribution of this species revealed that this is the first report of U. (P) sindensis from the Iraqi coast and only the third country in which this species has been recorded. A note on the morphological features of this species and a photograph is provided to confirm the identification of the crab.

The crab Percnon gibbesi and the mollusc Aplysia dactylomela are recorded for the first time from the Taranto Gulf (Italy, Ionian Sea). Both alien species have been widely reported in the Mediterranean and have established populations in Greece and Sicily. The presence of a few specimens induces us to think that only lately these two species expanded their distributional range and that new stable populations will probably soon settle in the whole area.

Intertidal gastropods and bivalves are important hosts for a wide range of metazoan parasites, which may exert a variety of negative effects on their hosts with consequences for mollusc population dynamics and community structure. Although vital for our understanding of the relative importance of parasites in intertidal ecosystems, quantitative information on macroparasite communities in molluscs is still largely missing. We examined the macroparasite community in Littorina littorea, Nucella lapillus, Patella vulgata and Mytilus edulis/galloprovincialis from rocky shore habitats on the south coast of Ireland. In total, twelve macroparasite taxa belonging to four major parasite groups were found in 3900 examined host individuals from sixteen intertidal localities. Digenean trematodes were the dominant parasite group, occurring in all of the investigated mollusc species and at all sampling sites. The macroparasite community in gastropods was largely similar to the species composition reported from other European shore localities, possibly due to a wide distribution of bird final hosts. In contrast, the parasite community composition observed in mussels showed obvious differences when compared to data on macroparasites in mussels from soft sediment habitats, which is probably related to differences in the species composition of gastropods acting as first intermediate hosts on rocky shores. Comparatively low infection rates in molluscs on the south coast of Ireland indicate differences in the abundance of bird final hosts as well as less suitable conditions for parasite transmission. Thus, effects of parasitism on the molluscan hosts can be assumed to be rather low, which is favourable from an economic point of view, since periwinkles and mussels are commercially exploited in Ireland.

This study presents a description of the little known coral fishery activities around the Maltese Islands. Apart from previously unpublished catch data on Corallium rubrum, this study also reveals, sporadic harvesting of black coral (Antipatharia) past and serves as a first record of Leiopathes glaberrima in Maltese waters. The data indicate that precious coral fishing was regulated on an arbitrary license system that was not based on scientific management. Both fisheries ceased in 1987, although personal communication with industry operators indicates that C. rubrum is still being unofficially fished on a reduced scale. As Mediterranean precious coral fisheries originated so long-age, and since so little is known about precious coral species' distribution, the presented historical data may help in evaluating baseline levels of population status and past anthropogenic impact. Finally, the study also highlights the importance of an evaluation of the current population status of precious coral species and a more effective curbing of illegal fishing activities to achieve the desired conservation of the precious coral species in question.

A checklist of 53 soft-bottom species of polychaetes from the coastal lagoon Estero de Urías is presented here. Depth, sediment temperature, salinity, grain size, organic matter content, and dissolved oxygen ranges where polychaete species were found are provided. Twenty-six species are reported for the first time for the Estero de Urías coastal lagoon. This is the first report of the sabellid Amphicorina gracilis, the spionid Marenzelleria viridis, and the syllid Exogone (Parexogone) molesta for the Pacific coast of Mexico.

A specimen of Mycteroperca fusca was speared at a depth of 12 m off the Mediterranean coast of Israel. This is the first record of this Atlantic species from the Mediterranean Sea.

This is a report on endoparasitism in the marine fish lane snapper, Lutjanus synagris (Osteichthyes: Perciformes: Lutjanidae) by the nematode, Philometra sp. The fish samples were netted and examined during January to April 2008. Of the nine fish examined, two female fish hosts were parasitized by the nematode Philometra sp. The parasites were found attached on the surface and inside the ovarian tissue of mature female fish. The parasitic prevalence was 22.22%, mean intensity was 13 parasites per infected fish and mean density was 2.89 per host-sampled parasite. The location preferred by the parasitic nematode Philometra sp. was the ovary of the hosts.

The fiddler crab Uca (Minuca) victoriana von Hagen, 1987 has been reported, until recently, only from the type locality at Vitória, State of Espírito Santo, Brazil. We report here, for the first time, the occurrence of U. (M.) victoriana in estuaries of the States of Bahia and Pernambuco, north-eastern Brazil, extending its distribution; as well as some aspects of its population biology. For the population study, four sites were defined in mangroves of the Mamucabas and Ariquindá Rivers, Pernambuco, on different types of substrate, and sampled monthly during spring low tide from April 2008 through to March 2009. A total of 41 specimens were obtained in June 2008 in the Arinquindá River, of which 25 were males, 16 non-ovigerous females and 1 ovigerous female. In the Mamucabas River, 772 crabs were collected over the year, including 472 males, 300 non-ovigerous females and 2 ovigerous females. In both areas, the U. (M.) victoriana population showed a unimodal size–frequency distribution, with males and females (ovigerous and non-ovigerous) similar in size (7.46 ± 1.60 mm for males and 7.09 ± 1.45 mm for females; t = −0.744; P > 0.05). The overall sex-ratio (1:1.57) differed significantly from the expected 1:1 proportion1 (χ2 = 38.32; P < 0.05). Study of material deposited in Brazilian carcinological collections revealed several misidentified specimens, especially as U. (M.) rapax and U. (M.) burgersi. Some morphological characters to distinguish among these species are presented.

Benthic investigations at the Azores archipelago revealed the presence of two species of the polychaete genus Pisione, namely P. remota and P. guanche. The identification of the latter was confirmed after comparison with the type series and is herein reported for the first time from the Azores. Specimens of P. guanche are described and additional morphological observations are presented.

Ocinebrina nicolai Monterosato, 1884 a marine mollusc belonging to the Muricidae family is reported from Algarve, south coast of Portugal for the first time and is a new record for the biodiversity of the Portuguese malacological fauna and north-eastern Atlantic waters. This species with a medium-size shell for the genus (14–16 mm) was initially sampled during a baseline project that studied marine biotopes in the central Algarve region. This short note presents a brief diagnosis of the species, provides local information on geographical distribution, habitat, and compares it with other congeneric species found in Portugal: Ocinebrina aciculata (Lamarck, 1822) and Ocinebrina edwardsii (Payraudeau, 1826).

Dedicated surveys were conducted along the south-west and north-east coasts of Tenerife (Canary Islands), between 1997 and 2006, to gather baseline information on cetacean diversity, abundance, spatial and temporal distribution. A total of 1016 sightings of sixteen cetacean species was recorded during the study period. Sightings were recorded throughout the year although the period in which the highest number of species were sighted was in spring and summer (from May through to August). The most frequently sighted species were bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus), which together comprised 82% of the total sightings. These were followed by common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) and dense beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) which represented 9% of the total sightings. Most sightings were recorded along the south-west coast of Tenerife, where the distribution of the different species seemed to be influenced by water depth. Calves were present during sightings of almost every recorded species, especially in toothed whales. Two mother–calf pairs of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) were also observed. This suggests that the surveyed area, or at least the south-west sub-area, might play an important role as a calving ground for the four most frequently sighted species. The information acquired in this study indicates that the waters around Tenerife constitute an important habitat for cetaceans.

Guillet's goby (Lebetus guilleti) is thought to be Europe's smallest marine fish. Records of Guillet's goby in the UK are limited with observations restricted to the Isle of Man, the Plymouth area and Lyme Bay in the English Channel. This species is described for the first time from the Shetland Isles, Scotland, UK where it was documented photographically on two separate occasions in June 2010. On both occasions male and female pairs were photographed on shell gravel in water depths of 10 m and 8 m. These are the first recorded field observations of Guillet's goby in Scotland and extend the known range of this species from 58°N (Kattegat, southern Scandinavia) to 60°N (Shetland). It is probable that species such as Guillet's goby are under-recorded due to their small size, cryptic coloration and behaviour.

This paper reports the occurrence of a specimen of the toadfish Batrachoides surinamensis caught from the Ilha do Maranhão, State of Maranhão, north-eastern Brazil, which exhibited total albinism features.

The spatial distribution, abundance and assemblage structure of the polychaetes community on the eastern coast of the Cap Bon Peninsula were studied at 25 sites. We found a total of 150 species belonging to 22 families, of which 47 new records and six families have been added to the Tunisian polychaetes fauna, such as Metasychis gotoi (Izuka, 1902), Aricidea cerrutii (Laubier, 1966), Bhawania goodei Webster, 1884 and Eunice tubifex Crossland, 1904. Among the families, Syllidae ranked first by number of species (14 species) and Onuphidae by number of individuals (25% of the total number of individuals). The cluster analysis identified five assemblages of sites that have a significantly similar composition. The five polychaete communities on the eastern coast of the Cap Bon Peninsula were mainly structured by environmental conditions and types of substratum.