The taxonomy of soft corals with a stoloniferous growth form is challenging. The family Clavulariidae and, more specifically, the genus Clavularia have acted as a repository for most stoloniferous corals that could not systematically be differentiated with morphology. In addition, the lack of morphological and genetic data for the type species of Clavularia, Clavularia viridis, has made a revision of the genus impossible. In this study, we use an integrative taxonomic approach combining morphological examinations and novel molecular methods to revise the taxonomy and systematics of Clavulariidae within Octocorallia. We re-describe key species of Clavularia, including C. viridis, C. inflata and C. koellikeri, resolve the position of Clavulariidae within Octocorallia, and present a revised taxonomy of the tropical, zooxanthellate species of Clavularia that includes morphological characters of each species. We further confirm the polyphyly of Clavulariidae, and resurrect the genus Hicksonia and family Hicksoniidae (Malacalcyonacea) to accommodate a new species with connecting tubes on multiple levels (H. tohrui sp. nov.). We also describe a new genus and species of Clavulariidae from Japan Bairdium iriomotejimaensis gen. nov., sp. nov. and a new Clavularia species from the Great Barrier Reef (C. brunafolia sp. nov.). This study resolves the fundamental taxonomy of Clavularia, and provides the necessary baseline for future works. ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:61754CF6-A3C9-4D1C-AC6F-4435C12BD4AD.

Pseudoscorpions are an ancient arachnid group with a fossil record that extends to the Devonian, with all modern families having likely evolved during the Mesozoic. One of the rarest pseudoscorpion families, Menthidae, is sporadically distributed around the world, and ever since its description has been included in the superfamily Garypoidea. Based on new Sanger sequencing and phylotranscriptomic data, Menthidae are inferred to be a member of the superfamily Neobisioidea, and the sister-group to a clade that includes Gymnobisiidae, Neobisiidae and some Syarinidae.

The millipede order Spirostreptida (Arthropoda: Diplopoda) displays extremely high species diversity. However, the current classification of Spirostreptida is controversial, and the systematic status and phylogenetic relationships of some of its included superfamilies or families and genera remain uncertain due to the paucity and inaccessibility of suitable material or genetic data for key taxa. In the present study, a new pericambalid species, Pericambala foveiformis , sp. nov. (Cambalidea), is described using integrated methods. Moreover, the complete mitochondrial genomes of this new species and Agaricogonopus acrotrifoliolatus Zhang & Zhang, 1997, are sequenced and annotated. The mitogenome of P. foveiformis , sp. nov. is the first for the suborder Cambalidea, whereas that of A. acrotrifoliolatus is the first for the family Harpagophoridae. The mitogenome of P . foveiformis , sp. nov. with 17,467bp in length, is the largest diplopod mitogenome currently known. Phylogenetic results based on the 16S rRNA (16S ) + cox1 data and the concatenated amino acid sequences of 13 mitogenome protein-coding genes, both support the division of the order Spirostreptida into two suborders, Cambalidea and Spirostreptidea, but do not support the division of the suborder Spirostreptidea into two superfamilies Odontopygoidea and Spirostreptoidea, because of the two odontopygoid genera Chaleponcus and Prionopetalum nested within Spirostreptoidea. The phylogenetic analyses of 16S + cox1 data also show that Harpagophoridae and Pericambalidae are each monophyletic. However, the phylogenetic relationships among the three families Harpagophoridae, Odontopygidae and Spirostreptidae within Spirostreptidea remain unresolved. ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A5A9F1D8-7958-4F72-9DD3-919B9304A03A.

The evolution of animal genitalia has been an intriguing topic of research since Darwin proposed that sexual selection is acting upon these traits. Pseudoscorpions (Arachnida) are an interesting model to test this hypothesis since they exhibit a wide array of sexual traits and sexual strategies, including the development of elaborate spermatophores. In this context, we (1) explored the phylogenetic relationships within Withiidae using somatic, sexual characters, and molecular data; (2) estimated times of diversification of the lineages within the family; and (3) explored rates of change of male genitalia characters. We found strong support for the monophyly of Withidae and for both the Neotropical and the non-Neotropical clades; as for the sister group of Withiidae, there is no conclusive evidence since molecular data suggest Atemnidae, supporting previous molecular studies, but the combined morphological and molecular data pointed to Cheliferidae instead, with high support in both cases. The dating analysis suggests that Withiidae originated in the Cretaceous and its main diversification occurred during the Eocene. We also found that sensory traits such as the position of the trichobothria isb and ist , and not genital traits such as length of the ejaculatory canal, change faster, challenging the prediction of higher change rates in the former. In conclusion, for pseudoscorpions, factors other than sexual selection may contribute to stronger selective pressures over their morphology.

Australian salt lakes contain a diverse range of endemic invertebrates. The brine shrimp Parartemia is among the most speciose and salt-tolerant of these invertebrates. The morphotaxonomy of Parartemia is well established but there has only been limited molecular assessment of the phylogenetic relationships and boundaries of the morphospecies. We used multiple genetic markers (nuclear 28S and mitochondrial 16S and COI ) and tree-building methods (Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood) to investigate the phylogeny of Parartemia . We also used species delimitation methods to test the validity of morphological species designations. The data set included all but 2 of the 18 described Parartemia morphospecies, collected from a total of 93 sites from across southern Australia plus some sequences from GenBank. The results identified large amounts of molecular divergence (e.g. COI P- values of up to 25.23%), some groups of closely related species (which also usually shared some morphological similarities) and some distinctive species, although the relationships among divergent lineages were generally not well resolved. The most conservative set of results from the species delimitation analyses suggests that the morphotaxonomy is largely accurate, although many morphospecies comprised divergent genetic lineages separated by COI P- values of up to 17.02%. Two putative new morphospecies, three cryptic species and one synonymy were identified. Our findings improve the knowledge of Parartemia taxonomy and will facilitate the development of future studies and conservation of this taxon.

Apatelodidae is a family of New World bombycoids distributed mainly in the Neotropical region, with 14 genera, 222 valid species and 8 subspecies. These moths are medium-sized with a wingspan ranging from 2 to 8cm, generally greyish, straw-yellow or reddish-brown, with darker spots and lines on the dorsal side of the wings. We combine adult morphology and molecular data to test, under a probabilistic framework, the monophyly of apatelodid genera and the placement of Tamphana (Bombycidae). We sampled the type species of 12 of the 14 valid genera of Apatelodidae, including the type species of synonymised genera. We sampled ~75% of the species from all valid genera in the family and outgroups from Bombycidae, Brahmaeidae, Eupterotidae and Phiditiidae, totalling 195 terminals. Examination of the specimens resulted in a matrix of 138 morphological characters (116 from male; 22 from female) from the head (7 from male; 1 from female), thorax (37 from male; 4 from female), abdomen (5 from male) and genitalia (66 from male; 17 from female). For the molecular analyses, we used four genes: DDC (647bp) for 14% of terminals; CAD (2486bp) for 23% of terminals, Wgl (409bp) for 38% of terminals and COI (658bp) for 75% of terminals. Species of Tamphana were recovered in Apatelodidae as two independent clades. The genera Arotros , Crastolliana , Drepatelodes , Pantelodes , and Prothysana were recovered as monophyletic. The remaining apatelodid genera were polyphyletic. We propose a new genus-level classification: Tamphana is transferred to Apatelodidae; 16 new genera are proposed: Aymara gen. nov. , Campesina gen. nov. , Caribas gen. nov. , Cecile gen. nov. , Kaweskar gen. nov. , Lempira gen. nov. , Misak gen. nov. , Mocambo gen. nov. , Nhanderu gen. nov. , Peabiru gen. nov. , Raoni gen. nov. , Tapuia gen. nov. , Tibira gen. nov. , Tupac gen. nov. , Tuyvae gen. nov. and Zapata gen. nov. Two new species are described: Mocambo lauracensis sp. nov. , and Nhanderu takua sp. nov. We revalidate the genus Hygrochroa stat. rev. and three species: Carnotena perlineata stat. rev., Tupac bombycina stat. rev., comb. nov. and Zanola vivax stat. rev. Overall, we propose 82 new generic combinations, synonymise 16 species, and restore the status of 3 species: Apatelodes floramia stat. rest. , Carnotena rectilinea comb. nov. , stat. rest. and Ephoria nubilosa stat. rest. Additionally, we summarise data on the natural history and distribution of each Apatelodidae species. ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:254AA924-30B3-48A8-AB15-CCF2745C3B8E.

Three new cave-dwelling aeglid species from the Alto Ribeira karst region, south-eastern Brazil, are described. Morphological descriptions are based on traits traditionally used in aeglid taxonomy. Molecular phylogeny reconstruction based on the partial fragments of the 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rDNA) and the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) revealed that: (1) dispersal of epigean aeglids toward the Alto Ribeira karst area occurred at two separate events in the evolutionary history of freshwater aeglids; (2) extant cave-dwelling aeglid species form two distinct subclades, each of which originated from a distinct ancestral epigean lineage; and (3) successful adaptation to subterranean habitats, as seen in extant cave-dwelling aeglid species from the Alto Ribeira karst area, developed independently within each subclade, as each one of them comprised an exclusive group of both stygobitic and stygophilic species. ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3F2D0A63-B86E-421F-9B29-DD605BF7B4E7.

Accurate identification and precise classification of freshwater mussel species that are among the most threatened freshwater taxa in the world, play a crucial role in informing conservation and management efforts for these organisms. However, due to the variability in shell morphology, relying solely on shell characteristics for species taxonomy poses significant challenges, thereby impeding effective conservation planning and management. The freshwater mussel genus Ptychorhynchus Simpson, 1900 is one such group in need of study. We integrate molecular phylogeny, shell morphology and soft-body anatomy to examine the classification of Ptychorhynchus denserugata (Haas, 1910) and Ptychorhynchus resupinatus (von Martens, 1902). The COI barcoding data support the clustering of P. denserugata and Nodularia douglasiae within a single clade, and P. denserugata shares the diagnostic feature of the genus Nodularia , i.e. knobs or bumps on the inner mantle surface in the excurrent aperture. Therefore, by integrating molecular data and anatomical characteristics, we confirm that the nominal species P. denserugata syn. nov. is a new synonym for N. douglasiae . The multi-locus (COI + ND1 + 16S rRNA + 18S rRNA + 28S rRNA ) phylogeny and mitochondrial phylogenomics support the transfer of P. resupinatus from Ptychorhynchus to the newly elevated genus Cosmopseudodon stat. rev., as Cosmopseudodon resupinatus stat. rev. that is still considered the designated type species. We also describe a new species based on integrative taxonomy, i.e. Cosmopseudodon wenshanensis sp. nov. The comprehensive understanding of the taxonomy and diversity of the revised Cosmopseudodon species, and shell heteromorphism of N. douglasiae (=P. denserugata syn. nov.), will serve as a crucial foundation for further scientific assessment and conservation strategies pertaining to these taxa. ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E48968B1-DF0F-42AD-8F31-B8C95F23CE57.

The razor clam genus Novaculina is a secondary marine-derived freshwater taxa within the otherwise exclusively marine family Pharidae. Novaculina currently comprises four valid species that are distributed allopatrically across several drainages in Asia. We employed an integrated approach, combining morphology and molecular phylogenetic analyses to elucidate the taxonomic placement of members within this genus. The multi-locus phylogenetic trees based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI ), 16S rRNA and 28S rRNA gene sequences demonstrate that Novaculina is polyphyletic. Specimens identified as N. siamensis form a distinct clade that is not sister group to other currently recognised congeners. Furthermore, morphological examination reveals distinct characteristics in 'N. siamensis ', namely a fused, fringed siphon, in contrast to the separated, smooth siphons observed in other species. Based on these findings, we propose the establishment of a new genus, Cenonovaculina gen. nov., to accommodate 'N. siamensis '. The new genus is distinguished from other genera in having a short shell, deep pallial sinus, elongate, oval to bean-shaped anterior adductor scar and long fused siphons surrounded by conical tentacles. ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6E16FC43-5BBA-4791-A805-1C84859877A3.

The pachychilid genus Brotia H. Adams, 1866, distributed across South and South-East Asia, comprises 46 currently accepted species. Although Brotia has recently been revised, the systematic treatment of the Indian species requires further scrutiny. This study aims to resolve the phylogenetic relationships between Brotia species from north-east India and estimate the divergence using two mitochondrial markers, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S). Species delimitation analyses have revealed six to nine distinct species in north-east India instead of the single currently known species. We confirm the monophyly of Brotia from the entire distributional range in South and South-East Asia and show that all Indian species form a single clade nested within the South-East Asian radiation. We conclude that Brotia has a South-East Asian origin, with two independent dispersals into India since the early Eocene and through the Oligocene, eventually splitting from ancestors during the late Cretaceous. Further integrative taxonomic research is needed to resolve the taxonomic status of the candidate species delineated herein and reveal the exact number of species in north-east India. This is the first phylogenetic analysis of Brotia from India, significantly improving our understanding of Indian freshwater gastropod fauna.