Anoplodactylus trispinosus Stock, 1951

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 : 114-115

Anoplodactylus trispinosus Stock, 1951

Fig. 60

Anoplodactylus trispinosus Stock, 1951: 14 . Child 1979: 63, (literature). Stock 1986: 404.

Material: 6.— 3 fem. (2 gravid), 8 juv. ( SMF 1285 ), Thalassia , 2 m, 1.VIII.1985 . 1 ( SMF 1286 ), Thalassia , 3 m, 9.X.1985 . 1 male (ov.), 2 juv. ( SMF 1287 ), Thalassia , 3 m, 12.XII.1985 . 3 males (ov.), 2 fem. (1 gravid), 5 juv. ( SMF 1288 ), Thalassia , 1–2 m, 13.I.1986 .

8.— 1 male, 2 fem. (gravid) ( INVEMAR), from poriferans and hydroids on shaded jetty piles, 0–1 m, 14.V.1985 .

9.— 1 male ( MNHN), from detritus and hydroids on stones, 22–23 m, 19.VI.1985 .

30.—2 fem. (1 gravid) ( SMF 1289), Thalassia , 2 m, 6.VI.1985. 1 male, 1 fem. (gravid) ( ZMA 3365 ), Thalassia , 2 m, 4.VII.1985 . 7 males (3 ov.), 3 fem. (gravid) ( SMF 1290 ), Thalassia , 1–2 m, 6.VIII.1985 . 1 juv. ( SMF 1291 ), Thalassia , 0.5–2 m, 11.IX.1985 . 4 fem. (1 gravid), 3 juv. ( SMF 1292 ), Thalassia , 1–2 m, 17.I.1986 .

38.— 1 male (ov.), 1 fem. (gravid) ( ZFMK), Thalassia , 0.5 m, 17.III.1986 .

40.— 2 males (1 ov.), 3 fem. (gravid), 2 juv. ( ZSM), Thalassia , 1–3.5 m, 8.VIII.1985 . 1 fem. (gravid) ( SMF 1293 ), Thalassia , 2–4 m, 28.X.1985 .

43.— 2 fem. (gravid) ( SMF 1294 ), Thalassia , 1–1.5 m, 25.II.1986 .

45.— 1 male ( USNM), on algae, hydroids and bryozoans on rock, 6–10 m, 25.IX.1985 .

Description of male: Trunk—dorsal outline oval, moderately robust, all segments fused. Crurigers 1–3, occasionally also 4 th, dorso-distally with a small unarmed tubercle; crurigers separated by less than their own diameter. Ocular process twice higher than its basal diameter; distal half conical, eyes distinctly pigmented. Abdomen relativley slender, directed obliquely backwards, armed with 4 short setae. Proboscis cylindrical, rather robust, distally broadly rounded.

Cheliphores moderately slender, scape appreciably longer than proboscis; chela with short and strongly curved toothless fingers; movable finger with an external seta. Oviger slender; 3 rd article the longest, 2.2 times as long as first and second together; fourth article barely longer than sum of lengths of fifth and sixth; terminal article oval, half length of fifth, both bearing about 5 short and proximally directed setae.

Legs moderately robust, sparsely setose; coxa 1 just shorter than coxa 3, but half length of coxa 2; femur the longest and most robust article, like both tibiae bearing a long dorso-distal seta; cement gland duct central on femur, a short straight tube, displaced somewhat laterally; tibia 1 and 2 of nearly equal length; tarsus as long as broad; propodus feebly curved, heel very distinct, with 2 robust distal spines and 2 paired slender spines on anterior face; sole straight, 3 short curved spines in proximal half; distal half of sole occupied by long lamella, flanked on both sides by 3 short setae; main claw slender and feebly curved, its tip reaching the spines on anterior face of heel; auxiliary claw very small, nearly straight, 1/9 of length of main claw.

Measurements: Length of trunk 0.68; width 0.46 (across 1 st crurigers); length of abdomen 0.19; length of proboscis 0.31; length of cheliphore scape 0.19; length of chela 0.14; length of articles of leg 3: coxa 1—0.11; coxa 2—0.24; coxa 3—0.13; femur 0.41; tibia 1—0.34; tibia 2—0.36; tarsus 0.04; propodus 0.25; main claw 0.17; auxiliary claw 0.02.

Female: like male apart from the sex-specific characters.

Postlarva: Leg 4 a mere stump, which is longer by half than the abdomen, with indistinct articulation. Total length 0.5.

Remarks: The species is closely related to Anoplodactylus petiolatus (cf. Fig. 58 ) and A. maritimus from the Atlantic Ocean (cf. Stock 1975a: 1073, Fig. 54 ). Both species are in habitus very similar to A. trispinosus , but distinct in many details. A. trispinosus differs from petiolatus by its shorter and dorso-laterally displaced cement gland duct. A. maritimus shares this character of a short cement gland duct with trispinosus , but it is situated in an exactly dorso-median position. Further differences are the more robust cheliphore and the shorter propodal lamina in maritimus . In the western Atlantic A. trispinosus has been collected only sporadically, and the few data do not indicate a pattern of distinct substrate preference. In the Santa Marta region the species almost exclusively colonized stands of seagrass, it was found from the surf zone down to about 10 m depth. Ripe males were encountered in months I, VIII and XII, so no clear correlation with the seasons. Females with ova in their ovaries were observed in months I–II, V–VIII and XII,

Distribution: Amphi-atlantic; Senegal (Stock 1951: 14), Curaçao and Tobago (Stock 1954a: 127; Stock 1975a: 1076), Caribbean coasts of Panamá ( Child 1979: 63) and Colombia.

Figures

FIGURE 54. Anoplodactylus jonesi Child, 1974, gynandromorph: A trunk dorsal, B trunk lateral, outline of rudimentary eye process above,.C chela, D oviger, E leg 3, F propodus and tarsus of leg 3, G cement gland duct on leg 3.

FIGURE 58. Anoplodactylus petiolatus (Krøyer, 1864), male: A trunk dorsal, B trunk with oviger, lateral, C trunk lateral, another specimen, D proboscis outline ventral, E chela, F three distal oviger articles, G leg 4, H propodus and tarsus of leg 4, I propodus and tarsus of leg 3, J two different cement gland ducts.

FIGURE 60. Anoplodactylus trispinosus Stock, 1951: A male trunk dorsal, B male trunk lateral with oviger, C male proboscis outline ventral, D male chela, E three distal oviger articles, F male leg 3, G propodus and tarsus of leg 3, H cement gland duct, I postlarva.