DNA barcoding of deep-sea shrimp Sicyonia parajaponica Crosnier, 2003 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Sicyoniidae) from southwest coast of India

The present work reports detailed taxonomic information on deep-sea shrimp Sicyonia parajaponica from southwest Indian waters. The samples were caught in bottom trawls conducted between the depths of 200 and 230 m from Sakthikulangara fishing harbour off Kollam, Kerala along the Arabian Sea during November 2019. DNA barcoding and a phylogenetic analysis was used to explore the relationship of the genus Sicyonia based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI: MN816389, MN816390) with the present specimen and sequences retrieved from NCBI GenBank. There is no difference in the intraspecies genetic distance (0%) while interspecies genetic distance (19.0–28.1%) revealed divergence between the species (COI) of the genus Sicyonia.

First report of Rhipicephalus deltoideus from Manipur, India

The present paper deals record of a Rhipicephalus tick, reported for the first time from Manipur, a new record of India. The species under this genus have usual morphological features viz., having a hard sclerotized scutum which completely cover the dorsal surface of the body in males but present a small shield just behind the capitulum in female, basis capitulum is hexagonal in shape, mouth part anterior in position, eyes if present are located near the lateral margin of the scutum, presence of adanal plate in male, presence of festoons, etc. The present specimen which is reporting as a new record was collected from cattle (Bos indicus) from Wakha (24º46'22'’ N, 93º59'12'’E) Imphal East District, Manipur,India. On detailed microscopic observation, the present specimen was found to possess the morphological characters similar to the already known Rhipicephalus species, Rhipicephalus deltoides is a first record from India.

A new acanthocephalan of the genus Pallisentis recovered from intestine of Channa striatus from Imphal-East , Manipur (India)

The new species is characterized by possessing medium body size, 4 rows of 9 hooks each, a faded fork like structure present in the proboscis, a collar of spine consisting of 15 rows of 8- 10 spines each, cylindrical testes, poorly develoved uterine bell. The eggs are present in the middle portion of the body and spines are present only in one third portion of the whole body length and the rest portion is devoid of spine. The present specimen deals with the description of Pallisentis heingangyensis n. sp. recovered from the intestine of Channa striatus from Heingang river, Imphal East, Manipur.

A new species of the hermit crab genus Cancellus H. Milne Edwards, 1836 from a mesophotic deep bank in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico (Crustacea: Decapoda: Diogenidae)

Recent sampling on mesophotic deep banks in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico has produced a previously undescribed hermit crab assignable to the genus Cancellus H. Milne Edwards, 1836. Members of the genus are most often found to occupy cavities of eroded coral, siliceous sponges, porous calcareous rock fragments, algal concretions, or worm tubes as shelters. The present specimen was found loose as by-catch in a dredged rhodolith sample taken for algal life history studies. In situ, it likely occupied a cavity within one of the collected calcareous rhodoliths or small sponges in the by-catch. While our description is based on a single female specimen, the holotype is fully mature and intact, and it was solidly frozen in seawater until its coloration could be photographically documented and tissues extracted for sequencing. In comparison to the three other known western Atlantic species, the frontal rim of the carapace shield in the new species is continuous between the blunt lateral teeth as in C. ornatus Benedict, 1901 and C. viridis Mayo, 1873, and thus distinct from the subdivided front found in C. spongicola Benedict, 1901. The rim itself is somewhat flattened as in C. ornatus rather than inflated as in C. viridis. However, each of the ocular scales bears a pair of spines at the tip, as in C. viridis. The lower palms of the chelipeds, while distinctly rugose, do not have a separated patch of stridulating ridges comparable to those reported for C. spongicola. The yellow-orange to deep-orange pigmentation of the color pattern differs from fresh coloration in both C. ornatus and C. viridis, but that of C. spongicola is unknown for other than preserved specimens. Description of the single available specimen is in this case justified by the low likelihood for timely acquiring of additional samples from the type locality or adjacent habitats, most of which are deep banks warranting protection under pending habitat management changes. Our diagnosis includes GenBank accession numbers for COI sequences to facilitate future molecular phylogenetic comparisons.

First shallow record of Bathyphysa conifera (Studer, 1878) (Siphonophora, Cystonectae), a live specimen in the Strait of Gibraltar. Worldwide species distribution review.

The rarely observed cystonect siphonophore Bathyphysa conifera was recorded for the first time in shallow depth water (- 16 m) as a live specimen, at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea by SCUBA divers. It is a delicate oceanic species, with earlier records coming mostly from deep water, where it readily adheres to deep sea fishing cables and nets, causing painful stings to fishermen. Deep water sightings from ROVs include in the North Atlantic, off Angola, the Gulf of Mexico and Monterey Canyon. The present specimen was swimming actively by contracting and expanding its stem, in a yo-yo movement. A review of all reliable records for this species worldwide has been carried out in order to gain a better knowledge of the present known distribution of this species, both geographical and bathymetric. Bathyphysa conifera may possibly represent an important component of the food web and be perhaps also a competitor to fish in the regions it inhabits.

Urocaridella arabianensis n. sp., a new Palaemonid shrimp (Crustacea, Decapoda, Palaemonidae) from Lakshadweep Islands, India with taxonomic comparison on the genus Urocaridella Borradaile, 1915

A new species of the genus Urocaridella Borradaile, 1915, Urocaridella arabianensis n. sp. is described and illustrated based on fifty-five specimens collected from the reef regions of Agatti Island, Lakshadweep, Arabian Sea. Urocaridella arabianensis n. sp. is morphologically close to U. pulchella Yokes & Galil, 2006, reported from the Mediterranean Sea. However, the present specimen is clearly distinguished with its rostrum length, which is 1.7 to 2.1 times as long as carapace, 10 ventral rostral teeth, carpus of 1st pereopod is 2.5 times long as palm, carpus of 2nd pereopod is 1.8 times as long as palm, presence of a spine in latero-middle of the fourth and fifth abdomens and the sixth abdominal segment is 2.3 times long as the fifth segment. Partial segment of the mitochondrial COI, 16S rRNA and nuclear gene 18S rRNA and H3 indicates that the new species is sister to a clade comprising of U. pulchella, U. antonbruunii and U. degravei. The pair wise genetic distance of COI showed great distance with the closest congeneric species.

New report of Laophonte cornuta Philippi,1840 (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) from the coral area, North of Tioman Island, South China Sea

Laophonte cornuta Philippi 1840 was first reported in rather temperate regions and later noted to extend their distribution to the warmer coasts. The earlier reports were based on specimen collected from bottom vegetation or sediment enriched in organic matter. The present study was carried out during the warm month phenomenon which struck coral areas in the South China Sea in 2016. Sediment core samples were collected by SCUBA divers in the coral areas at Pulau Tulai (2°54'24.84"N,104° 5'57.67"E) and Batu Malang (2°52'29.98"N,104° 8'47.92"E), in the northern part of Tioman Island. The bottom substrates were covered by mostly dead corals and coral rubbles. Taxonomic observation was carried out following the sorting and microscopic dissection process in the laboratory. The denticulate margin of somites along with blunt short spinules distributed on the surface as shown from the Scanning Electroscopic Microscopy (SEM) observation proves their morphological adaptation to survive between the coral rubbles and gravels in the study area. Other variation found is on the size of the caudal rami which is very much slender than those reported from colder regions. Except for the setae formula, it shared similar characters with L. paradduensis reported from Maldives and L. aeutirostris from Monterey Bay. The present specimen also shared some variation found in specimen reported from the Andaman Sea. L. cornuta reported from the Tioman Island might be able to endure the harsh environment due to their robust feature of the body surface.

An unexpected distribution record of the cold water fish Pholis fangi (Pholidae) from southern Taiwan

Gunnel species (family Pholidae), characterized by an elongated bar-like body and usually found in shallow coastal waters, are mostly restricted to temperate to subarctic waters in the Northern Pacific Ocean, although some in the Western Pacific are distributed southward to the northern East China Sea. Despite the absence of previous records from subtropical and tropical waters, a single specimen of the fish family Pholidae was recently trawled off southwestern Taiwan. Examination on the morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding revealed this is a Pholis fangi (Wang & Wang 1935), a species previously recorded only from cold waters in the Bohai and Yellow seas. As a consequence, the present specimen represents the first record of the species from the subtropical South China Sea coast of Taiwan, as well as an isolated southernmost record of this species, more than 1,000 km southward from the otherwise known distribution. Detailed morphology and fresh coloration are described.

Redescription of Tetragonurus pacificus (Teleostei: Stromateoidei: Tetragonuridae), based on specimens collected from Taiwan and Tarawa Atoll

The rare squaretail Tetragonurus pacificus Abe 1953 was described on the basis of a single poor-condition specimen obtained from the stomach of a yellowfin tuna collected from west of the Solomon Islands. A fresh specimen of T. pacificus was recently collected from southwestern Taiwan and its morphology and the fresh coloration are herein described in detail. In addition, a juvenile specimen collected from the southern Pacific Ocean was found in the museum collection. The species is characterized by dorsal-fin spines 10–11; longitudinal scale rows along body axis 72–80; and predorsal scales 17–20. The present specimen collected from off southwestern Taiwan represents the northernmost record of the species from the Pacific Ocean.

First record of Propagurus haigae (McLaughlin, 1997) (Decapoda, Anomura, Paguridae) from Japan

Propagurus haigae (McLaughlin, 1997), a relatively large-sized species of Paguridae, is reported for the first time from Japanese waters based on a single specimen collected from a depth of 620 m off Ie Island, central Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan. It is the third species of the genus Propagurus McLaughlin & de Saint Laurent, 1998 known from Japanese waters. The present specimen greatly extends the distribution range of P. haigae, because the previous northernmost record was the Molucca Sea in Indonesia.