Callipallene minuta, Müller & Krapp, 2009

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 : 74

Callipallene minuta n.sp.

Fig. 39

Material: Holotype: 9.—male ( SMF 1507 ), under stones, 2–3 m, 24.XII.1985.

Paratypes: 5.— 1 juv. ( SMF 1508 ), coral rubble, 30 m, 18.II.1986 .

12.— 1 fem. ( SMF 1509 ), coral rubble, 17–19 m, 9.I.1986 .

Etymology: The species epithet chosen relates to the small size compared to other species in the genus.

Description of male and female: Habitus very extenuated, all segments free. Crurigers 1–3 separated by twice their diameter, crurigers 3 and 4 separated by their diameter only; all crurigers without setae and about as long as their diameter. Ocular process very flat and broadly rounded, with small, feebly pigmented eyes. Lateral oviger origins markedly set apart from 1 st crurigers. Abdomen a short and apically rounded lappet. Neck region narrow, nearly as long as trunk region of its own segment and the 2 nd and 3 rd segments together. Proboscis robust, about as long as its diameter, distally broadly rounded.

Cheliphore scape twice longer than broad, not overreaching proboscis, with two dorsodistal setae; chela rather robust, with 5 slender basal setae, fingers feebly curved; immovable finger basally bearing 5 slender setae; its cutting edge with 5 long pointed teeth; movable finger without setae, cutting edge with about 12 small teeth. Oviger long and slender, 10-articled; 5 th article the longest, but hardly longer than 4 th; the 5 distal articles of nearly same length, the 4 distal ones with marginally serrated spines in formula 3:3:4:4.

Legs very slender, sparsely setose; coxa 2 about 2.5 times as long as lengths of coxa 1 and coxa 3 added; femur 8.5 times as long as its widest diameter, as long as tibia 1 and a trifle shorter than tibia 2; tarsus as long as broad, bearing 2 distal setae; propodus straight, sole without heel and in proximal third without spines, its distal part with 8 spines, which decrease distally in length, as well a few thin setae; main and auxiliary claws slender, moderately curved and of equal length.

Measurements of holotype: Trunk length 0.63; width across 2 nd crurigers 0.21; length of abdomen 0.1; length of proboscis 0.1; Ch: length of cheliphore scape 0.12; length of chela 0.19; lengths of articles of leg 3: coxa 1—0.05; coxa 2—0.22; coxa 3—0.05; femur 0.38; tibia 1—0.38; tibia 2—0.41; tarsus 0.02; propodus 0.11; main claw 0.05; auxiliary claw 0.05.

Remarks: This new species is very similar to Callipallene phantoma (DOHRN, 1881) , which is very widely distributed in the northern Atlantic and the European Mediterranean, but up to now recorded in the Indo-Pacific from Japan and South Africa only. When writing this only 1 male and 1 female of this species was available from Rovinj, Croatia (det. F. Krapp). This material differs from Callipallene minuta in the following characters: The propodal sole is almost straight and 4 longer proximal spines on the feebly developed heel. The distal sole region bears 7–10 short spines, the tarsus has one ventral spine. The legs in C. phantoma are generally more densely setose. Both specimens are considerably larger (male 0.91, female 1.1), their ocular processes as well as the abdomen are much higher than in the newly described species.

As in the very slender C. longicoxa , this species also seems to be a sublittoral form, which is absent in more exposed shallow waters. It was found between 2–30 m depth.

Distribution: Caribbean coast of Colombia.

Figures

FIGURE 39. Callipallene minuta n. sp., male: A trunk dorsal, B trunk lateral, C chela, D oviger, E articles 7–10 of oviger, F leg 3, G propodus and tarsus of leg 3.