Cheilostomatous Bryozoa from Vanuatu

The present account of some Bryozoa from Vanuatu is the first study of reef -nat species from the eastern Coral Sea. Based on samples collected from se veral shallow water localities on the island of Efate, a total of 92 specie s is described, including a new family, three new genera and 20 new species . Some of the newly recognized species are the result of taxonomic revision stimulated by these new samples, while others are entirely new to science. Of the new taxa described here, 16 are presently known only from Vanuatu. The total number of species recorded does not accurately represent the true taxonomic diversity of the Cheilostomatida of Vanuatu, and further samplin g, at other localities and in other habitats, is needed before it can be re asonably estimated. The fauna is predominantly Indo-West Pacific in charact er with a high proportion of species apparently known only in the Southwest Pacific. (C) 2001 The Linnean Society of London.