PYCNOGONIDAE Wilson, 1878

Takahashi, Yoshie, Dick, Matthew H. & Mawatari, Shunsuke F., 2007, Sea spiders (Arthropoda: Pycnogonida) from waters adjacent to the Nansei Islands of Japan, Journal of Natural History 41 (1 - 4), pp. 61-79 : 72

Family PYCNOGONIDAE Wilson, 1878

Diagnosis. Species almost always very sturdy, with short, strong legs; chelifores and palps completely lacking; ovigers in males only, reduced in size, six- to nine-segmented, with large terminal claw and without strigilis, rarely entirely absent in both sexes (subgenus Anovigerum Stock); legs knobby, usually without but sometimes with tiny auxiliary claws. Cement glands usually not visible. Genital pores usually opening ventrally, though sometimes dorsally, on the second coxa. Contains eight- and 10-legged forms. Worldwide in distribution.