Anoplodactylus insigniformis Stock, 1975

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 : 100-101

Anoplodactylus insigniformis Stock, 1975

Fig. 53

Anoplodactylus insigniformis Stock, 1975: 1058 . Child1979: 54. Stock 1979: 15. Stock 1986: 404.

Material: 0.— 3 males, 3 fem. (gravid), 4 juv. ( SMF 1161 ) .

8.—2 fem. (1 gravid), 1 juv. ( SMF 1162 ), jetty piles exposed to light, on poriferans and hydroids, 0–1m, 14.V.1985 . 2 juv. ( SMF 1163 ), shaded jetty piles, same locality, 18.V.1985 . 1 juv. ( SMF 1164 ), same locality, 19.V.1985 . 1 male (ov.), 1 juv. ( ZFMK), same locality, on detritus, poriferans and bryozoans, 5–7 m, 27.V.1985 . 1 juv. ( SMF 1165 ), same locality, on hydroids and bryozoans, 1–3 m, 17.VI.1985 . 1 juv. ( SMF 1166 ), jetty piles exposed to light, from detritus, hydroids and bryozoans, 21.VI.1985 . 1 male (ov.), 1juv. ( ZMA 3360 ), same locality, from detritus and Cnidoscyphus , 0–1 m, 31.VIII.1985 . 1 fem., 8 juv. ( SMF 1167 ), same locality, from detritus, hydroids and bryozoans, 0.5–6 m, 3.IX.1985 . 3 males, 2 fem. (gravid), 6 juv. ( INVEMAR), shaded jetty piles, on Cnidoscyphus , 0–1 m, 17.X.1985 . 3 males (ov.), 2 fem., 10 juv. ( ZSM), same locality, 0–1 m, 24.XI.1985 . 2 fem. (gravid), 1 juv. ( MNHN), same locality, on poriferans, hydroids and bryozoans, 0–1 m, 17.XII.1985 . 1 juv. ( SMF 1168 ), same locality, on poriferans and hydroids, 0–1 m, 14.III.1986 .

Description of male: Dorsal trunk outline a long oval, all segments separate; l crurigers separated by twice their diameter, about 1.5 times times as long as diameter, no tubercles, dorso-distally with 2–3 short setae. Ocular process twice height of diameter, eyes distinctly pigmented. Abdomen about 1.7 times as long as ocular process, nearly erect or directed obliquely backwards, most often bearing 4 short distal setae. Proboscis a prolonged cylinder, distally bluntly rounded.

Cheliphore rather long and slender, with some scattered setae; scape barely longer than tip of proboscis; chela slender, fingers moderately curved and toothless; exterior edge of movable finger with about 5 setae. Oviger 6-articled, very slender; 3 rd article by far the longest, 2.2 times as long as 2 nd; 4 th article as long as 5 th and 6 th together; both distal articles with several setae, which are directed proximally, these setae longer on exterior edge of 5 th article; 6 th article the shortest, oval, measuring only 2/5 lengthe of 5 th.

Legs slender and sparsely setose; coxa 1 postero-laterally with a setose tubercle as long as half diameter of article; coxa 1 antero-laterally with 1–2 short setae only; coxa 2 2.7 times as long as coxa 1 and twice as long as coxa 3; coxa 2 on legs 3 and 4 with slender ventro-distal genital process; femur longest article, with slender setose dorso-distal process flanked laterally by shorter process bearing single seta; dorso-median cement gland duct on femur, short and protruding as broad tube, its distal margin enlarged; tibia 1 measuring 9/10 of femur length, with similar, slightly shorter, dorsodistal processes; tibia 2 with a small subdistal tubercle with one seta; tarsus as long as broad, with 5 short ventral setae; propodus feebly curved with distinct heel bearing one robust and 5 more slender spines; sole with 7 small spines atop small mounds and curve proximally; distal lamella very short, 1/11 of propodus length; terminal claw slender, feebly curved, its tip reaching spines on anterior margin of heel; auxuliary claw narrow—1/7 length of main claw.

Measurements: Length of trunk 2.2; width 1.02 (across 1 st crurigers); length of abdomen 0.48; length of proboscis 0.91; length of cheliphore scape 0.62; length of chela 0.43; length of articles of leg 3: coxa 1—0.27; coxa 2—0.74; coxa 3—0.37; length of femur 1.54; length of tibia 1, 1.41; length of tibia 2, 1.54; tarsus 0.14; propodus 0.61; main claw 0.40; auxiliary claw 0.04.

Female: In habitus very close to males other than lack of ovigers, cement gland ducts and genital process.

Remarks: A. insigniformis is most closely related to Anoplodactylus massiliformis Stock, 1975 , which also has a western Atlantic distribution. The latter species differs by having more-widely-separated crurigers and significantly more slender chela fingers.

In the Santa Marta region this species was found exclusively in detritus and epiphytes on jetty piles in the port. A series without data which was donated to Müller is most probably also from this locality: in the past many samples have been collected on the jetty; also the senior author collected it nowhere else in the entire research region other than on these piles.

A. insigniformis showed no preference for shaded sides of the pillares or those exposed to sunlight, the depth distribution ranged from 0– 7m. The data in the literature about substratum preference lack detail, but piles and buoys are commonly mentioned (Stock 1975a: 1058; 1979: 15).

Distribution: Caribbean coast of Panamá; Jamaica, Aruba and Curaçao (Stock 1975), Venezuela ( Stock (1979), as well as Caribbean coast of Colombia.

Figures

FIGURE 53. Anoplodactylus insigniformis Stock, 1975, male A–J, female K: A trunk dorsal, B trunk lateral with ovigera, C proboscis ventral, D chela, E distal articles of oviger, F leg 3, G coxae 2+3 of leg 4 with male genital process, H cement gland pore, I propodus and tarsus of leg 3, J terminal process of tibia 1 of leg 3, K female coxa 2 of leg 3.