Generating age estimates for long-lived fish requires particular attention to validation because they are usually difficult to age owing to narrow increment structure. A robust validation of the accuracy and precision of banded morwong, Cheilodactylus spectabilis, sampled from Tasmanian waters, was undertaken. Age at the first enumerated increment was established from analysis of juvenile cohorts, and the timing and periodicity of increment formation was established using a quantitative model from oxytetracycline (OTC) mark-recaptures at liberty for periods of up to 8 years. The accuracy of age estimates was examined independently by comparing radiocarbon values in the otolith region corresponding to the first year of growth against the south-western Pacific calibration curve. C. spectabilis is very long-lived, with males and females living to over 90 years of age. Growth modelling revealed a fast initial growth phase, terminating in an abrupt plateau near the asymptotic length. This species displays substantial sexual dimorphism in growth, with males growing to larger sizes than females.

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An annotated list of Cossidae of Malawi including 30 species from 13 genera and 3 subfamilies is presented for the first time. Two new species are described: Macrocossus grebennikovi Yakovlev, sp. nov. and Strigocossus elephas Yakovlev, sp. nov. Three new synonyms are established: Strigocossus moderatus (Walker, 1856) = Strigocossus leucopteris Houlbert, 1916, syn. nov. = Xyleutes sjoestedti vosseleri Gaede, 1930, syn. nov. and Strigocossus capensis (Walker, 1856) = Azygophleps kilimandjarae Le Cerf, 1914, syn. nov.

This article presents an intriguing new cricket species of the tribe Xenogryllini discovered in Northern Malawi. This is the first case of mute and deaf species in the subfamily Eneopterinae; it shows no stridulatory apparatus on short male forewings and no tympana on either side of fore tibiae in both sexes. We introduce the new species and its complete mitogenome and assess phylogenetic relationships based on molecular data obtained from next-generation sequencing genome skimming method. Phylogenetic analyses place the new species within the genus Pseudolebinthus in Xenogryllini, as the sister species of Pseudolebinthus gorochovi Robillard. We describe Pseudolebinthus lunipterus sp. nov., provide illustrations of main morphology, male and female genitalia, photographs of living specimens and information about habitat and update the identification key for species of genus Pseudolebinthus. We discuss the differences between the new species and related taxa and the striking loss of acoustic communication in this cricket.

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A review of Pterophoridae of Malawi is presented; 96 species from 35 genera and five subfamilies are recorded. Fourteen species are described as new: Agdistis nyasa Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Platyptilia mugesse Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Stenoptilia juniper Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Sphenarches mulanje Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp.nov., Marasmarcha lamborni Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Arcoptilia malawica Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Apoxyptilus uzumarus Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Gypsochares murphy Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Crassuncus livingstoni Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Hellinsia namizimu Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Hellinsia сhewa Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Picardia leza Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Picardia raymondi Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Picardia tumbuka Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov. New synonymies are established for 10 species: Deuterocopus deltoptilus Meyrick, 1930 = Deuterocopus socotranus Rebel, 1907 syn. nov.; Deuterocopus henrioti Bigot & Boireau, 2006 = Deuterocopus socotranus Rebel, 1907 syn. nov.; Platyptilia periacta Meyrick, 1910 = Platyptilia farfarella Zeller, 1867 syn. nov.; Platyptilia claripicta Fletcher, 1910 = Platyptilia farfarella Zeller, 1867 syn. nov.; Platyptilia pygmaeana Strand, 1913 = Sphenarches anisodactylus (Walker, 1864) syn. nov.; Exelastis bergeri Bigot, 1969 = Exelastis crudipennis (Meyrick, 1932) syn. nov.; Prichotilus tanzanicus Gielis, 2011 = Prichotilus tara Ustjuzhanin and Kovtunovich, 2011 syn. nov.; Crassuncus chappuisi Gibeaux, 1994 = Crassuncus ecstaticus (Meyrick, 1932) syn. nov.; Paulianilus lolibai Arenberger, 2011 = Hellinsia madecasseus (Bigot, 1964) syn. nov.; Pterophorus purus Meyrick, 1913 = Crassuncus pacifica (Meyrick, 1911) syn. nov. New combinations are established for six species: Marasmarcha bengtssoni (Gielis, 2009) comb. nov.; Marasmarcha locharcha (Meyrick, 1924) comb. nov.; Marasmarcha rubriacuta (Gielis, 2009) comb. nov.; Procapperia insomnis (Townsend, 1956) comb. nov.; Crassuncus ecstaticus (Meyrick, 1932) comb. nov.; Crassuncus colubratus (Meyrick, 1909) comb. nov. For Stenoptilia viettei Gibeaux, 1994, Sphenarches bifurcatus Gielis, 2009, Crassuncus ecstaticus (Meyrick, 1932) images of the male genitalia are presented for the first time, for Marasmarcha bengtssoni (Gielis, 2009), and Stenodacma cognata Gielis, 2009 female genitalia are illustrated for the first time. Species of wide pantropical or cosmopolitan distribution are not reported as new for the fauna of Malawi.  However, 65 species of Pterophoridae are reported for the fauna of Malawi for the first time.  One of them, Stenoptilia viettei Gibeaux, 1994, described from Madagascar, is reported for continental Africa for the first time.

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Orchestral musicians earn larger salaries as their career development wins them employment in major orchestras, but they may simultaneously face disappointing losses of intrinsic musical satisfactions from their work. Such trade-offs of intrinsic for extrinsic rewards, along with other contradictions in the setting of orchestral work, appear to be primarily a function of the stratification among orchestras. These and other observations are presented in this article in the course of developing a structural equation model of orchestral career commitment. The model is fitted to survey data drawn from a national sample of symphony orchestras.