Within the spiny trapdoor spider genus Euoplos Rainbow exists a group of species from south-eastern Queensland that create unusual ‘palisade’ burrow entrances. Despite their intriguing burrows, the group was only recently circumscribed, and all species within it were undescribed. In this study we confirm that the palisade trapdoor spiders are monophyletic using phylogenetic analysis, before recognising four species based on morphological, molecular and behavioural characters. Because the unusual burrow entrances of these spiders exhibit structural autapomorphies, which allow species-level identification, we include features of burrow architecture in our key and species diagnoses, providing a non-intrusive method for distinguishing species in the field.

Lace bugs are an enigmatic group of insects with body texture unlike other bugs. These small insects are associated with flowering plants and are diverse in Australia bug poorly documented. In this work we revise the genus, described 16 new species from Australia, as well as a single new species each from Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia. In this work we also document their tight association with the sheoak family Casuarinaeae.

Despite the evolutionary significance of the Homoscleromorpha (Porifera), its diversity and biology are largely unknown. Here we integrated data of morphology, cytology, microbiology, ecology, reproduction, and cox-1 and cob gene sequences to distinguish three species of Plakina in Brazil, two of which are new to science. The integrative taxonomy approach widened our knowledge of Homoscleromorpha diversity, distribution and biology.

New Zealand’s Kermadecs region is a unique, near pristine environment. Our results nearly double the number of known cephalopod species in this area (with a current total of 70), with at least five species that are potentially new to science. With such a high and unique biodiversity, we strongly support the establishment of the proposed the Kermadec–Rangitāhua Ocean Sanctuary.

Haminoeidae is the most diverse family of Cephalaspidea, but the number of included genera and their internal relationships has been uncertain. By using molecular analyses and reviewing the literature, we found that of 46 historical genera, only 14 genera were validated. The family Haminoeidae has been plagued by extensive taxonomic confusion, but due to our results, several well-known names have been confirmed or synonymized.

As the phylogeny of araneid spiders comes into focus, we can make new hypotheses about their morphology and behaviour. We describe a new member of the webless araneid Chorizopes from Madagascar, and interpret its palpal homologies in a family-wide context. This new species indicates undescribed diversity in the bulbous-headed genus-group and tracing palpal traits continues to suggest a complex picture of the evolution of the araneid palp.

The genus Farfantepenaeus includes several shrimp specieswhich are targeted by multiple fisheries throughout their ranges. This economic pressure, coupled with an incomplete understanding of species-level relationships, prompted us to investigate evolutionary history and species delimitation within Farfantepenaeus. This work has furthered our understanding of penaeid biodiversity and the evolutionary forces driving it.