We report two opportunistic and unusual observations of white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) in the Canadian Arctic that are outside the known range of this species. Sightings occurred off the south-east coast of Baffin Island (Nunavut, Canada) in Frobisher Bay (September 2004) and Cumberland Sound (August 2013). Despite dedicated, multi-year marine mammal surveys in the region (boat-based and aerial), white-beaked dolphins have not previously been reported in the eastern Davis Strait. Our sightings suggest that white-beaked dolphins may infrequently inhabit coastal waters off south-eastern Baffin Island, and furthermore, that their habitat use may correspond with recent changes in prey distribution and availability.

Two specimens of Stegastes fasciolatus of total length 110.1 mm and 112.2 mm were collected from gillnet at Visakhapatnam fishing harbour, north-east coast of India on 5 January 2013. The morphometric and meristic characters of the recorded specimens are described and discussed.

The recently described Escharoides bishopi and the non-native Fenestrulina delicia are recorded for the first time from British waters.

Astracme mucronata and Ophiopaepale goesiana are recorded for the first time from the Brazilian coast. The specimens examined were collected from the States of Ceará (Canopus Bank) and Rio Grande do Norte (Potiguar Basin) in north-eastern Brazil. Descriptions, geographical range and taxonomy notes about the species are provided. This study expands the number of species of Ophiuroidea for the Brazilian coast from 134 to 136 species.

We report new geographical and bathymetric occurrence information for several species of brisingidan asteroids (Asteroidea: Brisingida) in eastern Canada. We recorded Brisinga costata, Freyella microspina and Novodinia americana in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), extending the geographical ranges of these species northward. Brisinga costata and F. microspina occur up to 350 m shallower in NL than elsewhere in their published ranges, while N. americana occurs 567 m deeper. We also confirm the presence of Freyella elegans, a possibly cosmopolitan species found throughout the North Atlantic but not previously reported in Canadian waters.

The interstitial hoplonemertean Ototyphlonemertes duplex, originally described from Naples, is collected for the first time on the Spanish Mediterranean coast at the Cabo de Gata Natural Park (Mediterranean, south-east Spain). Morphological data and pictures of this species are provided.

This is the first published report of this species in Australia as well as the Indian Ocean (Seychelles), Thailand and Grand Bahama. Originally described from Jamaica, Tripedalia cystophora has since been found in the Philippines, Ecuador, Japan, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Indonesia and Florida. Moreover, this report from Australia is now the southerly-most locality for this species, bringing its total global distribution from 32°N to 28°S latitude. Because of its broad and expanding distribution, and its preferred habitat of mangrove thickets that occur at higher latitudes than its current distribution, T. cystophora may become a model organism for tracking climate-related high latitude range expansion.

This work presents records of two endobenthic species of sea cucumber (Holothuroidea: Echinodermata) not previously reported in Canadian waters. Thyone inermis (Dendrochirotida) and Labidoplax buskii (Apodida) were collected south-west of Nova Scotia (eastern Canada) in 2009 in Georges and Crowell Basins in the upper 2 cm of muddy seafloor at upper bathyal depths (240–370 m). Both species are of small size, 3.7–8 mm and 5–8 mm long, respectively.

Mytilopsis leucophaeata naturally occurs in oligo- to mesohaline estuaries along the Atlantic coast of the USA and Mexico. In Brazil, M. leucophaeata was first recorded in 2004 in estuaries adjacent to the Port of Recife (Pernambuco State, north-eastern Brazil). Here, we present the second record of the species in Brazil, and the first for the south-eastern region, in the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon (Rio de Janeiro State). This lagoon, located within a major urbanized area of Rio de Janeiro City, is highly affected by coastal development, but used for various nautical sports. The imminence of the Olympic Games, to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, requires specific attention to the importance of monitoring and controlling this new invasive species. Action has to be taken to prevent its dispersal to other estuarine and lagoon ecosystems of Rio de Janeiro State due to movement of boats and sport equipment.

The Red pandora Pagellus bellottii was recorded for the first time in the south-eastern Mediterranean in Haifa Bay, Israel, on 20 January 2010. Apparently, this eastern Atlantic Ocean species has recently started to disperse into the eastern Mediterranean. After an initial record from Syria in 1992, this is the second record from the eastern Mediterranean, which indicates the possibility that small populations may have established themselves there.

Some shells of Ophieulima minima are reported from the Tuscan archipelago. This is the first record of the genus Ophieulima from the Mediterranean Sea. Hypotheses about its host are considered.

Manefish are not very common and there are few observations of associations with other organisms. An adult of the manefish Paracaristius maderensis and a juvenile of Paracaristius sp. are reported for the first time for the Pacific coast of Central America. The adult specimen (215 mm standard length) was captured off Panama, at a depth of 1000 m. The juvenile specimen (17.5 mm standard length) was recorded on video, in association with the siphonophore Praya reticulata at Isla del Coco National Park, Costa Rica, at a depth of 100 m. A brief description of specimens supporting this record as well as comparative morphometric data and distributional information are provided. The fish–siphonophore association is illustrated.

The bryozoan Schizoporella errata was found in the waters of the island of São Miguel (Azores, Portugal) in August 2013. Its occurrence in the Ponta Delgada Marina suggested that it had been newly introduced into the area, probably via maritime traffic, owing to the fouling proclivity of these cheilostome colonies. It may be expected that S. errata will disperse throughout the Azores Archipelago, being transported by recreational boating as a fouling component of hulls. Measures to minimize a rapid spread of the species should be addressed and the effects of its presence on the native community studied.