Anoplodactylus quadratispinosus Hedgpeth, 1943

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 : 112

Anoplodactylus quadratispinosus Hedgpeth, 1943

Fig. 59

Anoplodactylus quadratispinosus Hedgpeth 1943: 47 . Hedgpeth 1948: 232. Stock 1986: 404.

Material: 33.— 1 male ( SMF 1169 ), Thalassia , 0.5m, 17.I.1986 .

Description of male: Dorsal trunk outline oval, relatively slender, all segments fused. Crurigers separated by little more than their diameter, without tubercles, with short dorso-distal seta. Ocular process almost conical, twice higher than its basal diameter. Eyes relatively large and distinctly pigmented. Abdomen erect, somewhat longer than ocular process, distally rounded and bearing 4 short setae. Proboscis relatively long and cylindrical, distally obtuse.

Cheliphore slender, scape longer than proboscis by 1/4 of its length; chela slender, fingers moderately curved and toothless; movable finger with 2 setae on external face. Oviger relatively slender, 6-articled; 3 rd article the longest, 1.3 times as long as first and second together; 5 th and 6 th articles together about as long as fourth and densely covered by short and distally directed setae; terminal article the shortest, oval.

Legs rather slender and sparsely setose; these setae mostly very short but one long dorso-distal seta on each of femur and both tibiae, longer than half diameter of articles; coxa 1 4/5 length of coxa 3; coxa 2 2.6 times as long as coxa 1; femur and tibia 2 of equal length, longest of leg articles; femur more robust, cement gland duct in dorso-median line at end of proximal half, duct oval, very similar to that of A. californicus ; tibia 2 is 1.1 times as long as tibia 1; tarsus as long as broad; propodus moderately curved, with distinct heel, distally with 2 robust and 7 more slender spines on anterior face; sole feebly concave with 8 spines, which are short and curved proximally, appearing almost like a quadrat (hence the name!); lamella short, about 1/6 length of sole; main claw robust, barely curved, its tip reaching to the spines on anterior aspect of heel; auxiliariy straight, 1/7 length of main claw.

Colouration turquoise-green, paler than A. californicus .

Female: unknown.

Remarks: Anoplodactylus quadratispinosus is closely related to A. californicus and to A. stictus , but differs from both by its much more slender habitus, completely fused trunk segments and the lack of a long genital process at the ventro-distal face of coxae 2 in legs 3–4.

Distribution: The species was previously known by its male holotype from Florida only. The record from Colombia enlarges the range of the species considerably southwards.

Figures

FIGURE 59. Anoplodactylus quadratispinosus Hedgpeth, 1948, male: A trunk dorsal, B trunk lateral with oviger, C proboscis outline ventral, D chela, E distal three oviger articles, F leg 3, G propodus of leg 3, H, I two different views of cement gland duct.