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 study presents Cladorhizidae collected during Ifremer cruises in the Atlantic Ocean from 1981 to 2004. Fifteen species are described from the genera Abyssocladia, Asbestopluma, Chondrocladia and Cladorhiza, with complete descriptions of five new species. While a couple of species were collected at 670–1010 m depth at the Rockall Bank, most species were collected at middle to lower bathyal and abyssal depths (~2000–5000 m), ranging from the northern Atlantic to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the coast of Africa at Gabon–Congo. A biogeographic analysis of currently known Arctic, Atlantic and some Antarctic species shows that the majority of included cladorhizids are described from the north-east Atlantic and Arctic Oceans while a lower number of species are known from other parts of the Atlantic Ocean. Large regions are poorly investigated, and previously undescribed species can be expected when sampling in these areas. A regional mostly endemic cladorhizid fauna is predicted for shelf and upper slope areas. Species in the lower bathyal and abyssal seem on the other hand to have a wider geographical distribution.

Twenty-eight mollusc species were collected by Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research during a 2011 pollution monitoring survey of a deep waste-dumping site (1264–1325 m), in the Levantine Sea, 45 km off the coast of Israel. Three species, Odostomia silesui, Ledella marisnostri, and Katadesmia cuneata are new records to the Eastern Mediterranean. The depth records of the first two species considerably extend their known bathymetric ranges. Roxania monterosatoi and Alvania subsoluta are new records for the Levantine Basin and the additional two species are new records for the Israeli coast. The finding of additional specimens of Diaphana marshalli, recently reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, confirms the presence of an established population of the rare species. The exploration and production of the extensive sub-salt natural gas fields recently discovered off the coast of Israel may all too soon impact this barely explored region.

The nannastacid cumacean Campylaspis laevigata is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea from specimens collected on the Israeli continental slope. This species is redescribed, based on specimens from the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean, and distinguished from the closely allied congeners Campylaspis glabra and Campylaspis nitens, both recorded from the Mediterranean. The three species have a smooth carapace, but may be distinguished by the structure and setation of the uropods: the inner margin of the peduncle is serrated in C. laevigata and C. nitens (not serrated in C. glabra), but the latter has more setae (6) on the endopodal inner margin and a rudimentary eyelobe. The known bathymetric distribution of C. laevigata ranges from 280 to 2000 m, and its highest abundances in the southern Bay of Biscay were found between 500 and 800 m, possibly related to food availability in the near-bottom environment.

Two nematode species living in association with chemoautotrophic prokaryotes were found in two deep-sea canyon/channel systems, the Whittard Canyon and Gollum Channels, north-east Atlantic. Parabostrichus bathyalis gen. nov. sp. nov. (Desmodorida: Desmodoridae: Stilbonematinae) relates to Eubostrichus Greeff 1869 but differs in having well-developed paired dorso-caudal apophyses of the gubernaculum, small pre- and postcloacal latero-ventral papillae with short apical setae, elongate tail with slender posterior portion, and the absence of thorn-like setae (porids) in males. Body of P. bathyalis is loosely covered with elongate cells of prokaryote ectosymbionts. Astomonema southwardorum Austen et al. 1993, originally found at a methane seep pockmark in the North Sea, constitutes a significant portion of nematode communities in certain areas of the deep-sea canyon/channel systems. Taxonomic difficulties within Astomonematinae are discussed in light of the character state of paired male gonads discovered in A. southwardorum. Canyon populations of A. southwardorum are characterized by frequent loss of part of the hind body and wound healing posterior to the vulva in females. Both species tend to occur in deeper subsurface layers of the bottom sediment. Abundance of the nematode species associated with aggregations of ectosymbiotic (Parabostrichus) and endosymbiotic (Astomonema) chemoautotrophic bacteria may indicate reduced conditions at sites in these deep-sea canyons/channels and suggests a potentially substantial ecological role for chemolitotrophic fauna there.

The poorly-known serpulid Nogrobs grimaldii was originally described based on specimens collected from off Azores at depths of 1846–1900 m. Its adults are characterized by thick pinnulated opercular peduncle and unusual free (unattached) quadrangular tube coiled into a flat spiral. Here we review and re-identify published material and report new records of this enigmatic deep-water serpulid.

The composition, taxonomic structure and distribution patterns of bathyal benthic fauna of the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge between the Azores and the southern tip of the Reykjanes Ridge were studied from specimens collected on the ‘G.O. Sars MAR–ECO’ expedition in July 2004. Material was obtained from 16 Campelen 1800 trawls taken north of the Azores (42°N) and in two areas around the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone (CGFZ) (51°N and 53°N) at depths 1237–3527 m. A total of 192 species were recorded. Overall the MAR–ECO benthic fauna was dominated by echinoderms (49.5% of the total species sampled), sponges (18.2%) and anthozoans (16.7%). Between-station species similarity was analysed using non-metric multidimensional scaling. Our analysis revealed differences between stations from the CGFZ and the Azorean regions. Stations from the Azores formed one cluster whereas stations from the CGFZ separated into two groups related to depth: stations from depths 1263 m to 1916 m and those from 2350 m to 3512 m. The taxonomic structure of the bathyal fauna was also different in the Azores than in the CGFZ areas. At the CGFZ, taxa with the highest percentage of species present were different above and below the 2000 m bathymetric contour, in contrast close to the Azores taxa with the highest percentage of species were the same shallower and deeper than 2000 m. Our results point at turnover in benthic bathyal fauna between the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone and the Azores, which could be related to the presence of the Sub-Polar Front.

Examination of the holotype of Sipho gaini Lamy, 1910, attributed by recent authors to the genus Chlanidota (Buccinulidae), revealed that this species belongs to the genus Belaturricula and is a senior synonym of Belaturricula antarctica Dell, 1990. A redescription of the shell, anterior alimentary system, and radular morphology of Belaturricula gaini is provided. The genus Belaturricula is transferred to the family Conidae (sensu Taylor et al. 1993) on the basis of its radula, which is composed of hollow marginal teeth. The presence of a large shell, prominent operculum, acinous salivary glands, radular teeth with narrow bases in B. gaini, as well as the absence of buccal lips and rhyncodeal introvert, all indicate affinities with the conid subfamily Clathurellinae. Because the radula of Pontiothauma ergata Hedley (1916) is nearly indistinguishable from that of Belaturricula gaini, we reassign Hedley's species to the genus Belaturricula as Belaturricula ergata (Hedley, 1916).