The Neotropical bat genus Platyrrhinus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae: Stenodermatinae) currently comprises 15 species. Our morphological and morphometric analysis of large and medium-sized Platyrrhinus revealed a distinctive undescribed species from western South America. We also recognize P. aquilus (Handley & Ferris 1972) and P. umbratus (Lyon 1902) as valid species. We describe P. nitelinea sp. nov. from western Colombia and Ecuador and provide emended diagnoses along with descriptions of P. aquilus, P. dorsalis, and P. umbratus. Phylogenetic analysis of Platyrrhinus based on morphological characters indicates that P. aquilus is closely related to P. aurarius and P. nigellus, P. umbratus to P. chocoensis, and P. nitelinea to P. vittatus.

The advertisement calls of the frog species Leptodactylus lithonaetes and Pristimantis vilarsi are described for the first time based on calls recorded in the Venezuelan State of Amazonas. The call of L. lithonaetes bears an overall resemblance to that of L. rugosus, suggesting a sister-group relationship between the two species. The call of Pristimantis vilarsi is similar to those of other species in the P. conspicillatus species group.

Three types of advertisement calls of Leptodactylus chaquensis from the Cerrado of Minas Gerais, Brasil are described – growls, grunts, and trills. Additional variation includes calls that start with growls and end with trills. The growl call has not been reported previously. Tadpoles are described and agree with previous descriptions. A female was found associated with tadpoles for at least 20 d. The female communicated with the tadpoles by pumping behavior and also exhibited aggressive behavior toward potential predators. The data reported herein are the first conclusive evidence that L. chaquensis occurs in the Cerrado of Minas Gerais. Other reported Brasilian records for L. chaquensis come from the southern portion of the Cerrado. Additional field work is necessary to determine whether L. chaquensis occurs in the northern Cerrado (in the states of Bahia, Distrito Federal, Maranhão, Pará, and Tocantins).

Three cicadas, Pomponia tuba, new species, Pomponia ponderosa, new species, and Pomponia subtilita, new species, are described from Taiwan, southern China, and Thailand, respectively. They belong to the Pomponia linearis species group, which has several sibling species that have superficially similar external morphology. A key to the species of the group is provided.

Four shallow-water hermit crab species, Clibanarius boschmai Buitendijk, 1937, C. cruentatus (H. Milne Edwards, 1848), Paguritta vittata Komai & Nishi, 1996, and Pagurixus nomurai Komai & Asakura, 1995, are recorded from Taiwan for the first time. The addition of the four species increases the number of Taiwanese hermit crabs to 138 species in 39 genera. The poorly known species, Clibanarius boschmai, is diagnosed on the basis of the syntypes and Taiwanese specimens. Although two deep-water pagurids, Chanopagurus atopos Lemaitre, 2003 and Tomopaguroides valdiviae (Balss, 1911), have already been reported from Taiwan, additional specimens obtained provide supplemental information on these poorly known species. The discovery of a male specimen of C. atopos also requires an emendation of the diagnosis of the genus Chanopagurus Lemaitre, 2003. Color photographs are provided for all these species.

Enteropsis fusiformis, new species, is described on the basis of females living in the compound ascidian Polyclinum ?insulsum Sluiter, 1897 from Madagascar. Main characteristic features for the new species are given with respect to body shape (fusiform, with cone-shaped urosome), anus (longitudinal slit, displaced to posterior dorsal metasome), antennule (elongated), antenna (second segment a sharply pointed long process), labrum (with 2 triangular and 4 slender submerginal setae), and maxillule (palp digitiform). The subconical terminal portion of the cone-shaped urosome is formed by the completely fused caudal rami. The new species is the only representative of the subfamily Enteropsinae (Ascidicolidae) in the Humes collection from Madagascar.

Two starfish arm stumps that healed and did not regenerate the lost portion of the arm (a Linckia laevigata and an Asterias rubens) have a definite structural organization that suggests pattern regulation. Wound closure in these arm stumps was by symmetrical midline joining, like closing a book, whereas wound closure that precedes arm regeneration is by downward folding of the aboral surface. It is deduced from regeneration models that positional information in the arms of starfish has bilateral symmetry, and that the best-fit model for starfish arm regeneration is the distalization followed by intercalation model. As there is no discernable difference between regenerating arms and intact arms, it is proposed that intercalary gap-filling growth applies to both. Because in many starfish the arm is similar with itself throughout its length, it is argued that the positional gap between the terminal plate and the last-formed section of arm is never bridged, and that growth is indeterminate. It is proposed that distal signaling applies individually to each primary-plate series of the arm. Thus abrupt origins/losses of plate series in the arm can be explained by mutations that turn on/off distal signaling behind the terminal plate. Mutations could cause this signaling mechanism to function in more places than just behind the terminal plate, in which case it is expected that gene expression will be kaleidoscopic and affect every symmetrical part of the starfish. This can explain the origins of plate series that intercalate in various parts of the body wall. Mosaic evolution and recurrent appearance/loss of intercalary plates within and between echinoderm lineages are expected under this proposal.

Bollandiella, nom. nov., is introduced as a replacement name for Bollandia Glasby, 1994 (Annelida: Polychaeta: Phyllodocida: ?Syllidae) which is a junior homonym of Bollandia Reed, 1943 (Trilobita: Proetida: Phillipsiidae). Bollandia Glasby contained only one species that is now Bollandiella antipathicola (Glasby), comb. nov.

The two species originally described in the genus Iodocephalus Gagnep. are not congeneric. The species that was retained in the genus by Kitamura and stated as the type of the genus by Swart is reduced to synonymy under Camchaya Gagnep., and a new combination Camchaya gracilis (Gagnep.) S. Bunwong & H. Rob. is proposed. This species is reported for the first time from Thailand. A new genus, Iodocephalopsis S. Bunwong & H. Rob., is established for the second species originally placed in Iodocephalus, and both Iodocephalus glandulosus Kerr and Camchaya eberhardtii (Gagnep.) Kitam. are placed in synonymy under the newly combined Iodocephalopsis eberhardtii (Gagnep.) S. Bunwong & H. Rob.

The Peyssonneliaceae Denizot comprises a worldwide group of non-calcified or calcified, crust-forming red algae found in diverse, intertidal to deep subtidal marine habitats. Eight genera have been recognized in the family, with Peyssonnelia Decaisne having the largest number of species. Both comparative morphology and rbcL and nuclear LSU rDNA sequence data support the monophyly of the family and show that it cannot be maintained in the order Gigartinales Schmitz. A new order, Peyssonneliales, is herein proposed to accommodate the Peysonneliaceae, with only two of the genera (i.e., Peyssonnelia and Sonderopelta), and its relationship to the other red algal orders is discussed. We also propose the transfer of one species, Peyssonnelia capensis Montagne to Sonderopelta Womersley & Sinkora.