The genus Nuridius Sloane is revised and expanded to 10 species including its type species Nuridius fortis Sloane, 1890, three newly described species: Nuridius frickei sp. nov., type locality Peases Lookout, Eungella National Park, QLD, Nuridius pluto sp. nov., type locality Jimna State Forest, QLD, and Nuridius darlingtoni sp. nov., type locality Bulburin National Park, QLD, and six species previously included in Nurus Motschulsky that are here combined in Nuridius: Nuridius curtus (Chaudoir, 1865), Nuridius grandis Sloane, 1910, Nuridius nox (Darlington, 1961), Nuridius medius (Darlington, 1961), Nuridius rex (Darlington, 1961), and Nuridius niger (Chaudoir, 1878). Pachymelas Tschitschérine, 1902 is considered a junior synonym of Nuridius. Bayesian analyses of a combined matrix and partitioned matrices of partial sequences from three loci (28S, COI and CAD) found support for Nuridius as a clade separate from Nurus. The comparative study of morphological features allows for recognition of the 10 species and an identification key is provided. Images of habitus and key external features, along with the aedeagus of each species are provided. All species distributions are mapped, and biogeographical implications discussed. Short notes are given on burrow-making and egg deposition into formed, two-part soil capsules by species of both Nurus and Nuridius. Conservation issues are briefly discussed.

The Middle Triassic (Anisian) Gayndah Formation is the northernmost unit of the Early–Middle Triassic Esk Basin of south-eastern Queensland. Fossil insects were discovered in the formation in 1962 and 90 specimens have been collected since then. Of those, the 80 specimens identifiable to Order level are mainly Hemiptera (39%) and Coleoptera (36%), with much fewer Odonata s.l., Plecoptera, Neuroptera, Mecoptera and Trichoptera, and single specimens of Blattodea, Reculida, Titanoptera and ? Orthoptera. The dominance of Hemiptera and Coleoptera is likely due to the durability of their tegmina and elytra during sedimentary transport and deposition, rather than an indication of faunal composition. Faunal elements identified to family or lower level are: Reculida: Shurabia australis Rasnitsyn, 1982 (Geinitziidae); Plecoptera: ? Gondwanoperlidium spp. (Euxenoperlidae); Hemiptera: Tennentsia evansi Lambkin, 2015, Dysmorphoptiloides ellisi Lambkin, 2015, Mesonirvana dougsmithi sp. nov. (Dysmorphoptilidae), Mesoscytina woodsi Lambkin, 2016 (Scytinopteridae), Hylicellidae; Neuroptera: Riekchotes reticulatus gen. et sp. nov. (Ithonidae), Lithosmylidia baronne Lambkin, 1988, Lithosmylidia sp. (Archeosmylidae), Gayndahpsychops carsburgi Lambkin, 2014 (Osmylopsychopidae); Mecoptera: Mesoses gayndah Lambkin, 2014 (Mesopsychidae), Mesochorista sp. (Permochoristidae); Trichoptera: Prorhyacophila colliveri Riek, 1955 (Prorhyacophilidae). The fauna is a typical Triassic transitional one that has commonalities with the more extensively sampled and species-rich faunas of the Queensland Late Triassic insect localities at Denmark Hill, Dinmore and Mount Crosby. Exceptions are a hindwing base ascribed to the Titanoptera, an order known in Australia only from the Middle Triassic Hawkesbury Sandstone of New South Wales, and the forewing of Riekchotes reticulatus, the earliest and only Triassic record of the neuropteran family Ithonidae.

Synanceia verrucosa (reef stonefish) and Synanceia horrida (estuarine stonefish) are known as the world’s most venomous fishes. However, little is known about their habitat preference and activity patterns. This study aimed to determine the habitat preferences and diel activity patterns of stonefish. The movements of four adults of each species that were offered complex and simple habitats in captivity were recorded by filming during day and night periods. Generally, both species exhibited similar behaviour, though S. verrucosa travelled further per movement than S. horrida. Collectively, stonefish spent 94% of their time associated with complex habitat and moved significantly less frequently on complex (1.6 movements per hour) relative to simple habitat (17.3 movements per hour). Stonefish were least active around sunset in the late afternoon and evening, which may relate to an active feeding period during the morning or paradoxically to a higher probability of ambush feeding success near sunset. These findings have enhanced our current understanding of the ecology of these species.

Females of the Australian dynastine beetle Haploscapanes barbarossa (Fabricius, 1775) excavate burrows and provision them with food for young larvae. Larvae consume that food, but not enough is provided for the larva to complete development. In northern Queensland, some of the partially developed larvae move to adjacent burrows of the cockroach Macropanesthia rhinoceros Saussure, 1895, where they feed on the considerable organic material, including leaf material and cockroach frass, that builds up in these chambers up to 1 m below the surface. In other areas of northern Australia, there are no burrowing cockroaches, so the larvae must find other food sources after the early stages.

This paper presents a new mode of asexual reproduction of Ricordea yuma. Seventeen instances of tentacle autotomy (the deliberate shedding of tentacles) were observed in the tropical corallimorpharian, Ricordea yuma, over a four-month period. Of these, seven were deemed to have successfully completed transformation into polyps complete with mouth and tentacles. The majority of tentacles were able to attach to the bottom of the tissue culturing plates they were transplanted into for monitoring. Attachment appeared to have been made via intricate webs made of discharged cnidae, presumed to be spirocysts. Given that tentacle autotomy has been previously reported in both Scleractinia and Actiniaria, this strategy is likely to be used in other corallimorpharian species and may be an important strategy used to quickly clone themselves, monopolize habitats and outcompete other benthic inhabitants.

The recent discovery of Saltuarius swaini on Mt Glorious is unexpected due to the site’s proximity to a major city. It extends the species’ range 80 km north of the nearest known population. Genetic analyses suggests that this is a natural population that has been isolated from the other sequenced, south-east Queensland S. swaini populations for an extended period. The species has a limited occurrence on Mt Glorious where it is apparently absent from extensive tracts of suitable rainforest habitat. The rainforest herpetofauna of Mt Glorious is broadly similar to, but more impoverished than, that of the larger southern rainforest blocks of the Border and Main Ranges.

Eggs in large Branchiopoda are often diagnostic of species and may show some phyletic relationships. Those of the two species of Australobranchipus are described and are easily separable from each other and are particularly distinctive among Australian anostracans, all unrelated. Within its family, the Branchiopodidae however, there is some similarity to two African genera, but not Eurasian species, indicative perhaps of a gondwanan connection.