Nymphon aequidigitatum Haswell, 1884

Staples, David A., 2007, Pycnogonids (Arthropoda: Pycnogonida) from the Great Australian Bight, southern Australia, with description of two new species., Memoirs of Museum Victoria 64, pp. 95-101 : 95

Nymphon aequidigitatum Haswell, 1884 .

Nymphon aequidigitatum Haswell, 1884: 1022–1024 , pl. 54, figs 1–5— Clark, 1963: 5–7, fig. 3— Stock, 1973a: 107–108 — Staples, 1997: 1050, fig. 21.1a, 21.2c, plate 68.8.

Material examined. South Australia, W side of Wittelbee Point , E of Ceduna, 1–3 m, 7 Mar 1993; coll. W. Zeidler, K.L. Gowlett-Holmes and B. McHenry SAM E3675 (1 male) .

Type locality. Port Jackson , New South Wales. Distribution. Recorded from Gulf St. Vincent, South Australia to Cape Byron , New South Wales, from the intertidal to 20 m depth .

Remarks. The chelae of N. aequidigitatum are sexually dimorphic; the male palm more swollen than that of the female. The species is most often found on hydroids, algae, bryozoans and sponge surfaces. Colour is typically straw to pale orange but specimens predominantly assume the colour of their gut content. A narrow, pale mid-dorsal stripe is often present.