Pallenoides spinulosa Stock, 1955

Müller, Hans-Georg & Krapp, Franz, 2009, The pycnogonid fauna (Pycnogonida, Arthropoda) of the Tayrona National Park and adjoining areas on the Caribbean coast of Colombia 2319, Zootaxa 2319 (1), pp. 1-138 : 77

Pallenoides spinulosa Stock, 1955

Fig. 41

Pallenoides (?) spinulosa Stock, 1955: 227 .

Pallenoides spinulosa —Stock 1975: 1012. Stock, 1986: 403.

Material: 43.— 1 juv. ( SMF 1510 ), Thalassia , 1–1.5 m, 25.II.1986 .

45.— 2 males, 1 fem., 10 juv. ( SMF 1511 ), on algae, hydroids and bryozoans on rock, 6–10 m, 25.IX.1985 .

Description of male: Dorsal trunk outline oval, rather robust. Crurigers separated by less than their own diameter, 1.2 times as long as broad. Crurigers 1–3 with small tubercles dorso-distally and postero-laterally, which are covered with tiny spicules; cruriger 4 with one pair of dorso-lateral tubercles, also covered with tiny spicules. Trunk segments 2 and 3 dorso-medially with thorny spicules, similar to those on crurigers. Origins of ovigers separated from 1 st crurigers. Neck region short and robust, distally enlarged; near distal margin of cheliphore origin a row of tubercles covered by thorny spicules. Ocular process higher than broad, with acute tip, eyes rather small and feebly pigmented. Abdomen about 1.5 times as long as broad, distally rounded, with one pair of short lateral setae. Proboscis robust, with parallel margins in proximal half, distally enlarged and narrowing again apically.

Cheliphores robust, apex of both fingers directly overhanging mouth opening. Scape twice longer than broad, one dorsal and two lateral thorny tubercles; chela proximally with some short setae; cutting edges of both fingers with indistinct rounded little teeth. Oviger slender, 5 th article the longest, about 1.3 times as long as 4 th; 5 th article bearing a series of 9 short setae and a distal tubercle with a short seta; the 5 distal articles of similar length, the 4 distal ones with spines with serrated edges, arranged in formula 7:6:6:7.

Legs robust; coxa 1 with distal pair of dorso-lateral spinose tubercles; coxa 2 about as long coxa 1 and coxa 3 together, with 6 spinose tubercles dorsally and dorso-laterally; coxa 3 with some short ventral setae; femur longest article, just longer than tibia 2; tibia 1 about 2/3 length of femur; femur and tibiae with several spinose tubercles in irregular arrangement, mostly on dorsal face, but femur with a pair of ventral and serially arranged spinose tubercles only; dorso-distal pair of tubercles on femur and tibia 1 situated alongside, longest on femur; tarsus as long as broad, with 3 short slender spines and a short seta on ventral aspect; propodus strongly currved, sole with feebly developed heel, armed with 4 robust spines; distal half of sole 8 short spines and several setae; main claw robust and feebly curved; apex reaching to 3 rd spine of proximal region of propodal sole.

Measurements: Trunk length 2.2; width 1.12 (across second crurigers); length of abdomen 0.25; length of proboscis 0.54; length of cheliphore scape 0.60; length of chela 0.56; length of articles of leg 3: coxa 1— 0.37; coxa 2—0.76; coxa 3—0.37; femur 1.48; tibia 1—1.20; tibia 2—1.40; tarsus 0.15; propodus 0.78; main claw 0.46.

Female: in habitus very similar to male, but the tubercles on trunk segments and cheliphores more strongly developed.

Postlarva: shows just hints of tiny knobs on crurigers, neck region and extremities, total length 0.85 (from anterior neck margin to the apex of stumps of legs 4).

Remarks: In habitus very similar to Pallenoides amazonica Stock, 1975 from Brazil, but without auxiliary claws (cf. Stock 1975a: 1013, Fig. 23 ).

Pallenoides spinulosa is a species of the sublittoral, which up to now was collected rather rarely; data on habitat were only given by Stock (1975a: 1012, "on Sargassum "...). The depth distribution is insufficiently known.

Distribution: Tropical western Atlantic, recorded from 3 localities only: between St. Thomas and St. Jan (Stock 1955b: 227), Puerto Rico (Stock 1975a: 1012) and Yucatán Channel ( Stock 1986: 403). The present Colombian locality is the first record from the southern Caribbean.

Figures

FIGURE 23. Tanystylum isthmiacum Stock, 1955: A male dorsal, B male lateral, C male proboscis ventral, D female proboscis dorsal, E another female proboscis dorsal, F male palp, G male oviger, H male leg 3, I cement gland duct, male leg 3, J female oviger.

FIGURE 41. Pigrogromitus timsanus Calman, 1927: A adult lateral, B adult dorsal, C chela, D oviger and enlarged spine, E leg 3.