In Japan, Kanagawa Prefecture is one of the prefectures where the local flora has been most thoroughly surveyed (e.g., Tanaka, 2002). The “Flora of Kanagawa 1988, Japan” (Flora-Kanagawa Association, 1988) and the “Flora of Kanagawa 2001” (Flora-Kanagawa Association, 2001) which are based on voucher specimens; the “Flora of Kanagawa 1988, Japan” is valued as an epoch-making local flora and the “Flora of Kanagawa 2001” shows the high quality and quantity of local flora survey in Kanagawa Prefecture (The Society for The Study of Phytogeography and Taxonomy, 2002). However, for some taxa, records exist only in the literature and there are not known specimens. Thus, for the purpose of securing these taxa, I examined specimens with stored various herbaria. In this paper, I describe how specimens of 15 taxa were found in herbaria. The reported taxa are as follows: Polygonatum humile, Hypoxis aurea, and Urtica angustifolia, which were treated as “information unknown species” by Katsuyama et al. (2006); Najas graminea, Bistorta suffulta, Actinostemma tenerum, Ligularia stenocephala, Halenia corniculata, Aster kantoensis, Persicaria maackiana, Ranunculus nipponicus var. submerses, and Ajuga ciliate var. villosior, which were collected in an area from which they were previously unknown; and Silene gallica var. gallica，S. gallica var. quinquevulnera, and Lithospermum arvense, which are naturalized plants, these are the oldest specimens collected in Japan.

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A pennellid copepod, Phrixocephalus umbellatus Shiino, 1956, infecting the Huguenin's dragonet, Repomucenus huguenini (Bleeker, 1859) (Perciformes, Callionymidae), is reported based on a single specimen from southern coast of Miura Peninsula, Sagami Sea, central Japan, North Pacific Ocean. The host fish was captured by the Bishamon commercial set net. This finding is the additional record of P. umbellatus from a new host fish.

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The native freshwater shrimp Paratya improvisa was designated as an endangered species by all prefectures in the Kanto region, Japan, except for Kanagawa. The non-native freshwater shrimp Neocaridina spp. was introduced to the region from Western Japan and/or China as a fishing bait and for ornamental reasons, and it has been recorded in the Sagami River Basin, Kanagawa. I investigated the longitudinal distributions for P. improvisa and Neocaridina spp. in downstream of the Shiroyama Dam, Sagami River Basin, Japan. The altitude of longitudinal distribution of P. improvisa (mean ± S.D. =42.8 ± 21.3 m) was significantly higher than that for Neocaridina spp. (mean ± S.D. =24.0±19.7 m). The percentage of P. improvisa individuals in each sampling site where the two species were captured tended to be high in upper sampling sites. These suggest that there is differential environmental preference between the two species in the river basin. The distributions of the two species widely overlapped, suggesting that the two species can inhabit and partition resources in overlapped distribution areas. However percentage of Neocaridina spp. individuals in each sampling site containing both species, generally, was significantly higher than the percentage of P. improvisa individuals. This suggests that Neocaridina spp. dominates P. improvisa in environments where the two species have to compete.

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Species composition and seasonal occurrence of six Cicadidae species were studied on campus of Yokohama National University (YNU), Yokohama City (an urban park with evergreen forests), around Tamanawa Ryuhoji Temple (TRT) located in temple forest at Kamakura City (an Satoyama - country side forest), and in Tujidou Kaihin Park (TKP), Fujisawa City, located at the beachfront of Shonan area (conifer and broad-leaved forests), in 2012 to 2013. The study is based on the exuviae of specimens collected every day or every other day at three different environments, an urban park (YNU), a temple forest (TRT), and a forest reserve planted along the coast (TKP). Five species - Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata, Meimuna opalifera, Platypleura kaempferi, Tanna japonensis, and Hyalessa maculaticollis - were found at TRT without apparent dominance by the number of individuals. Two species, G. nigrofuscata and H. maculaticollis, accounted for more than 90% of total number of collected individuals at YNU, with lesser numbers of P. kaempferi and M. opalifera. Cryptotympana facialis occupied three-quarters of the total number of collected individuals at TKP, with lesser numbers of G. nigrofuscata. The six studied species were present between mid-July to early October, with the greatest emergence recorded in August. P. kaempferi appeared first, usually in early July, and its emergence continued for about 40 days. G. nigrofuscata, H. maculaticollis, T. japonensis appeared mid- to late July and their emergences continued for about two months. M. opalifera appeared last and its emergence peak was observed by the end of early October. C. facialis emerged at first in mid-July, and its emergence went on until mid-September.

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A single specimen of Hymenocephalus longibarbis (Günther, 1887) (Gadiformes: Macrouridae) was collected off Maisaka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, at 500 m depth. It represents the first record of the species from the Enshu-nada Sea, suggesting the speciesʼ continuous distribution in southern Japan along the path of the Kuroshio Current. A previous record of the species from the Kyushu-Palau Ridge (as H. longiceps) was a misidentification of H. hachijoensis Okamura, 1970. In Japan, the distribution of H. longibarbis appears to be restricted to the upper continental slope along the southern Japanese Archipelago.

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Records of Harpadon microchir Günther, 1878 (Aulopiformes: Synodontidae) from Sagami Bay were reviewed, and four were confirmed. The specimensʼ sizes and depth ranges were 117.0– 680.0 mm TL and 0–610 m respectively. All records from shallow water occurred in April.. In this report, detailed measurements and counts were given on the basis of 7 specimens (117.0–505.0 mm TL) from the bay.

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One specimen each of two alien fish species, Lepisosteus platostomus Rafinesque, 1820 (Lepisosteiformes: Lepisosteidae) and Hypseleotris compressa (Krefft, 1864) (Percifromes: Gobioidei: Eleotridae), were collected from Sagami-gawa and Kawama-gawa rivers in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, respectively. Each individual probably originated from a deliberate abandonment by an aquarist. There is no evidence that either species breeds or is establish at present, but ongoing monitoring is necessary.

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Sixteen fish species collected from rivers flowing into Sagami Bay and from coastal areas of the bay were briefly described to monitor global warming and to better understand the effects of rising sea surface temperatures in Sagami Bay. Six tropical–subtropical or tropicaltemperate species, i.e., Hippichthys penicillus, Hippichthys spicifer, Ophieleotris sp. 1, Tridentiger kuroiwae, Bathygobius hongkongensis and Favonigobius reichei, were newly reported from Kanagawa Prefecture. Two rare temperate species, Lates japonicus and Eutaeniichthys gilli, were recorded for the first time from the rivers flowing into Sagami Bay. The occurrence of Ellochelon vaigiensis in Shimoda represents a new record from Sagami Bay and the northernmost record for the species. The following seven tropical species, Microphis brachyurus brachyurus, Lutjanus argentimaculatus, Lutjanus fulvus, Kuhlia marginata, Callogobius tanegasimae, Drombus sp. and Scatophagus argus, were also noted.

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