The oceanic archipelago of Fernando de Noronha represents one of the most important regions for Brazilian marine biodiversity, and is considered a ‘no-take’ marine area under law. More than 130 crustacean species have already been registered in the archipelago, with a significant number of caridean shrimps. Almost half of these shrimps belong to the family Alpheidae, making them an important marker of the species composition of the region. This study provides five new records of alpheids for the archipelago. Samples were taken in 2019 and 2022 from six locations around Fernando de Noronha, using active search during low tide and SCUBA diving in subtidal zones. The new records are Alpheus agilis, A. angulosus, A. rudolphi, Automate dolichognatha sensu lato, and Salmoneus ortmanni, and their DNA sequences have been made available alongside geographical distribution, photographs, ecological notes, and species remarks. All DNA sequences (mitochondrial 16S and cytochrome oxidase I genes) generated were compared with sequences available in Genbank and, in some cases, our sequences are the first for the species. Through this update, a total of 46 species of caridean shrimps have been recorded from Fernando de Noronha. Here we highlight the importance of checklists as a tool to keep an updated record of species' distributions. Continuous study of the native fauna of one of the most important biodiversity hotspots on the Brazilian coast is essential to establish effective management and conservation plans for the region.

Eight South American geographical populations of the parasitoid Microctonus hyperodae Loan were collected in South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay) and released in New Zealand for biological control of the weevil Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel), a pest of pasture grasses and cereals. DNA sequencing (16S, COI, 28S, ITS1, β-tubulin), RAPD, AFLP, microsatellite, SSCP and RFLP analyses were used to seek markers for discriminating between the South American populations. All of the South American populations were more homogeneous than expected. However, variation in microsatellites and 16S gene sequences corroborated morphological, allozyme and other phenotypic evidence of trans-Andes variation between the populations. The Chilean populations were the most genetically variable, while the variation present on the eastern side of the Andes mountains was a subset of that observed in Chile.