New species and new records of Reteporella (Bryozoa: Cheilostomatida) from Greenland waters.

New species and new records of the cheilostome bryozoan family Phidoloporidae are reported from the poorly studied shelf and continental slope of Greenland. Reteporella vitta n. sp. differs from congeners in the shape and size of fenestrulae, the size of autozooids and their arrangement within the colony, features of the orificial complex, including the indistinctly denticulate distal rim, shape of the condyles and height of the peristome, as well as the shape and location of the suboral avicularium, and the morphology of the ovicell. Reteporella obscura n. sp. differs from other Reteporella species in a unique combination of the following characters: colony surface texture, shape of orifice and condyles, shape of the suboral avicularium, and the morphology of the ovicell. Other specimens of Reteporella from Greenland were identified as R. watersi (Nordgaard, 1907), firstly recorded in southern and western parts of the study area, and as R. grimaldii (Jullien, 1903) and R. beaniana (King, 1846), previously known only from some localities of western and eastern Greenland and recorded abundantly in 2016. Reteporella watersi specimens from Greenland differ from conspecific material from the Faroe Islands in lacking oral spines and in the size of zooidal characters.

Taxonomy, ecology and zoogeography of the Recent species of Rhamphostomella Lorenz, 1886 and Mixtoscutella n. gen. (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata).

Twenty-four Recent species of the boreal-Arctic and Pacific cheilostome bryozoan genus Rhamphostomella are described. The species R. tatarica and R. pacifica are transferred to Rhamphostomella from Posterula and Porella, respectively. Eight species are new: R. aleutica n. sp., R. aspera n. sp., R. commandorica n. sp., R. echinata n. sp., R. microavicularia n. sp., R. morozovi n. sp., R. multirostrata n. sp. and R. obliqua n. sp. Neotypes are selected for six species, and lectotypes for eight species. Mixtoscutella n. gen. is established for several Rhamphostomella-like species, including M. androsovae [formerly Smittina androsovae Gontar], M. cancellata [formerly Escharella porifera forma cancellata Smitt], M. harmsworthi [formerly Schizoporella harmsworthi Waters], M. ovata [formerly Cellepora ovata (Smitt)], and M. ussowi [formerly Schizoporella ussowi (Kluge)]. In addition to taxonomic revision, the morphology (frontal shields, ovicells and multiporous septula), ecology and zoogeography of these cheilostomes are discussed, and identification keys are presented. Most species of Rhamphostomella have broad bathymetric distributions. Some have long protuberances on their basal walls that allow them to grow elevated above allelopathically active substrates such as sponges. The diversity of Rhamphostomella peaks in the northwestern Pacific.

New Cheilostomata (Bryozoa) species from sublittoral and bathyal zones off the Faroe Islands, with some comments on allied taxa.

Two new species of cheilostome Bryozoa are described from the Faroe Islands archipelago. Cinclidia aculeata n. gen. et sp. is a new cribrilinid taxon, distinguished from other cribrimorphs by the skeletal characters of the frontal shield and ooecium, and the absence of avicularia. A second new species, Turbicellepora faroensis n. sp., is distinguished by the shape of the orificial sinus, peristome, and suboral and interzooidal avicularia as well as by the presence of distolateral, tube-shaped adventitious avicularia (paired or single). Examination of new material of congeneric species supports the validity of the new taxon and further clarifies the separate status of Turbicellepora tuberosa (Smitt, 1868) sensu Hansen (1962) and T. hansenae Denisenko, 2016.

Two new species of the genus Turbicellepora Ryland, 1963 (Bryozoa: Celleporidae) found on Lophelia coral from the Greenland slope.

The genus Turbicellepora was established by Ryland (1963) in the course of his work on the Norwegian bryozoan fauna. At present, the genus includes 71 recent and fossil species, which have been reported from all continents and seas (Bock & Gordon 2014). The distinctive characteristics of the genus include a multiporous ooecium, proximal orificial sinus, an asymmetrically placed peristomial avicularium and enlarged or vicarious avicularia (Ryland 1963). Occasionally, an additional pre-oral avicularium is also present (Hayward 1978). Colonies have a changeable form. They can be massive and branching or have the form of a mound or flat crust. The most comprehensive comparative study of European species of the genus, with detailed descriptions of 13 taxa, was carried out by Hayward (1978), who noted that the genus seemed to be centred in the Atlanto-Mediterranean region.

Atlantic origin of the arctic biota? Evidence from phylogenetic and biogeographical analysis of the cheilostome bryozoan genus pseudoflustra.

The intricate geological evolution of the Arctic Ocean is paralleled by complexities in the biogeographical and phylogenetical histories of the Arctic biota, including bryozoans. Here we present revised taxonomic descriptions for all known species of the bryozoan genus Pseudoflustra, and use the present-day distributions and phylogenetic relationships between these species to infer the historical biogeography of the genus. Nine species belonging to the genus Pseudoflustra are recognized in the Arctic and North Atlantic. One new species, previously identified as Ichthyaria aviculata, is described as Pseudoflustra radeki sp. nov. Another species, previously assigned to Smittoidea as S. perrieri, is transferred to Pseudoflustra. Biogeographical analysis of Pseudoflustra reveals that species distributions mostly match current patterns pertaining in the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean. Distributions were probably shaped by recent geological history as present-day current directions in the Arctic Ocean are believed to have been similar for at least the last 120 000 years. Phylogenetic analysis of Pseudoflustra places the five Arctic-North Atlantic species in a clade crownward of a paraphyletic grouping of North Atlantic species. Given that the Arctic Ocean was fully glaciated until 18 000 years, the most likely explanation for this phylogeographical pattern is that species of Pseudoflustra colonized the Arctic relatively recently from North Atlantic sources. However, a fuller understanding of the origin of Pseudoflustra in the Arctic will require molecular and fossil data, neither of which are currently available.

The description and prediction of benthic biodiversity in high Arctic and freshwater-dominated marine areas: the southern Onega Bay (the White Sea).

The structure of the macrozoobenthic community in 2003-2004 in the southern part of the Onega Bay along a salinity gradient showed the poorest fauna (one species) was found in the estuarine area. In the open part of the bay the species richness up to 64 species. In the study area, as a whole, the zoobenthos abundance varied from 51 to 4590 ind. m(-2), biomass--from 0.51 to 651.4 g m(-2) and lower values occurred in the estuarine part of the Onega Bay. The Shannon diversity index [log2 basis] varied considerably--from 0.69 bits in the mouth of the Onega River up to 4.56 bits at the marine stations. Liner multiple regression analysis showed that species richness is related primarily to depth, distance, temperature and the amount of C(org.) in sediments; Shannon diversity is connected with salinity, temperature, depth, amount of C(org.) in sediments and chlorophyll concentration in the water. For abundance and biomass the main determining factors were distance and concentration of C(org.) in sediments. Fresh water input from the Onega River caused variations in the salinity regime in the top of the Bay which indirectly influenced zoobenthic populations via other parameters which changed as a result of river discharge.