Post-mortem human cadaver scavenging by marine crustaceans (Isopoda: Cirolanidae) in tropical waters.

Animal feeding, both ante- and post-mortem, in freshwater and marine environments, has become topical recently. This report documents post-mortem scavenging by two identified species of marine crustaceans (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cirolanidae) on a human cadaver from the vicinity of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

A Historical Summary of the Distribution and Diet of Australian Sea Hares (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia: Aplysiidae).

Matt J. Nimbs, Richard C. Willan, and Stephen D. A. Smith (2017) Recent studies have highlighted the great diversity of sea hares (Aplysiidae) in central New South Wales, but their distribution elsewhere in Australian waters has not previously been analysed. Despite the fact that they are often very abundant and occur in readily accessible coastal habitats, much of the published literature on Australian sea hares concentrates on their taxonomy. As a result, there is a paucity of information about their biology and ecology. This study, therefore, had the objective of compiling the available information on distribution and diet of aplysiids in continental Australia and its offshore island territories to identify important knowledge gaps and provide focus for future research efforts. Aplysiid diversity is highest in the subtropics on both sides of the Australian continent. Whilst animals in the genus Aplysia have the broadest diets, drawing from the three major algal groups, other aplysiids can be highly specialised, with a diet that is restricted to only one or a few species. Although the diets of some widespread, frequently-observed taxa have been investigated, those for lesser-known, endemic taxa remain unclear and require specific investigation.

The complete mitogenome of the giant clam Tridacna squamosa (Heterodonta: Bivalvia: Tridacnidae).

The complete mitochondrial genome of the commercially and ecologically important and internationally vulnerable giant clam Tridacna squamosa was recovered by genome skimming using the MiSeq platform. The T. squamosa mitogenome has 20,930 base pairs (62.35% A+T content) and is made up of 12 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal subunit genes, 24 transfer RNAs, and a 2594 bp non-coding AT-rich region. The mitogenome has a relatively large insertion in the atp6 gene. This is the first mitogenome to be sequenced from the genus Tridacna, and the family Tridacnidae and represents a new gene order.