This study describes and illustrates four new species Laticanna nanhaiensis Xu, Huang and Wang, gen. nov. and sp. nov., Protiaropsis gemmifera Xu, Huang and Du, sp. nov., Merga nanhaiensis Xu, Huang and Guo, sp. nov. and Rhabdoon apiciloculus Xu, Huang and Du, sp. nov. based on specimens from the south-central South China Sea. Additionally, keys to known genera of family Bythotiaridae and species of genera Protiaropsis, Merga, and Rhabdoon are described. All type specimens are deposited in the South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Science.

Porcellanasteridae is a group of starfish that live in the deep ocean around the world. The type species of this family, Porcellanaster ceruleus Wyville Thomson, 1878, is cosmopolitan as well as polymorphic. The first record of its occurrence in the South China Sea is reported in this paper. One specimen was caught in the South China Sea on June 6, 2015 by trawl and identified to be a P. ceruleus. The morphological characteristics of this specimen are described and detailed pictures are provided. The discovery of this specimen further expands the distribution of P. ceruleus in the Pacific Ocean. The world distribution records of P. ceruleus and its synonymic species are reviewed in this paper.

Box jellyfish Chiropsoides buitendijki from the coastal zone along the Andaman Sea, southwestern Thailand are characterized by a box-shaped body with unilateral branched tentacles and lack of interradial furrows. Tentacular banding was first reported in the present study with 1-3-2-3-2-3-2-3-1 patterns (1-major band, 2-thicker minor band and 3-thinner minor band). The DNA sequences of 18 S ribosomal RNA genes indicated that the specimen examined were genetically similar to C. buitendijki that was previously identified from the Nam Bor Bay, Phuket, Thailand, and distinct to the other known taxa in the order Chirodropida. In addition, a significant genetic divergence based on 16S mitochondrial gene was observed within the C. buitendijki samples. This indicates a population genetic differentiation but needs further confirmation.

This study reviews all species belonging to the families Laodiceidae, Lovenellidae, Malagazziidae, and Mitrocomidae in the South China Sea. Two new species, Eucheilota carinata sp. nov. and Halopsis nanhaiensis sp. nov., are described and illustrated. One genus, Staurostoma, and two species, Staurostoma sp. and Octophialucium aphrodite (Bigelow, 1928), are first recorded in China seas. The key to all medusa genera and species of Lovenellidae and Malagazziidae are presented. Other data are briefly summarized to the list and distribution of species presented on the family Laodiceidae, Lovenellidae, Malagazziidae and Mitrocomidae in the South China Sea. The type specimens are deposited in the Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, China.

Two chiton specimens were collected from sedimentary habitat by China’s manned Jiaolong submersible diving to a depth of 6 754 m in the north of the Yap Trench. This is a new locality record for chiton. Both morphological and molecular data support that the two specimens are the same species belonging to the genus Leptochiton. Morphologically, this species strongly resembles L. vanbellei and L. deforgesi. Phylogenetically, it has a close evolutionary relationship with L. vanbellei, L. deforgesi and L. boucheti. This is the third deepest record for deep-sea chitons so far.

In order to investigate the tintinnid diversity, vertical distribution and latitudinal variation in the tropical West Pacific Ocean, water samples of different depths from surface to 200 m were collected along four transects. Totally 124 tintinnid species in 39 genera were detected. Most species preferred to live in the surface and subsurface waters. High tintinnid species richness, abundance and diversity index mainly occurred at depths slight shallower than the layer of deep chlorophyll maximum. Species richness, abundance and Shannon’s diversity index were significant positive correlation with temperature and chlorophyll a in vivo fluorescence, but significant negative correlation with salinity and depth. The correlations between most dominant species and environmental factors were not significant. Tintinnid diversity was extremely high in this area, species richness ranged from 25 to 52 at each station, Shannon’s diversity indexes were higher than 3 at most sampling positions from surface to 75 m. Proportions of redundant species were high, accounted for 87.90% of species pool and 60.38% of total abundance, indicating high capacity to response to changes in resource composition and predation pressures of tintinnid communities in the tropical West Pacific Ocean.

Four species of Trichodina parasitizing the gills of cultured molluscs and fishes in China are described: Trichodina pectenis Stein, 1974 from the scallop Mizuhopecten yessoensis; Trichodina jadranica Raabe, 1958 from the fishes Mugil cephalus and Anguilla bicolor bicolor; Trichodina acuta Lom, 1961 and Trichodina rostrata Kulemina, 1968 from the fish Acrossocheilus fasciatus. The description of T. pectenis presented here first includes both live characters and morphometric data obtained from specimens impregnated using the wet silver nitrate and protargol methods. The other species were revealed by the dry silver nitrate method. Intensities of infestation and comparisons with related species and populations are provided for each of the four.

A new marine benthic diatom, Pleurosira nanjiensis sp. nov., is described from the rocky intertidal zone of the Xiaochaiyu Island of the Nanji Islands in China. Its morphology was examined with light and scanning electron microscopy. Molecular phylogeny was reconstructed based on SSU rRNA and rbcL gene sequences. Pleurosira nanjiensis differs from congeners in possession of a combination of morphological features including the domed valve with broadly lanceolate, elliptical or circular valve outline, two elevated marginal ocelli, two (rarely three) rimportulae, and radiate striae.

Research and protection of biodiversity is generally started with species recognizing guided by achievement of cataloguing and illustration obtained through in situ investigation data accumulation and literature learning. Facing the shortage of taxonomist, it is getting harder to maintain important specimen collections and handle loans. The West Pacific Ocean has been operating as a center of the origin of global marine biodiversity result of the richest species diversity of marine taxa found in these waters. The present work is a compilation and summary of systematics, species diversity and new taxa of mesozooplankton major group known in West Pacific Ocean and its marginal seas (0°–45°N, 105°–152°E) according to 6 203 mesozooplankton samples acquired from 701 stations during 1965 and 2008. A total of 2 657 species belonging to 686 genera and 206 families of 10 mesozooplankton groups have been found through taxonomic identification and document consulting. In details, 697 species from 251 genera of 99 families belong to the Medusozoa, 59 species from 22 genera of 12 families to the Ctenophora, 85 species from 36 genera of 14 families to the pelagic Mollusca (Pteropoda and Heteropoda), 416 species from 91 genera of 8 families to the Ostracoda, 908 species from 156 genera of 51 families to the Copepoda, 202 species from 60 genera of 4 families to the Mysidacea, 56 species from 8 genera of 2 families to the Euphausiacea, 105 species from 23 genera of 8 families to the Decapoda, 48 species from 13 genera of 5 families to the Chaetognatha and 81 species from 26 genera of 5 families to the Tunicata. The dominant species of each group are enumerated. Moreover, 2 new species of Medusozoa, Tubulariidae, Ectopleura, 1 new species of Medusozoa, Protiaridae, Halitiarella, 1 new genus and 1 new species of Medusozoa, Corymorphidae are established. An amount of 806 species are expanded with an increase of 43.5% on the basis of 1 852 species recorded before 2008, including 1.4% increase from tropical sea around equator, 4.0% from the frigid water in high latitude region, and 3.0% of bathypelagic-associated waters. The authors also summarized future prospects into five major areas in marine mesozooplankton research in China. Such information of qualitative phyletic classification could be of high relevance to studies on biodiversity and biogeography of marine mesozooplankton, especially for monographs contributed to make an overall and systematic conclusion on the species of marine life in China after 2008.