Endeis mollis (Carpenter, 1904)

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 : 117-119

Endeis mollis (Carpenter, 1904)

Fig. 62

Phoxichilus mollis Carpenter, 1904: 182 .

Endeis mollis Stock 1965: 31 ; (synonymy). Stock 1966: 54. Utinomi 1971: 327; (literature). Stock 1975: 1083. Stock 1975: 76. Child 1977: 441. Child 1979: 66. Child 1983: 41. Stock 1986: 440. Arnaud 1987: 52. Child 1988: 20. Nakamura & Child 1988: 664. Child 1991: 138–146.

Material: 0.—3, 1(ov.) ( SMF 1529), Santa Marta region, no precise data.

Description of male: Trunk slender, a long oval, fully segmented. Crurigers smooth, with very short dorsodistal seta; crurigers just longer than their diameter, separated by twice their own diameter. First trunk segment with two broadly rounded lobate outgrowths ("collars”) above origin of proboscis, each of which bears one short seta. Ocular process nearly conical, barely higher than broad, distally with a small lappet. Eyes small, feebly pigmented. Abdomen small, directed obliquely backwards, twice longer than broad, distally rounded, with two very short setae. Proboscis longer than the first two trunk segments, cylindrical, expanded towards end of proximal half; with numerous short setae especially in distal half, apically bluntly rounded.

Ovigers rather robust, 7-articled; second article the longest, i. e. as long as first and third together; fourth and fifth article of nearly same length, but fifth more curved; sixth article robust, in proximal half a lateral oblique article with two short spines; inner face of article with another article and a short spine; terminal article almost oval, half as long as fifth, with 5 short setae distally and along second half of inner face.

Legs slender and sparsely setose; coxa 1 the shortest, 2/3 length of coxa 3, with small slender dorsodistal spine; coxa 2 1.4 times as long as coxa 1 and coxa 3 together; femur the most robust article, 9/10 length of tibia 2; 19 cement gland pores distributed in single row all along the femur; femur bearing two short dorsodistal spines; tibia 2 1.2 times as long as tibia 1, both clad with scattered short setae; tarsus as long as broad, with 3 ventral spines, which increase in size distalwards; propodus feebly curved, proximal third with a flat heel which bears 3 robust long spines; sole feebly curved and armed with 8 short spines; main claw slender and moderately curved, its tip not reaching heel; auxiliary claw slender, distinctly curved, half as long as main claw.

Colouration in ethanol clear yellowish green.

Measurements: Length of trunk 3.63; width across first cruriger 1.52; length of abdomen 0.42; length of proboscis 2.56; length of articles of leg 3: coxa 1—0.34; coxa 2—1.22; coxa 3—0.53; femur 2.50; tibia 1— 2.25; tibia 2—2.74; tarsus 0.22; propodus 0.86; main claw 0.51; auxiliary claw 0.24.

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

Remarks: Endeis mollis is possibly closely related to the circumtropically distributed species Endeis flaccida Calman, 1923 , but E. flaccida is distinctly more robust, and its crurigers are separated by their own diameter at most. Further characters discriminating it from E. mollis are the branched intestinal diverticula in its femora and the widely scattered cement gland pores.

In the research area the species was encountered in a single sample which was provided by members of INVEMAR to H.-G. M, but which had no collection data at all. However it was associated with Anoplodactylus insigniformis in this sample, which was found during the entire period on the piles of the Santa Marta port jetty. Therefore it may be assumed that E. mollis was collected at this same place.

The numerous records existing in the literature do not suggest a preference for a particular substratum. Depth distribution encompasses 0–80m.

Distribution: Circumtropical; a compilation of all collection areas within the western Atlantic is given in Stock (1986: 404). The species was already recorded from the Caribbean coast of Colombia from Puerto Colombia (Sabanilla) by Stock (1957b: 85).

Figures

FIGURE 62. Endeis mollis (Carpenter, 1904), male: A trunk lateral with oviger, B trunk dorsal, C oviger, D leg 3, E propodus and tarsus of leg 3.