The coral sea: physical environment, ecosystem status and biodiversity assets.

The Coral Sea, located at the southwestern rim of the Pacific Ocean, is the only tropical marginal sea where human impacts remain relatively minor. Patterns and processes identified within the region have global relevance as a baseline for understanding impacts in more disturbed tropical locations. Despite 70 years of documented research, the Coral Sea has been relatively neglected, with a slower rate of increase in publications over the past 20 years than total marine research globally. We review current knowledge of the Coral Sea to provide an overview of regional geology, oceanography, ecology and fisheries. Interactions between physical features and biological assemblages influence ecological processes and the direction and strength of connectivity among Coral Sea ecosystems. To inform management effectively, we will need to fill some major knowledge gaps, including geographic gaps in sampling and a lack of integration of research themes, which hinder the understanding of most ecosystem processes.

Taxonomy and ecology of the Cape Town Spider Crab, Macropodia falcifera (Stimpson, 1858) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Inachidae).

The nomenclature and taxonomy of the Cape Town Spider Crab, Macropodia falcifera Stimpson, 1858, is treated. The species is rediagnosed and figured, and its ecology discussed. A key is also provided of the Indo-West Pacific species of Macropodia.

Samadinia longispina, a new genus and species of deep-sea spider crab from the western Pacific, and a new species of Rochinia A. Milne-Edwards, 1875, from Papua New Guinea (Crustacea: Brachyura: Majoidea: Epialtidae).

A new genus, Samadinia n. gen., and new species, Samadinia longispina n. sp., of deep-water epialtid spider crab is described from French Polynesia and New Caledonia. The new genus is superficially similar to Rochinia A. Milne-Edwards, 1875, but can be distinguished by having the dorsal surface of the carapace covered with small, rounded granules (versus with long spines or strong tubercles), well developed hepatic and lateral branchial spines (versus relatively shorter and weaker), a prominently constricted male thoracic sternite 4 (versus relatively broader with less prominent or without median constriction) and a proportionally broader male abdomen. A new species of Rochinia, R. granulosa n. sp., is also described from Papua New Guinea. It is easily distinguished from congeners its small adult size, the presence of numerous relatively large granules on the carapace and a relatively short hepatic spine.

The phylogenetic position of the 'living fossils' Neoglyphea and Laurentaeglyphea (Decapoda: Glypheidea).

The Glypheidea is a group of lobster-like decapods that appeared in the Triassic and that was thought to be extinct until 1975, when a specimen of the species Neoglyphea inopinata was caught off the Philippines. More recently, in 2005, a specimen of another glypheid species, Laurentaeglyphea neocaledonica, was discovered near New Caledonia. Here, we construct a decapod molecular data set including the two extant glypheid species sequenced from eight nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Our study strongly shows that the two extant genera of glypheids cluster together, and further confirms the status of Glypheidea as a separate infraorder. Moreover the reptantian decapods are divided into two major groups, one including Brachyura, Anomura, and Axiidea, and the other including Astacidea, Polychelida, Achelata, and Glypheidea. Although commonly nicknamed 'Jurassic shrimps' and considered as 'living fossils', glypheids are therefore a derived decapod lineage.