Nineteen genera of Recent brachiopods, i.e. Discradisca Stenzel, 1964, Novocrania Lee & Brunton, 2001, Basiliola Dall, 1908, Cryptopora Jeffreys, 1869, Gryphus Megerle von Mühlfeldt, 1811, Dallithyris Muir-Wood, 1959, Stenosarina Cooper, 1977, Xenobrochus Cooper, 1981, Terebratulina d'Orbigny, 1847, Chlidonophora Dall, 1903, Eucalathis Fischer & Oehlert, 1890, Macandrevia King, 1859, Frenulina Dall, 1895, Jolonica Dall, 1920, Argyrotheca Dall, 1900, Phaneropora Zezina, 1981, Nipponithyris Yabe & Hatai, 1934, Megerlia King, 1850 and Megerella n. gen. have been identified in the material collected during three French cruises MAINBAZA, MIRIKY and ATIMO VATAE to the Mozambique-Madagascar area during the years 2009–2010. One genus and four species are described as new: the genus Megerella n. gen. with type species M. hilleri n. gen., n. sp. and the species Eucalathis daphneae n. sp., Eucalathis malgachensis n. sp. and Macandrevia emigi n. sp. Eucalathis daphneae n. sp. differs from congeneric species in having an incomplete loop. It is ornamented by single, broad, rounded costae. Eucalathis malgachensis n. sp. is characterized by a fascicostate surface with strong ribs triangular in cross-section. Macandrevia emigi n. sp. differs from other species of the genus by its triangular outline and much smaller size. Megerella hilleri n. gen., n. sp. is a small kraussinid with a bifurcate loop with distal extensions uniting to form a complete ring. The genus Macandrevia and the species Frenulina sanguinolenta (Gmelin, 1971) are recorded for the first time from the Indian Ocean. While minor regional differences occur within the three study regions of Madagascar, a comparison of the overall Madagascar brachiopod biota with those of other parts of the Indian Ocean shows a strong similarity to faunas from southern Africa, with 12 out of 25 species common to both areas.

Investigation of the types of Columbella albina Kiener, 1841 indicate that this species is a junior synonym of Graphicomassa ligula (Duclos, 1840), leaving the species typically identified as Graphicomassa albina (Kiener, 1841) without a name. The species is quite variable and has inspired a number of synonyms over the years; the oldest of these, Colombella adiostina Duclos, 1840, now becomes the basis for the valid name for this species. In this paper, Graphicomassa ligula and G. adiostina n. comb. are both discussed comparatively.

We provide the regional catalogue of the spider species of Aosta Valley (NW Italy, Graian and Pennine Alps) based on literature records and original material collected from 2011 to 2013 in the frame of a collaboration project between the University of Torino and the Regional Museum of Natural Sciences of Aosta Valley. The revision of 1162 literature records scattered in 37 papers published between 1878 and 2015 provided a list of 382 species potentially occurring in this region. On the base of taxonomical and faunistic arguments discussed in the text, we here revise the literature and exclude 74 species from the list, of which seven of unlikely occurrence and 67 in need of verification. The original data here presented raise the total number of species occurring in this region to 384, grouped in 182 genera and 36 families. For each species reported in the catalogue, we provide new collection data, previous literature records, the known distribution and the habitat in which they occurred. Compared with other northern Italian regions and considering its extent, Aosta Valley presents a moderately high number of species, hosting 26% of the species recorded in Italy. In terms of species richness, linyphiids dominate with 99 species (26%), followed by gnaphosids (50 species, 13%), lycosids (45 species, 11%) and salticids (30 species, 7%). Wetlands host cumulatively the highest number of species, followed by shrublands, broadleaved forests and riparian habitats. Regarding chorotypes, most of the species have Palearctic distribution, followed by European and Holarctic species. Alpine endemic species represents 5% of the total.

A preliminary investigation of the genus Eucereon Hübner, [1819] has revealed that two of its species have been historically misidentified, one of them being its type species, E. archias (Stoll, 1790). The neotype designated by Travassos (1959) for this species is invalidated, and its original concept is reestablished based on the original description and illustrations. The original concept of Eucereon punctatum (Guérin-Méneville, [1844]) is also found to be different than that established in the literature. This discovery is based on a type specimen found at the Natural History Museum, London. Eucereon punctatum is the valid name of Theages quadricolor Walker, 1855, n. syn., E. quadricolor boreale Rothschild, 1912 n. syn., and E. quadricolor meridionale Rothschild, 1912 n. syn. The authors' concept of E. punctatum is hence-forth to be referred to by its oldest incorrect synonym, Eucereon mitigatum Walker rev. stat. Following the synonymic history for this species, this name here is considered to be the valid name for E. reticulatum Butler, 1877 n. syn., E. cribrum Möschler, 1877 n. syn., and E. ruficollis Lathy, 1899 n. syn. The true concepts of E. archias, E. punctatum, and E. mitigatum are redescribed, discussed and illustrated.

Chaetonotus (Hystricochaetonotus) furcatus Kisielewski, 1991 was found during a study of fauna in water micro-reservoirs with bromeliads exhibited at the Łódź Palm House (Poland). This freshwater gastrotrich species was previously known only from the locus typicus in central Amazonia (Brazil). This observation constitutes the first finding of gastrotrichs in water microreservoirs formed in the axils of Bromeliaceae in artificial habitats such as greenhouses. It also raises the number of freshwater gastrotrichs found in palm houses to 19, and the number of nominal species known from Poland to 100. Newly recorded species correspond to the original descriptions but differ in some characters. Taxonomic, morphometric and biogeographic remarks are provided for the species together with microphotographs and drawing figures.