Pycnogonida |
Pantopoda |
Rhynchothoracidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Benthic. Tropical
Western Central Pacific: Philippines.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 0.3 cm LS male/unsexed; (Ref. 6)
Tiny; leg span only 0.28 cm across first lateral processes. First two trunk segmentation lines complete, third lacking. Trunk and appendages: for most of length covered with granular papillae, including tubercles. Suture lines between trunk and lateral processes faint but present. Trunk segments: with bifid median-dorsal tubercles twice as tall as their diameters, the anterior projection on each taller than posterior projection, armed with single distal and proximal setae. Ocular tubercle: with broad base, consisting of dorsal low tubercle and long anterior-projecting ramus with single dorsal and distal setae. Eyes: very small, within basal stalk, unpigmented. Ocular tubercle: flanked with two posterolateral slender tubercles. Lateral processes: shorter than their diameters, slightly separated, with anterior and posterior groups of granular papillae, small dorsodistal tubercle on first or anterior pair, and tiny dorsodistal tubercles on posterior pair, without tubercles on second and third pairs. Unsegmented palp: bases well defined lateral to cephalic Segment, armed with groups of lateral papillae. Abdomen: long slightly inflated laterally, extending slightly beyond second coxae on fourth pair of legs, armed with pair of dorsodistal setae. Proboscis: downcurved, with two dorsolateral bumps at midlength, two ventrolateral bumps more proximally, a dorsodistal constriction, and a ventral labial fringe on oral antimeres similar to pro~ lamina. Palp: four-segmented, with conspicuous papillae. First segment longest, armed with dorsodistal tubercle twice as long as segment diameter, bearing distal seta. Second segment slightly over half length of first, with very small dorsodistal tubercle with distal seta and three or four ventral setae. Terminal two segments increasingly short, without tubercles, armed with several ventral and distal setae longer than segment diameters. Oviger: typical of genus; fourth and sixth segments subequal, fifth slightly shorter, with two or three short setae on longer segments. Strigilis: segments subequal, armed with short broad spines without denticulation or bifid tips, in the formula 2:3:3:2, with curved terminal claw forming a subchelate position with an opposed lamina. Legs: different lengths with anterior pair longest, posterior pairs shorter with posterior two the shortest. First coxae with dorsodistal tubercle slightly longer than wide at base, posterior two fIrst coxae without tubercle. Second coxae slightly shorter or subequal to third. Major leg segments cylindrical, armed with few short setae and very long dorsodistal seta each, setae over twice as long as segment diameters. Tarsus: short, with one to three ventral setae, propodus moderately long, slightly curved, armed with three to six sole spines, few lateral and dorsodistal setae, and short robust claw less than half propodal length. Without auxiliaries (Ref. 6).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Members of the class Pycnogonida are gonochoric and sexually dimorphic. During copulation, male usually suspends itself beneath the female. Fertilization occurs as the eggs leave the female's ovigers. Males brood the egg masses until they hatch. Life cycle: Eggs hatch into protonymphon larva then to adults.
Child, C.A. 1988. (Ref. 6)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Human uses
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More information
Trophic EcologyFood items
Diet
Food consumption
Ration
Predators
Population dynamicsGrowth
Age/Size
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycleReproductionMaturityFecunditySpawningEggsEgg developmentLarvaeLarval dynamics Human RelatedAquaculture profile
Stamps, Coins Misc.
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Vulnerability
Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
Price category
Unknown.