Nymphopsis duodorsospinosa Hilton, 1942c

de Leon-Espinosa, Angel & de Leon-Gonzalez, Jesus A., 2015, Pycnogonids associated with the giant lion's-paw scallop Nodipectensubnodosus (Sowerby) in Ojo de Liebre Bay, Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico, ZooKeys 530, pp. 129-149 : 130-134

Taxon classification Animalia Pantopoda Ammotheidae

Nymphopsis duodorsospinosa Hilton, 1942c Fig. 2

Nymphopsis duodorsospinosa Hilton 1942c: 303, pl. 45; Hilton 1943a: 98; Hedgpeth 1948: 250-252, fig. 40; Child and Hedgpeth 1971: 609; Kraeuter 1973: 496; Stock 1975: 978; Child 1979: 21.

Material examined.

Ojo de Liebre Bay, Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, scallop fishing area: La Concha, 27°50'35"N, 114°16'22"W, (UANL-FCB-PYCNO-0032), AC-3 (6♀, 1♂); (UANL-FCB-PYCNO-0033), AC-5 (1♀, 2♂); (UANL-FCB-PYCNO-0034), AC-6 (3♀, 1♂); (UANL-FCB-PYCNO-0035), AC-10 (9♂); (UANL-FCB-PYCNO-0036), AC-16(3♀, 2♂); (UANL-FCB-PYCNO-0037), AC-21 (1♀, 2♂); (UANL-FCB-PYCNO-0038), AC-22 (1♀, 4♂); (UANL-FCB-PYCNO-0039), AC-28 (1♂); (UANL-FCB-PYCNO-0040), AC-30 (2♀, 1♂); (UANL-FCB-PYCNO-0041), AC-31 (1♀), 01/10/2013; El Datil, 27°48'43"N, 114°15'06"W, (UANL-FCB-PYCNO-0042), AD-17 (1♀, 2♂), 01/12/2012; (UANL-FCB-PYCNO-0043), AD-(20) (2), 21/11/2013; El Zacatoso, 27°51'45"N, 114°12'19"W, (UANL-FCB-PYCNO-0044), AZ-2 (2♂); (UANL-FCB-PYCNO-0045), AZ-7 (1♀, 1♂); (UANL-FCB-PYCNO-0046), AZ-28 (1♀, 1♂) 01/09/2013.

Description.

Proboscis cylindrical, vertical to body, with three smooth lips, narrow at the proximal portion, thicker toward the distal part, three times longer than wide (Fig. 2B).

Chelifore scape two-segmented, first one short, with two small setae on distal end, second one three times as long as 1st segment, narrow for most of its length and widening at its distal end, with a long dorsal spine and two smaller distal setae located directly in front of the long spine. The widened distal end is encircled by a fringe of long setae. Chela small, retractable inside the wide end of the second scape segment (Fig. 2B).

Palp with nine segments, first and third short, second one longest, all these without setae. Segment four 2/3 length of segment 2, with a series of five dorsal setae, two isolated ventral setae, and a group of smaller basal setae; segments 5-9 with a row of long ventral setae; segments 7-8 each with a cluster of anterior distal setae (Fig. 2C).

A well-developed ocular tubercle inserted a little behind the anterior margin of the body, tall, cylindrical, ending in a conical apex, with four black eyes near the top (Fig. 2B).

Trunk slightly longer than wide, 3.1 mm long from anterior end of chelifore to distal end of abdomen, 2.1 mm wide between second pair of lateral processes, with spines on the dorsodistal end of the lateral processes. With two notable dorsal trunk tubercles covered with spines. No segmentation lines between body segments (Fig. 2A). Located just posterior to the insertion of the scape of the chelifore are two short dorsal tubercles surrounded by small spines (Fig. 2B).

Lateral processes well developed, longer than the width of the body, separated by a space equal to their own diameter, with one or two tufts of small setae on the dorso-distal end of each process. Lateral processes on legs 1-3 each have one or two additional longer spines at the dorso-distal end.

Legs adorned with numerous spines. Coxa I and III together, as long as coxa II, coxa I (0.3 mm) with a median dorsal spine (legs 1-3) and a row of lateral spines on each side, coxa II (0.67 mm) with a long dorsal spine inserted medially, and two ventrodistal spines on legs 1 and 2 (Fig. 2E); on legs 3 and 4, instead of those spines, there appears a ventrodistal tubercle adorned with seven pairs of lateral spines, present only in male specimens. The male gonopore is located on this tubercle, coxa III (0.48 mm) with a series of ventral setae and one longer dorsal seta. Femur and tibia I subequal, tibia II is slightly shorter. Femur with widely spaced setae on ventral side and distal end, tibia I with two rows of small setae on ventral side, and two dorsal groups of large complex spines, one group proximal and the other distal. Tibia II with one median dorsal row of large complex spines and one additional row of smaller complex spines off to one side. Tarsus small, curved, ventral surface with 5-6 spines. Propodus curved, five times longer than tarsus, with one median dorsal spine row and two lateral spine rows. At the dorsodistal end, there is a cluster of smaller spines. The ventral surface of the propodus has four large thick heel spines and a row of smaller sole spines. Long curved terminal claw, 85% the length of the propodus, auxiliary claws absent. (Fig. 2E).

Oviger formed by ten segments, first one very short, second, fourth, and fifth longest, nearly subequal, third segment is 2/3 the length of segment 2 and curved, armed with a dorsal row of setae, fourth with a small cluster of dorsodistal setae, fifth with two long lateral spines and a ventral cluster of long spines at the distal end. Segment six with two lateral groups of two spines each, and a dorso-distal group of two smaller spines. Segment seven with a lateral row of seven long spines, and a dorso-distal row of three spines; segment eight with a row of five dorsal spines, a row of four lateral spines and two ventral spines; segment nine longer than seven, with a dorso-ventral hook-like spine. Segment ten very small, with two hook-like terminal spines (Fig. 2D).

Long slightly curved abdomen, directed posteriorly at an angle less than 45°, with three pairs of dorsal spines, each one with small setae at the base (Fig. 2B).

Standard measurements.

Proboscis 1.5 mm long, 0.76 mm wide.

Body 1.45 mm long from anterior end of cephalic segment to end of 4th lateral processes, 2.57 mm wide between second pair of lateral processes.

Leg 1 7.98 mm long from coxa I to the tip of main claw. Coxa I, 0.3 mm, coxa II, 0.67 mm, coxa III, 0.48 mm, femur 1.58 mm, tibia I, 1.58 mm, tibia II, 1.5 mm, tarsus, 0.3 mm, propodus 0.8 mm, claw 0.68 mm.

Oviger 2.71 mm long, first segment 0.06 mm, second 0.49 mm, third 0.32 mm, fourth 0.53 mm, fifth 0.56 mm, sixth 0.24 mm, seventh 0.19 mm, eighth 0.14 mm, ninth 0.18 mm, and tenth 0.04 mm.

Distribution.

The type locality of Nymphopsis duodorsospinosa is San Francisquito Bay, Gulf of California ( Hilton 1942c); Hilton (1943a) recorded this species from San Francisco Bay to Lower California, including several localities in the Gulf of California and also from the Galapagos. Hedgpeth (1948) cited this species from South Carolina and Florida, Child and Hedgpeth (1971) listed this species from the Galapagos. Child (1979) recorded this species from western Mexico and both coasts of Panama.

Remarks.

Hilton (1942c) noted that Nymphopsis duodorsospinosa is close to Nymphopsis spinosissima (Hall, 1912); however, these can be differentiated by the number of dorsal tubercles (two and three respectively), differences in the chelifore and chelifore scape, spination on the abdomen, lateral processes, and legs, propodal heel and sole spines, and size and shape of the eye tubercle. According to Hedgpeth (1948), the oviger of Nymphopsis duodorsospinosa is formed by ten segments, not nine as described by Hilton (1942c). Furthermore, the fifth segment in Nymphopsis duodorsospinosa is larger with a basal group of spines, not short and covered on all sides with small “hairs” as in Nymphopsis spinosissima .