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In 1996 Smithsonian Libraries (SIL) embarked on the digitization of its collections. By 1999, a full-scale digitization center was in place and rare volumes from the natural history collections, often of high illustrative value, were the focus for the first years of the program. The resulting beautiful books made available for online display were successful to a certain extent, but it soon became clear that the data locked within the texts needed to be converted to more usable and re-purposable form via digitization methods that went beyond simple page imaging and included text conversion elements. Library staff met with researchers from the taxonomic community to understand their path to the literature and identified tools (indexes and bibliographies) used to connect to the library holdings. The traditional library metadata describing the titles, which made them easily retrievable from the shelves of libraries, was not meeting the needs of the researcher looking for more detailed and granular data within the texts. The result was to identify proper print tools that could potential assist researchers in digital form. This paper outlines the project undertaken to convert Charles Davies Sherborn's Index Animalium into a tool to connect researchers to the library holdings: from a print index to a database to eventually a dataset. Sherborn's microcitation of a species name and his bibliographies help bridge the gap between taxonomist and literature holdings of libraries. In 2004, SIL received funding from the Smithsonian's Atherton Seidell Endowment to create an online version of Sherborn's Index Animalium. The initial project was to digitize the page images and re-key the data into a simple data structure. As the project evolved, a more complex database was developed which enabled quality field searching to retrieve species names and to search the bibliography. Problems with inconsistent abbreviations and styling of his bibliographies made the parsing of the data difficult. Coinciding with the development of the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) in 2005, it became obvious there was a need to integrate the database converted Index Animalium, BHL's scanned taxonomic literature, and taxonomic intelligence (the algorithmic identification of binomial, Latinate name-strings). The challenges of working with legacy taxonomic citation, computer matching algorithms, and making connections have brought us to today's goal of making Sherborn available and linked to other datasets. Partnering with others to allow machine-to-machine communications the data is being examined for possible transformation into RDF markup and meeting the standards of Linked Open Data. SIL staff have partnered with Thomson Reuters and the Global Names Initiative to further enhance the Index Animalium data set. Thomson Reuters' staff is now working on integrating the species microcitation and species name in the ION: Index to Organism Names project; Richard Pyle (The Bishop Museum) is also working on further parsing of the text. The Index Animalium collaborative project's ultimate goal is to successful have researchers go seamlessly from the species name in either ION or the scanned pages of Index Animalium to the digitized original description in BHL - connecting taxonomic researchers to original authored species descriptions with just a click.

We combine multivariate ratio analysis (MRA) of body measurements and analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear data to examine the status of several species of European paper wasps (Polistes Latreille, 1802) closely related to P. gallicus. Our analyses unambiguously reveal the presence of a cryptic species in Europe, as two distinct species can be recognized in what has hitherto been considered Polistes bischoffi Weyrauch, 1937. One species is almost as light coloured as P. gallicus, and is mainly recorded from Southern Europe and Western Asia. The other species is darker and has a more northern distribution in Central Europe. Both species occur syntopically in Switzerland. Given that the lost lectotype of P. bischoffi originated from Sardinia, we selected a female of the southern species as a neotype. The northern species is described as P. helveticus sp. n. here. We also provide a redescription of P. bischoffi rev. stat. and an identification key including three more closely related species, P. biglumis, P. gallicus and P. hellenicus.

Publishing taxonomic and systematics studies in the digital era faces major challenges and requires new approaches, many of which are currently stimulating spirited discussions amongst taxonomists and systematists. New amendments to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature are expected to regulate electronic publishing of new taxa and create a standard form for their registration (ZooBank). Responding to a perceived need, this editorial announces establishment of ZooKeys – a new online and print journal in zoological taxonomy and systematics, which aims to quickly respond and adapt to the newest developments in taxonomic publishing. Open Access is accepted as mandatory for ZooKeys. Th e rationale for and concept of ZooKeys is discussed in detail.

One of the main deficiencies in publishing and dissemination of online interactive identification keys produced through various software packages, such as DELTA, Lucid, MX and others, is the lack of a permanent scientific record and a proper citation mechanism of these keys. In two earlier papers, we have discussed some models for publishing raw data underpinning interactive keys (Penev et al. 2009; Sharkey et al. 2009). Here we propose a method to incentive authors of online keys to publishing these through the already established model of “Data Paper” (Chavan and Penev 2011, examples: Narwade et al. 2011, Van Landuyt et al. 2012, Schindel et al. 2011, Pierrat et al. 2012, see also Pensoft's Data Publishing Policies and Guidelines). For clarity, we propose a new article type for this format, “Online Identification Key”, to distinguish it from the “Data Paper” in the narrow sense. The model is demonstrated through an exemplar paper of Cerretti et al. (2012) in the current issue of ZooKeys. The paper describes the main features of an interactive key to the Palaearctic genera of the family Tachinidae (Diptera) implemented as an original web application. The authors discuss briefly the advantages of these tools for both taxonomists and general users, and point out the need of shared, standardized protocols for taxa descriptions to keep matrix-based interactive keys easily and timely updated. The format of the “Online Identification Key” paper largely resembles the structure of Data Papers proposed by Chavan and Penev (2011) on the basis of the Ecological Metadata Language (EML) and developed further in Pensoft's Data Publishing Policies and Guidelines. An “Online Identification Key” paper should focus on a formal description of the technical details and content of an online key that is what is often called “metadata”. For example, an “Online Identification Key” paper has a title, author(s), abstract and keywords like any other scientific paper; it should also include in the first place: the URL of an open access version of the online key and possibly also the data underpinning the key, information on the history of and participants in the project, the software used and its technical advantages and constraints, licenses for use, taxonomic and geographic coverage, lists and descriptions of the morphological characters used, and literature references. In contrast to conventional data papers, the “Online Identification Key” papers do not require compulsory publication of raw data files underpinning a key, although such a practice is highly recommended and encouraged. There might be several obstacles in publishing raw data that can be due to copyright issues on either data or source codes. It is mandatory, however, for the online keys published in this way to be freely available for use to anyone, by just clicking the URL address published in the paper. The publication of an online key in the form of a scholarly article is a pragmatic compromise between the dynamic structure of the internet and the static character of scientific articles. The author(s) of the key will be able to continuously update the product, to the benefit of its users. At the same time, the users will have available a citation mechanism for the online key, identical to that used for any other scientific article, to properly credit the authors of the key.

Seven species of the subgenus Polistella Ashmead of the genus Polistes Latreille including a new species, P.brunetus Nguyen & Kojima, sp. n. described here, are recognized to occur in northeastern Vietnam, the easternmost part of the eastern slope of the Himalayas. A key to these species is provided. Their distributional records are remarked. Nests of P. delhiensis Das & Gupta, P. mandarinus de Saussure and P.brunetus are also described.

The Coleção de Vetores de Tripanosomatídeos (Fiocruz/COLVET), Minas Gerais, Brazil, stands out as one of the most important collections of blood-sucking triatomines, the vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi that causes Chagas disease. The aim is to describe the collection and the services it provides to support scientific research, educational activities, and entomological surveillance between 2013–2019.The data associated with the specimens held in Fiocruz/COLVET is available from the Sistema de Informação sobre a Biodiversidade Brasileira (SiBBr). These specimen metadata were analyzed and either tabulated or plotted on graph and maps. The records of services provided by the collection between 2013–2019 were also categorized and analyzed. There are 12,568 triatomine specimens deposited in the collection that belong to 77 species and 11 genera, from 15 American countries. Of the ~ 65 species of triatomines found in Brazil, 38 (57.6%) are present in the collection, including specimens from all biomes and all but three Brazilian states. The occurrence of Triatoma costalimai, Triatoma lenti, Rhodnius nasutus, and Panstrongylus lenti apparently collected beyond their known distribution ranges are reported and discussed. The collection provided 168 services, supporting educational activities (41.7%), scientific research (35.7%), and regional/national entomological surveillance of triatomines (22.6%). Between the years 2014 and 2020, the number of biological specimens deposited in the Fiocruz/COLVET repository increased from 4,778 to 12,568 triatomine specimens. In addition to its great value to biodiversity conservation, the collection is of great importance because of its support of research and educational activities, and contributions to entomological surveillance, and, therefore, to public health.

Three new species of the genus Araeopteron Hampson, 1893: A. dawaisp. nov., A. medogensissp. nov. and A. tibetasp. nov. are described from Motuo (= Medog) County of the Xizang Autonomous Region (= Tibet), China. The imagines as well as the male genitalia are illustrated. A checklist of the 45 species of the genus Araeopteron in the world fauna is presented, including recently and presently described species.

Thirty-seven holothuroid species, including six potentially new, are reported from the eastern Weddell Sea in Antarctica. Information regarding sea cucumbers in this dataset is based on Agassiz Trawl (AGT) samples collected during the British Antarctic Survey cruise JR275 on the RRS James Clark Ross in the austral summer of 2012. Species presence by site and an appendix of holothuroid identifications with registrations are included as supplementary material. Species occurrence in the Weddell Sea is updated to include new holothuroids from this expedition.

A dataset comprising 6806 records is presented of 17 (of total 24) rodent and insectivore species from the Crimean Peninsula collected during a 35-year period. All records are stored in the Public Mammal Database (Mammals of Russia; http://rusmam.ru/). The density of occurrence points allows visual evaluation of species distribution, even on large-scale maps. Each record contains the species name, locality description, and geographic coordinates, coordinate accuracy, date and author of the record, data source, and the method of species identification.

Copepods are present in numerous aquatic environments, playing key roles in food webs, and are thought to be useful indicators of environmental change. Boeckella is a calanoid copepod genus distributed mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, with 14 species reported at higher southern latitudes in South America and Antarctica. We present an updated database of these 14 species of Boeckella generated from a combination of three sources: 1) new field sampling data, 2) published records, and 3) Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), to provide a comprehensive description of the geographic distribution of the genus south of latitude 40°S in southern South America and the three main terrestrial biogeographic regions of Antarctica. The database includes 380 records, 62 from field sampling, 278 from the literature and 40 from GBIF. Southern South America, including the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, had the highest species richness and number of records (14 and 297, respectively), followed by the sub-Antarctic islands (5 and 34), South Orkney Islands (2 and 14), South Shetland Islands (1 and 23), Antarctic Peninsula (1 and 10) and finally continental Antarctica (1 and 2). Boeckellapoppei Mrázek, 1901 is the only representative of the genus, and more widely the only terrestrial/freshwater invertebrate, currently reported from all three main biogeographic regions in Antarctica (sub-Antarctic islands, maritime and continental Antarctic). Future development of molecular systematic studies in this group should contribute to assessing the correspondence between morphological taxonomy and molecular evolutionary radiation.

One of the most important geographical bottlenecks for migrating raptors in the east African-Palearctic migration system is situated between the easternmost tip of the Black Sea and the Lesser Caucasus, just north of Batumi, in the Republic of Georgia. Since 2008, citizen scientists of the Batumi Raptor Count (BRC) have monitored the autumn raptor passage daily from mid-August until mid-October, collecting also detailed information about the age and sex of focal species. The full BRC dataset was recently made available through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Here we describe how count data were collected, managed, and processed for trend analysis over the past 10 years. This dataset offers a unique baseline for monitoring the state of migrant raptor populations in the east African-Palearctic flyway in the 21st century. We discuss potential pitfalls for users and hope that the open access publication of our data will stimulate flyway-scale and continent-wide collaboration for raptor migration monitoring in the Old World

This study provides the summary of the reports of the geographical distribution in the Maritime Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions of Parochlus steinenii (Gercke, 1889) ( Diptera , Chironomidae ), the only flying insect occurring naturally in the Antarctic continent. The distribution encompasses the South Shetland Islands (Maritime Antarctic), South Georgia (sub-Antarctic), and parts of the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve (CHBR, southern Chile). In total 78 occurrence records were identified, 53 from our own records, 19 from the literature, and six from other data present in GBIF. Of the 78 records, 66 are from the South Shetland Islands, eight are from South Georgia, and four from the CHBR. This database was developed as one of the main objectives of two Chilean-funded research projects addressing understanding the effects of climate change on sub-Antarctic and Antarctic insects. It provides dataset documenting the distribution of Parochlus steinenii in the Maritime Antarctic, the sub-Antarctic, and the CHBR in southern South America (Chile). The complete dataset is available in Darwin Core Archive format via the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

An increase in richness of benthic marine mollusks towards high latitudes has been described on the Pacific coast of Chile in recent decades. This considerable increase in diversity occurs specifically at the beginning of the Magellanic Biogeographic Province. Within this province lies the Strait of Magellan, considered the most important channel because it connects the South Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. These characteristics make it an interesting area for marine research; thus, the Strait of Magellan has historically been the area with the greatest research effort within the province. However, despite efforts there is no comprehensive and updated list of the diversity of mollusks within the Strait of Magellan up to now. This study consisted of a complete bibliographic review of all available literature that included samples of mollusks in the Strait of Magellan. More than 300 articles were reviewed, covering 200 years of scientific knowledge. There were 2579 records belonging to 412 taxa, of which 347 are valid species. Of the total valid species, 44 (~13%) are considered of doubtful presence in the Strait. This work increases the known richness of mollusks of the Strait of Magellan by 228%; it is also the first report that integrates all available diversity studies of the three most speciose classes of benthic mollusks (Gastropoda, Bivalvia and Polyplacophora) from the Strait of Magellan.

The species compositions of terrestrial isopod assemblages in 150 public parks in a commuter town in Japan were investigated. Eleven species of terrestrial isopods were present, of which seven were considered native or oriental species, and four were exotic species originally distributed in the Mediterranean and European regions. An exotic species Armadillidiumvulgare Latreille, 1804 was found in all parks. Logistic model analysis indicated that the surrounding land use affected the distributions of three native species, Burmoniscuskathmandius (Schmalfuss, 1983), Ligidiumkoreanum Flasarova, 1972, and Mongoloniscuskoreanus Verhoeff, 1930, indicating that landscape properties are important factors that limit the distributions of terrestrial isopods. The present study also showed that the public parks surrounded by forests or semi-natural environments in a commuter town provide habitats for native terrestrial isopods.

When Al Wheeler told me that he was organizing a Festschrift to honor Tom, I (K.H.) thought, how is it possible that it could be time for a Festschrift already? It seems like I just met Tom yesterday. When Al asked me to write an introductory article for the journal, I wondered if I could manage that and called Tom’s children, Tommy (T.A.H.) and Angela (A.H.T.), asking for their help. They both agreed and we began a wonderful collaboration to honor their Dad. As with any life, certain stories and remembrances stand out, and that person’s characteristics and traits are known to some people, but perhaps not to others. We thought about how he enriched our lives through his generosity and guidance and how he influenced our professional lives with sound advice and counsel. We thought about his childhood and the special bond he had with his family, one steeped in the traditions of hard work and a drive to achieve desired goals. We (T.A.H. and A.H.T.) have chosen to focus on some of the highlights of our Dad’s remarkable career and events that show his love of natural history. Included are certain early events, as recounted by our Grandmother.

A summary of all taxonomic and nomenclatural changes to the check list of the Noctuoidea of North America north of Mexico since the last update published in 2015 is provided. A total of 64 changes are listed and discussed, consisting of 26 recently published changes and additions, and an additional 38 presented herein. One stat. n., one stat. rev., six syn. n., and two comb. n. are proposed for the first time. Orthimella Schmidt & Lafontaine nom. n. is proposed here as an objective replacement name for Himella Grote, 1874 [Noctuinae: Orthosiini], a junior homonym of Himella Dallas, 1852 [Hemiptera: Coreidae].

BumbleKey is a matrix-based, interactive key to all 45 species of bumblebees of Italy and Corsica. The key allows to identify adult males and females (queens and workers) using morphological characters. The key is published online, open-access, at http://www.interactive-keys.eu/bumblekey/default.aspx.

This dataset contains information on the presence and distribution of sea turtles in Togo. Observations were carried out through a network of ten ecoguards (local guides), facilitated by five fishermen, and coordinated by a field technician, all under the supervision of a scientific coordinator. Data on the occurrence or direct observation of sea turtles on the Togolese coast from September 2012 to August 2013 is presented based on 740 occurrences.

This paper presents the first land snail species checklist for Gunung Kuang (Kuang Hill), a limestone hill located next to Gunung Kanthan that is recognised as one of the most important limestone hills for its diverse land snail fauna in Kinta Valley. Samplings were carried out at five plots in Gunung Kuang. This survey documented 47 land snail species, in which six species were identified as unique to Gunung Kuang. Approximately half of the land snails from Gunung Kanthan were found in Gunung Kuang. In addition, one of six unique species from Gunung Kanthan was also found in Gunung Kuang. These rich land snail species in Gunung Kuang are similar to other hills in Kinta Valley, but it is relatively lesser than the adjacent Gunung Kanthan. In view of Gunung Kuang’s unique land snail species, and its location closest to disturbed Gunung Kanthan, Gunung Kuang should be considered in the conservation management plan for Gunung Kanthan.

Galerucinae is one of the most species-rich leaf beetle group with its greatest diversity occurring in tropical forests. There are 1680 nominal species of Afrotropical Galerucinae s. str. (without Alticini) described. Considering global diversity estimations, many unknown species can be presumed. Several taxa traditionally placed in “Monoleptites”, have been revised in the last twenty years. To date 259 species have been re-examined, revealing in 139 valid species and 120 mainly newly recognized synonyms. This large number of synonyms can mainly be ascribed to highly variable colour patterns, a typical character used for the identification of many chrysomelid species. Genitalic structures and molecular work can support a more precise allocation to species. Within around 72,000 specimens of galerucines s. str. from 48 museums and private collections, only 107 species were newly described. After revising approximately 15% of the Afrotropical galerucine fauna their species richness decreased from 259 to 246 species, a pattern that appears to be similar to that for other African galerucine groups. Since the estimation of the extent of global diversity based mainly on insect species richness in tropical forests, our current study which is based on hard data suggests a much lower diversity than previously predicted.

This dataset contains information on the occurrence of Neotropical fishes (Actinopterygii, Chondrichthyes, Sarcopterygii) collected in South America, mostly from the Brazilian Amazon. The ichthyology collections of the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (MPEG: http://www.museu-goeldi.br/) include specimens collected between 1900 and 2014. The dataset is now available for public consultation on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility portal (http://www.gbif.org/dataset/b0059a3a-5cab-4a08-8d14-d92c23378e43), and through Sistema de Informação sobre a Biodiversidade Brasileira (http://gbif.sibbr.gov.br/explorador/pt/recurso/62).

In this data paper, a dataset of passerine bird communities is described in Sierra Nevada, a Mediterranean high mountain located in southern Spain. The dataset includes occurrence data from bird surveys conducted in four representative ecosystem types of Sierra Nevada from 2008 to 2015. For each visit, bird species numbers as well as distance to the transect line were recorded. A total of 27847 occurrence records were compiled with accompanying measurements on distance to the transect and animal counts. All records are of species in the order Passeriformes. Records of 16 different families and 44 genera were collected. Some of the taxa in the dataset are included in the European Red List. This dataset belongs to the Sierra Nevada Global-Change Observatory (OBSNEV), a long-term research project designed to compile socio-ecological information on the major ecosystem types in order to identify the impacts of global change in this area.

Whiteflies (Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae) are represented by more than 1,500 herbivorous species around the world. Some of them are notorious pests of cassava (Manihot esculenta), a primary food crop in the tropics. Particularly destructive is a complex of Neotropical cassava whiteflies whose distribution remains restricted to their native range. Despite their importance, neither their distribution, nor that of their associated parasitoids, is well documented. This paper therefore reports observational and specimen-based occurrence records of Neotropical cassava whiteflies and their associated parasitoids and hyperparasitoids. The dataset consists of 1,311 distribution records documented by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) between 1975 and 2012. The specimens are held at CIAT’s Arthropod Reference Collection (CIATARC, Cali, Colombia). Eleven species of whiteflies, 14 species of parasitoids and one species of hyperparasitoids are reported. Approximately 66% of the whitefly records belong to Aleurotrachelus socialis and 16% to Bemisia tuberculata. The parasitoids with most records are Encarsia hispida, Amitus macgowni and Encarsia bellottii for Aleurotrachelus socialis; and Encarsia sophia for Bemisia tuberculata. The complete dataset is available in Darwin Core Archive format via the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

A matrix-based LucidTM key is presented for the twelve genera of Monotomidae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) represented in the New World. A general overview is given for the features and technical specifications of an original interactive key for the identification of these genera. The list of terminal taxa included with the key provides a current summary of monotomid generic diversity for the Nearctic and Neotropical regions.

The department of Antioquia, Colombia, lies in the northwestern corner of South America and provides a biogeographical link among divergent faunas, including Caribbean, Andean, Pacific and Amazonian. Information about the distribution of biodiversity in this area is of relevance for academic, practical and social purposes. This data paper describes the dataset containing all bird specimens deposited in the Colección de Ciencias Naturales del Museo Universitario de la Universidad de Antioquia (MUA). We curated all the information associated with the bird specimens, including the georeferences and taxonomy, and published the database through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility network. During this process we checked the species identification and existing georeferences and completed the information when possible. The collection holds 663 bird specimens collected between 1940 and 2011. Even though most specimens are from Antioquia (70%), the collection includes material from several other departments and one specimen from the United States. The collection holds specimens from three endemic and endangered species (Coeligena orina, Diglossa gloriossisima, and Hypopirrhus pyrohipogaster), and includes localities poorly represented in other collections. The information contained in the collection has been used for biodiversity modeling, conservation planning and management, and we expect to further facilitate these activities by making it publicly available.

In this study, we analyse the relevance of harvestmen distribution data derived from opportunistic, unplanned, and non-standardised collection events in an area in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Using specimens deposited in the BOS Arthropod Collection at the University of Oviedo, we compared these data with data from planned, standardised, and periodic collections with pitfall traps in several locations in the same area. The Arthropod Collection, begun in 1977, includes specimens derived from both sampling types, and its recent digitisation allows for this type of comparative analysis. Therefore, this is the first data-paper employing a hybrid approach, wherein subset metadata are described alongside a comparative analysis. The full dataset can be accessed through Spanish GBIF IPT at http://www.gbif.es:8080/ipt/archive.do?r=Bos-Opi, and the metadata of the unplanned collection events at http://www.gbif.es:8080/ipt/resource.do?r=bos-opi_unplanned_collection_events. We have mapped the data on the 18 harvestmen species included in the unplanned collections and provided records for some species in six provinces for the first time. We have also provided the locations of Phalangium opilio in eight provinces without published records. These results highlight the importance of digitising data from unplanned biodiversity collections, as well as those derived from planned collections, especially in scarcely studied groups and areas, Digitisation of this biological collection was supported by the Spanish National R+D+i Plan (MICINN, Spanish Government, grant ref. PTA2010-4108-I) and PCTI Asturias (Asturias Regional Government, ref. COF11-38) through a contract for ATB

Twenty two species of the paper wasp genus Ropalidia Guérin-Méneville, 1831, are listed from China. Among them, R. malaisei van der Vecht, 1962, R. cyathiformis (Fabricius, 1804), R. santoshae Das & Gupta, 1989, R. scitula (Bingham, 1897), R. obscura Gusenleitner, 1996 and R. ornaticeps (Cameron, 1900) are new records from China. A new species, R. parartifex Tan & van Achterberg, is described. Their diagnostic characteristics are summarized in an illustrated key and 36 colourplates.

Lepidoptera is one of the four megadiverse insect orders, comprising butterflies and moths. In Brazil, the bulk of knowledge about the butterfly fauna is restricted to some areas in the southeast of the country, with large gaps of knowledge in other areas. The state of Mato Grosso is one of the largest states in Brazil, and holds three of the main Brazilian biomes: Amazon rain forest, Cerrado and Pantanal. However, knowledge about Mato Grosso butterflies is fragmented and restricted to a few localities, and information is scattered in various sources. The aim of this study is to assemble the biodiversity information of the butterfly fauna of the state of Mato Grosso based on historical and recent literature data and collections carried out in the southwest of the state from 2007–2009. Records without precise locality data or taxonomic information were not included. Species identification was based on literature and comparison with specimens in collections; higher and species-level taxonomy were updated based on the Neotropical Checklist of Hesperioidea and Papilionoidea and recent phylogenetic and revisionary taxonomic works. In total, 901 species were recorded in 2,820 occurrence records. This represents 148 species of Hesperiidae, 29 Papilionidae, 28 Pieridae, 77 Lycaenidae, 238 Riodinidae, and 381 Nymphalidae. Of these, 207 species records are from the type specimens of species described in the state. Based on the results and literature records for other Brazilian states and biomes, probably the figures for Mato Grosso are underestimated, particularly in the families Hesperiidae, Lycaenidae and Riodinidae, in that order. Future collecting efforts should be directed towards certain areas of the state, especially in less sampled areas and biomes, as the north of the state and Pantanal.

We examined the impact of climatic fluctuations on the phylogeographic structure of the common slug eating snake (Duberrialutrixlutrix) throughout its distribution in South Africa. The evolutionary history within the taxon was examined using partial DNA sequence data for two mitochondrial genes (ND4 + cytb) in combination with a nuclear locus (SPTBN1). Phylogenetic relationships were investigated for both the combined mtDNA and total evidence DNA sequence data. In addition, population and demographic analyses together with divergence time estimations were conducted on the combined mtDNA data. Topologies derived from the combined mtDNA analyses and the total evidence analyses were congruent and retrieved five statistically well-supported clades, suggesting thatDuberrial.lutrixrepresents a species complex. The five clades were generally allopatric, separated by altitudinal barriers and characterised by the absence of shared mtDNA haplotypes suggesting long term isolation. Divergence time estimations indicate that the diversification within theD.l.lutrixspecies complex occurred during the Plio/Pleistocene as a result of climatic fluctuations and habitat shifts for the species. A taxonomic revision of theD.l.lutrixspecies complex may be required to delineate possible species boundaries.

Due to its public popularity, ornithology has a huge corpus of scientific publication for a relatively small number of species. Although there are global checklists of currently recognised taxa, there has been only limited, mainly individual, effort to build a nomenclatural database that the science of ornithology deserves. This is especially true in relation to concise synonymies. With the arrival of ZooBank and the Biodiversity Heritage Library, the time has come to develop synonymies and to add fuller bibliographic detail to databases. The preparation for both began at the start of the 20th century with extensive work by Sherborn and Richmond. I discuss their legacy, offer notes on significant work since then, and provide suggestions for what remains to be done. To make solid the foundations for ornithological nomenclature and taxonomy, especially for synonymies, ornithologists will need to collaborate much more and contribute to the digital infrastructure.

We report primer pairs for 30 new gene regions in the nuclear genomes of Lepidoptera that can be amplified using a standard PCR protocol. The new primers were tested across diverse Lepidoptera, including nonditrysians and a wide selection of ditrysians. These new gene regions give a total of 11,043 bp of DNA sequence data and they show similar variability to traditionally used nuclear gene regions in studies of Lepidoptera. We feel that a PCR-based approach still has its place in molecular systematic studies of Lepidoptera, particularly at the intrafamilial level, and our new set of primers now provides a route to generating phylogenomic datasets using traditional methods.

The present dataset is a compilation of georeferenced occurrences of asteroids (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) in the Southern Ocean. Occurrence data south of 45°S latitude were mined from various sources together with information regarding the taxonomy, the sampling source and sampling sites when available. Records from 1872 to 2016 were thoroughly checked to ensure the quality of a dataset that reaches a total of 13,840 occurrences from 4,580 unique sampling events. Information regarding the reproductive strategy (brooders vs. broadcasters) of 63 species is also made available. This dataset represents the most exhaustive occurrence database on Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic asteroids., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The collection of the Museu Oceanográfico D. Carlos I is a historical specimen, instrument, and document collection that has been housed at the Aquário Vasco da Gama since 1935. The collection is largely the result of several scientific campaigns conducted by Dom Carlos de Bragança between 1896 and 1907. Specifically, the ichthyological collection consists of 675 surviving catalogue records of specimens caught, acquired or offered to D. Carlos I between 1892 to 1907, and includes the type specimen for Odontaspisnasutus Bragança, 1904 (junior synonym of Mitsukurinaowstoni Jordan, 1898), along with several specimens of deep sea species. All specimens were captured in coastal Portuguese waters, and were preserved in alcohol, formalin, or mounted.

Cracids are among the most vulnerable groups of Neotropical birds. Almost half of the species of this family are included in a conservation risk category. Twelve taxa occur in Mexico, six of which are considered at risk at national level and two are globally endangered. Therefore, it is imperative that high quality, comprehensive, and high-resolution spatial data on the occurrence of these taxa are made available as a valuable tool in the process of defining appropriate management strategies for conservation at a local and global level. We constructed the CracidMex1 database by collating global records of all cracid taxa that occur in Mexico from available electronic databases, museum specimens, publications, “grey literature”, and unpublished records. We generated a database with 23,896 clean, validated, and standardized geographic records. Database quality control was an iterative process that commenced with the consolidation and elimination of duplicate records, followed by the geo-referencing of records when necessary, and their taxonomic and geographic validation using GIS tools and expert knowledge. We followed the geo-referencing protocol proposed by the Mexican National Commission for the Use and Conservation of Biodiversity. We could not estimate the geographic coordinates of 981 records due to inconsistencies or lack of sufficient information in the description of the locality.Given that current records for most of the taxa have some degree of distributional bias, with redundancies at different spatial scales, the CracidMex1 database has allowed us to detect areas where more sampling effort is required to have a better representation of the global spatial occurrence of these cracids. We also found that particular attention needs to be given to taxa identification in those areas where congeners or conspecifics co-occur in order to avoid taxonomic uncertainty. The construction of the CracidMex1 database represents the first comprehensive research effort to compile current, available global geographic records for a group of cracids. The database can now be improved by continuous revision and addition of new records. The CracidMex1 database will provide high quality input data that could be used to generate species distribution models, to assess temporal changes in species distributions, to identify priority areas for research and conservation, and in the definition of management strategies for this bird group. This compilation exercise could be replicated for other cracid groups or regions to attain a better knowledge of the global occurrences of the species in this vulnerable bird family.

The genus Mononychellus is represented by 28 herbivorous mites. Some of them are notorious pests of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), a primary food crop in the tropics. With the exception of Mononychellus tanajoa (Bondar), their geographic distribution is not widely known. This article therefore reports observational and specimen-based occurrence data of Mononychellus species associated with cassava. The dataset consists of 1,513 distribution records documented by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) between 1975 and 2012. The specimens are held at CIAT’s Arthropod Reference Collection (CIATARC). Most of the records are from the genus’ native range in South America and were documented between 1980 and 2000. Approximately 61% of the records belong to M. tanajoa, 25% to M. caribbeanae (McGregor), 10% to M. mcgregori (Flechtmann and Baker) and 2% to M. planki (McGregor). The complete dataset is available in Darwin Core Archive format via the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

The state of Hidalgo (Mexico) is an important region from the point of view of biodiversity. However, there exists a significant gap in accessible knowledge about species diversity and distribution, especially regarding to freshwater ecosystems. This dataset comprises the sampling records of two projects developed in Hidalgo between 2007 and 2009 about the freshwater fish communities of Tecocomulco lake and rivers belonging to the Metztitlán Canyon Biosphere Reserve. It contains the taxonomic identity (species level) and basic biometric data (total length and weight) as well as date of collection and coordinates of more than 9000 specimens. This dataset is the primary result of the first and unrepeated exhaustive freshwater fish’s survey of Metztitlán Canyon Biosphere Reserve and Tecocomulco lake. It incorporates seven more species to the regional fish fauna, and new exclusive biometric data of ten species. This dataset can be used by studies dealing with, among other interests, North American freshwater fish diversity (species richness, distribution patterns) and biometric analyses, useful for the management and conservation of these areas. The complete dataset is also provided in Darwin Core Archive format.

In this data paper, Bird tracking - GPS tracking of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls breeding at the southern North Sea coast is described, a species occurrence dataset published by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO). The dataset (version 5.5) contains close to 2.5 million occurrences, recorded by 101 GPS trackers mounted on 75 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 26 Herring Gulls breeding at the Belgian and Dutch coast. The trackers were developed by the University of Amsterdam Bird Tracking System (UvA-BiTS, http://www.uva-bits.nl). These automatically record and transmit bird movements, which allows us and others to study their habitat use and migration behaviour in great detail. Our bird tracking network is operational since 2013. It is funded for LifeWatch by the Hercules Foundation and maintained in collaboration with UvA-BiTS and the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ). The recorded data are periodically released in bulk as open data (http://dataset.inbo.be/bird-tracking-gull-occurrences), and are also accessible through CartoDB and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

Data Paper The former Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical-IICT (Lisbon, Portugal), recently integrated into the University of Lisbon, gathers important natural history collections from Portuguese-speaking African countries. In this study, we describe the bird collection from the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, which was fully taxonomically checked and georeferenced. The IICT bird collection contains 5598 specimens, of which 559 are from São Tomé and Príncipe, representing 85 taxa, including 19 endemic species and 13 endemic subspecies of birds. The specimens were collected between 1946 and 1973, although 43% of the records are from 1954 and 45% are from 1970. The geographic distribution of samples covers the whole territory, with a higher number of records from São Tomé than from Príncipe. The districts with highest number of records are Pagué (equivalent to Príncipe Island), and Água Grande and Mé-Zochi on São Tomé. Despite the relatively low number of specimens per taxon, the importance of the collection is considerable due to the high number of endemic and threatened species represented. Furthermore, it adds valuable information to the GBIF network, especially for a country whose two islands are each an Endemic Bird Area and for which substantial gaps in ornithological knowledge remain info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) has been performing standardized fish stock assessments in Flanders, Belgium. This Flemish Fish Monitoring Network aims to assess fish populations in public waters at regular time intervals in both inland waters and estuaries. This monitoring was set up in support of the Water Framework Directive, the Habitat Directive, the Eel Regulation, the Red List of fishes, fish stock management, biodiversity research, and to assess the colonization and spreading of non-native fish species. The collected data are consolidated in the Fish Information System or VIS. From VIS, the occurrence data are now published at the INBO IPT as two datasets: ‘VIS - Fishes in inland waters in Flanders, Belgium’ and ‘VIS - Fishes in estuarine waters in Flanders, Belgium’. Together these datasets represent a complete overview of the distribution and abundance of fish species pertaining in Flanders from late 1992 to the end of 2012. This data paper discusses both datasets together, as both have a similar methodology and structure. The inland waters dataset contains over 350,000 fish observations, sampled between 1992 and 2012 from over 2,000 locations in inland rivers, streams, canals, and enclosed waters in Flanders. The dataset includes 64 fish species, as well as a number of non-target species (mainly crustaceans). The estuarine waters dataset contains over 44,000 fish observations, sampled between 1995 and 2012 from almost 50 locations in the estuaries of the rivers Yser and Scheldt (“Zeeschelde”), including two sampling sites in the Netherlands. The dataset includes 69 fish species and a number of non-target crustacean species. To foster broad and collaborative use, the data are dedicated to the public domain under a Creative Commons Zero waiver and reference the INBO norms for data use.

The distributional records of Ophiuroidea stored at the Italian National Antarctic Museum (MNA, Section of Genoa) are presented, corresponding to 1595 individuals that belong to 35 species and 17 genera. Specimens were collected in 106 different sampling stations at depths ranging from 21 to 1652 m in the framework of 14 Antarctic expeditions to the Ross Sea, one to the Antarctic Peninsula, and one to the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas). Three species, Amphiura joubini Koehler, 1912, Amphiura (Amphiura) angularis Lyman, 1879, and Ophiura flexibilis (Koehler, 1911), are reported as new records for the Terra Nova Bay area, whose check-list of species increases from 15 to 18 species. The determination of these three new records was based both on morphological identification and molecular analyses (COI barcoding). Some of the genetically characterised specimens were also documented through photogrammetry and micro-computed tomography and represent the first bulk of 3D models that will be available through the MNA and Sketchfab websites, both for research and educational purposes.

We tested the value of ethanol fuel as a killing solution in terms of sampling efficiency (species richness and accumulated abundance) and DNA preservation of Ensifera ground-dwelling specimens. Sampling efficiency was evaluated comparing abundance and species richness of pitfall sampling using 100% ethanol fuel, with two alternative killing solutions. We evaluated the DNA preservation efficiency of the killing solutions and of alternative storage solutions. Ethanol fuel was the most efficient killing solution, and allowed successful DNA preservation. This solution is cheaper than other preserving liquids, and is easily acquired near field study sites since it is available at every fuel station in Brazil and at an increasing number of fuel stations in the U.S. We recommend the use of ethanol fuel as a killing and storage solution, because it is a cheap and efficient alternative for large-scale arthropod sampling, both logistically and for DNA preservation. For open habitat sampling with high day temperatures, we recommend doubling the solution volume to cope with high evaporation, increasing its efficacy over two days.

This paper describes and illustrates a new Calodia leafhopper species from China (Oriental Region), namely Calodia dentispina Fan, Li & Chen, sp. n. (Cicadellidae: Coelidiinae: Coelidiini) and provides a distribution map for the new species. A key to the Chinese coelidiine genera and species of Calodia is also provided.

This paper describes AnthWest, a large dataset that represents one of the outcomes of a comprehensive, broadly comparative study on the diversity, biology, biogeography, and evolution of Anthidium Fabricius in the Western Hemisphere. In this dataset a total of 22,648 adult occurrence records comprising 9657 unique events are documented for 92 species of Anthidium, including the invasive range of two introduced species from Eurasia, A. oblongatum (Illiger) and A. manicatum (Linnaeus). The geospatial coverage of the dataset extends from northern Canada and Alaska to southern Argentina, and from below sea level in Death Valley, California, USA, to 4700 m a.s.l. in Tucumán, Argentina. The majority of records in the dataset correspond to information recorded from individual specimens examined by the authors during this project and deposited in 60 biodiversity collections located in Africa, Europe, North and South America. A fraction (4.8%) of the occurrence records were taken from the literature, largely California records from a taxonomic treatment with some additional records for the two introduced species. The temporal scale of the dataset represents collection events recorded between 1886 and 2012. The dataset was developed employing SQL server 2008 r2. For each specimen, the following information is generally provided: scientific name including identification qualifier when species status is uncertain (e.g. “Questionable Determination” for 0.4% of the specimens), sex, temporal and geospatial details, coordinates, data collector, host plants, associated organisms, name of identifier, historic identification, historic identifier, taxonomic value (i.e., type specimen, voucher, etc.), and repository. For a small portion of the database records, bees associated with threatened or endangered plants (~ 0.08% of total records) as well as specimens collected as part of unpublished biological inventories (~17%), georeferencing is presented only to nearest degree and the information on floral host, locality, elevation, month, and day has been withheld. This database can potentially be used in species distribution and niche modeling studies, as well as in assessments of pollinator status and pollination services. For native pollinators, this large dataset of occurrence records is the first to be simultaneously developed during a species-level systematic study.

Calosoma aethiops (Jeannel, 1940) as a new synonym of Calosoma imbricatum hottentotum Chaudoir, 1852, a new status of Calosoma roeschkei Breuning, 1927, and a revision of the Calosoma senegalense group sensu Häckel, 2012 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Carabini). Conducted is a taxonomic revision of the Calosoma senegalense group sensu Häckel, 2012. Placed in the group sensu stricto are four species: Calosoma planicolle Chaudoir, 1869, Calosoma scabrosum Chaudoir, 1843, Calosoma senegalense Dejean, 1831, and Ctenosta strandi Breuning, 1934. Calosoma aethiops Jeannel, 1940 is synonymized with Calosoma imbricatum hottentotum Chaudoir, 1852, and Calosoma roeschkei Breuning, 1927 is newly regarded as a subspecies of Calosoma scabrosum. The taxonomic conclusions are based on morphometry of the holotypes and 10 male and 10 female specimens of each taxon, and on morphology of the aedeagus including inflated endophalus.

The dataset of free-living marine nematodes of San Antonio Bay is based on sediment samples collected in February 2009 during doctoral theses funded by CONICET grants. A total of 36 samples has been taken at three locations in the San Antonio Bay, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina on the coastal littoral at three tidal levels. This presents a unique and important collection for benthic biodiversity assessment of Patagonian nematodes as this area remains one of the least known regions. In total 7,743 specimens of free-living marine nematodes belonging to two classes, eight orders, 37 families, 94 genera and 104 species were collected. Fil: Villares, Maria Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina Fil: Lo Russo, Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral; Argentina Fil: Pastor, Catalina Teresa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral; Argentina Fil: Milano, Viviana. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia; Argentina Fil: Miyashiro, Lidia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina Fil: Mazzanti, Renato. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina

An FAO/IAEA Co-ordinated Research Project (CRP) on “Resolution of Cryptic Species Complexes of Tephritid Pests to Overcome Constraints to SIT Application and International Trade” was conducted from 2010 to 2015. As captured in the CRP title, the objective was to undertake targeted research into the systematics and diagnostics of taxonomically challenging fruit fly groups of economic importance. The scientific output was the accurate alignment of biological species with taxonomic names; which led to the applied outcome of assisting FAO and IAEA Member States in overcoming technical constraints to the application of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) against pest fruit flies and the facilitation of international agricultural trade. Close to 50 researchers from over 20 countries participated in the CRP, using coordinated, multidisciplinary research to address, within an integrative taxonomic framework, cryptic species complexes of major tephritid pests. The following progress was made for the four complexes selected and studied: Anastrepha fraterculus complex – Eight morphotypes and their geographic and ecological distributions in Latin America were defined. The morphotypes can be considered as distinct biological species on the basis of differences in karyotype, sexual incompatibility, post-mating isolation, cuticular hydrocarbon, pheromone, and molecular analyses. Discriminative taxonomic tools using linear and geometric morphometrics of both adult and larval morphology were developed for this complex. Bactrocera dorsalis complex – Based on genetic, cytogenetic, pheromonal, morphometric, and behavioural data, which showed no or only minor variation between the Asian/African pest fruit flies Bactrocera dorsalis, B. papayae, B. philippinensis and B. invadens, the latter three species were synonymized with B. dorsalis. Of the five target pest taxa studied, only B. dorsalis and B. carambolae remain as scientifically valid names. Molecular and pheromone markers are now available to distinguish B. dorsalis from B. carambolae. Ceratitis FAR Complex (C. fasciventris, C. anonae, C. rosa) – Morphology, morphometry, genetic, genomic, pheromone, cuticular hydrocarbon, ecology, behaviour, and developmental physiology data provide evidence for the existence of five different entities within this fruit fly complex from the African region. These are currently recognised as Ceratitis anonae, C. fasciventris (F1 and F2), C. rosa and a new species related to C. rosa (R2). The biological limits within C. fasciventris (i.e. F1 and F2) are not fully resolved. Microsatellites markers and morphological identification tools for the adult males of the five different FAR entities were developed based on male leg structures. Zeugodacus cucurbitae (formerly Bactrocera (Zeugodacus) cucurbitae) – Genetic variability was studied among melon fly populations throughout its geographic range in Africa and the Asia/Pacific region and found to be limited. Cross-mating studies indicated no incompatibility or sexual isolation. Host preference and genetic studies showed no evidence for the existence of host races. It was concluded that the melon fly does not represent a cryptic species complex, neither with regard to geographic distribution nor to host range. Nevertheless, the higher taxonomic classification under which this species had been placed, by the time the CRP was started, was found to be paraphyletic; as a result the subgenus Zeugodacus was elevated to genus level. Fil: Hendrichs, Jorge. Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture; Austria Fil: Vera, Maria Teresa. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Agronomía y Zootecnia. Cátedra. Terapéutica Vegetal; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: de Meyer, Marc. Royal Museum for Central Africa; Bélgica Fil: Clarke, Anthony R.. Queensland University of Technology; Australia

The Myriapoda and Onychophora collection dataset inventories the occurrence records of the collection of myriapods and onychophorans in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris. The dataset currently consists of 202 lots of onychophorans, representing all of those present, and almost ten thousand (9 795) lots of myriapods, representing 33 to 40% of the MNHN Myriapoda collection. This collection, which is of key historic importance, represents the results of two centuries of myriapod and onychophoran studies. The sources of the collection are worldwide, with a high representation for metropolitan France for the myriapods. None of the occurrences are yet georeferenced. Access to the dataset via the data portals of the MNHN and the GBIF has been made possible through the e-ReColNat project (ANR-11-INBS-0004). The Myriapoda and Onychophora collection of MNHN is actively expanding, hence both the collection and dataset are in continuous growth. The dataset can be accessed through the portals of GBIF at http://www.gbif.org/dataset/3287044c-8c48-4ad6-81d4-4908071bc8db and the MNHN at http://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/my/item/search/form.

We provide a general overview of features and technical specifications of an online, interactive tool for the identification of scale insects of concern to the U.S.A. ports-of-entry. Full lists of terminal taxa included in the keys (of which there are four), a list of features used in them, and a discussion of the structure of the tool are provided. We also briefly discuss the advantages of interactive keys for the identification of potential scale insect pests. The interactive key is freely accessible on http://idtools.org/id/scales/index.php

Here we present distributional records for Tanaidacea specimens collected during several Antarctic expeditions to the Ross Sea: the Italian PNRA expeditions (“V”, 1989/1990; “XI”, 1995/1996; “XIV”, 1998/1999; “XIX”, 2003/2004; “XXV”, 2009/2010) and the New Zealand historical (New Zealand Oceanographic Institute, NZOI, 1958-1961) and recent (“TAN0402 BIOROSS” voyage, 2004 and “TAN0802 IPY-CAML Oceans Survey 20/20” voyage, 2008) expeditions. Tanaidaceans were obtained from bottom samples collected at depths ranging from 16 to 3543 m by using a variety of sampling gears. On the whole, this contribution reports distributional data for a total of 2953 individuals belonging to 33 genera and 50 species. All vouchers are permanently stored in the Italian National Antarctic Museum collection (MNA), Section of Genoa (Italy) and at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA Invertebrate Collection), Wellington (New Zealand). The tanaidaceans were collected during different Italian and New Zealand research expeditions to the Ross Sea funded by the Italian National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA) and the New Zealand Government, the Ministry for Primary Industries (formerly the Ministry of Fisheries) and the Ocean Survey 20/20 CAML Advisory Group, listed below: Italian PNRA Project 3.2.1 (Oceanography) (“V” expedition, 1989/1990, R/V “Malippo”). Italian PNRA Project 2a and 2d.2 (Ecology and Biogeochemistry of the Southern Ocean) (“XI” expedition, 1995/1996, R/V “Italica”). Italian PNRA Project 2b.3 (Ecology and Biogeochemistry of the Southern Ocean) (“XIV” expedition, 1998/1999, R/V “Malippo”). Italian PNRA Project Program 2002/8.6 (“The costal ecosystem of Victoria Land coast: distribution and structure along the latitudinal gradient”) (“XIX” expedition, 2003/2004, R/V “Italica” 2004). Italian PNRA Project 2006/08.01 (“The coastal ecosystem of Terra Nova Bay” in the Latitudinal Gradient Program (LGP)) (“XXV” expedition, 2009/2010). The Ross Sea Endeavour surveys (1958-59 and 1959-60, HMNZS “Endeavour II” and 1960–1961, “Endeavour III”) conducted by the New Zealand Oceanographic Institute (NZOI, now NIWA) – founded by the New Zealand government. New Zealand BIOROSS voyage (TAN0402, 2004, R/V “Tangaroa”) – funded by NIWA and the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries (formerly the Ministry of Fisheries). New Zealand IPY-CAML voyage (TAN0802, 2008, R/V “Tangaroa”) – Census of Antarctic Marine Life programme – funded by the Government of New Zealand and administered by the Ocean Survey 20/20 CAML Advisor Group (Land Information New Zealand and the Ministry of Fisheries, Antarctica New Zealand, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and NIWA). We would like to acknowledge the Italian National Antarctic Program (PNRA) for funding and logistic support of the scientific expeditions. The TAN0402 BIOROSS” voyage (2004) was undertaken by the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research and financed by the former New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries. The “TAN0802 IPY-CAML Oceans Survey 20/20” voyage (2008) was funded by the New Zealand Government under the New Zealand International Polar Year Census of Antarctic Marine Life Project. We gratefully acknowledge project governance provided by the Ministry of Fisheries Science Team and the Ocean Survey 20/20 CAML Advisory Group (Land Information New Zealand, Ministry for Primary Industries (Fisheries), Antarctica New Zealand, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research).