The fundamental value of universal nomenclatural systems in biology is that they enable unambiguous scientific communication. However, the stability of these systems is threatened by recent discussions asking for a fairer nomenclature, raising the possibility of bulk revision processes for "inappropriate" names. It is evident that such proposals come from very deep feelings, but we show how they can irreparably damage the foundation of biological communication and, in turn, the sciences that depend on it. There are four essential consequences of objective codes of nomenclature: universality, stability, neutrality, and transculturality. These codes provide fair and impartial guides to the principles governing biological nomenclature and allow unambiguous universal communication in biology. Accordingly, no subjective proposals should be allowed to undermine them.

The family Boettgerillidae, represented by the Eurasian slug Boettgerilla pallens Simroth, 1912, is first recorded for Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada—a range extension of almost exactly 5000 km within the Americas. Compiled, within an appendix, to provide a national perspective for the Newfoundland and Labrador record, are 13 previously unpublished B. pallens records from British Columbia, Canada. Incidentally recorded is the second eastern Canadian outdoor occurrence of the European slug Deroceras invadens. This paper is the first in a series that will treat all of the terrestrial molluscs of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Chinese mystery snail, Cipangopaludina [=Bellamya] chinensis, is documented for the first time in the Saint John River, New Brunswick, a watercourse which drains the largest watershed in Atlantic Canada. This is the first non-native mollusc known to be established in the Saint John River system. Although significant ecosystem effects of the species seem unlikely, possible introduction of C. chinensis via boat traffic emphasizes the need for boater education combined with monitoring of the Saint John River system for potentially more troublesome non-native species, including the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha. Review of published records and museum collections for Atlantic Canada show C. chinensis has been reported from 13 freshwater wetlands and waterbodies in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland since 1955. The species remains extant in at least 10 of these sites and is clearly more widespread in the region than the single previously published report would suggest.

First collected in North America in 1937 on the Avalon Peninsula of the Island of Newfoundland, the introduced, primarily European land snail, Discus rotundatus, has now been recorded from the Island of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia. We review all known records from Canada, demonstrate that D. rotundatus is more widespread than was previously recognized on the Island of Newfoundland, and report the first record from New Brunswick.

Although recorded from Newfoundland in 1885, by the late 1930s the copse snail, Arianta arbustorum (Linnaeus, 1758), was believed to no longer be extant in North America. We investigated sites in Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Ontario, Canada and found that A. arbustorum is well established in these provinces; extant populations have persisted in Newfoundland for at least the past 30 years and in Ontario for more than 50 year. Where present in Canada, the species may sometimes by abundant, although populations are quite local, sometimes occupying less than 1 ha. Canadian Food Inspection Agency records show A. arbustorum to have been intercepted regularly (0-3 interceptons/year) since record-keeping started in 1963. Interceptions have occurred in 7 provinces spanning the country from Nova Scotia to British Columbia. Nursery stock originating in the Netherlands appears to be the main vector, but preliminary molecular data from Newfoundland populations suggests multiple European points of origin.

Mink Frogs (Rana septentrionalis) were collected at three new localities in southeastern Labrador in 2003 and 2005, extending the known range of the species about 200 km to the east, to the limits of the coast.La Grenouille du Nord (Rana septentrionalis) a été trouvée dans trois nouvelles localités dans le sud-est du Labrador en 2003 et 2005. Ces mentions élargissent l’aire de répartition connue de l’espèce d’environ 200 km vers l’est, aux limites de la côte de l’Océan Atlantique.