Morphology data of Nymphon megacheles
Identification keys
Main Ref. Child, C.A., 1988
Appearance refers to

Sex attributes

specialized organs
different appearance
different colors
remarks

Descriptive characteristics of juvenile and adult

Striking features
Body shape lateral
Cross section
Dorsal head profile
Type of eyes
Type of mouth/snout
Position of mouth
Diagnosis Small; leg span 0.88 cm. Trunk: compact, fully segmented. Lateral processes: only as long as their diameter, separated by half their diameters, glabrous. Neck: short, only as long as width of oviger tubercles. Crop: Anterior to neck wider than trunk, with setae over insertion of chelifore. Ocular tubercle: Slender, slightly less than twice as tall as wide, with two lateral short slender tubercles at apex. Eyes large, filling most of ocular tubercle, darkly pigmented. Abdomen: Short, little longer than ocular tubercle, armed with two distal setae. All anterior appendages: large. Proboscis: massive, inflated at midlength, tapering distally to rounded lips. Chelifores: very large, scapes robust, straight, armed with dorsal and lateral setae as long as or longer than segment diameter. Chelae: huge, palm globular, greatly inflated, armed with many short setae. Fingers: shorter than palm, set obliquely to palm, very slightly curved with tips not overlapping, without setae, both with closely set bicuspid teeth, anterior cusps longer than posterior points, with 10 or 11 teeth on movable finger, 13 on immovable finger. Palps: trunk, second segment longest, third only 0.6 length of second, terminal segment 0.6 length of third, and fourth slightly shorter than terminal segment. Second segment armed distally with fringe of short setae, fourth with ventrodistal fringe, and terminal two segments with dense ventral and lateral setae, some longer than twice segment diameter. Oviger: segment five the longest segment, slightly inflated distally, without an apophysis, armed ectally and laterally with many setae longer than segment diameter. Segment six slight longer than four, six and strigilis armed with lateral and ectal setae similar to fifth segment. Strigilis: segments small, subequal in length, armed with endal denticulate spines in the formula 10:9:9:10, with a terminal claw almost as long as last segment, very slightly curved, armed with tiny proximal fringe or lamina, without teeth. Legs: slender, second tibia longest major segment, femur slightly longer than first tibia, armed with few long dorsodistal setae and short setae increasing in number distally on leg. Femur: inflated over proximal half, thin-walled. Tarsus: very short, armed with one ventral spine and few dorsal and ventral setae. Propodus; Short, slightly curved, without marked heel, armed with six large heel spines in two rows and six or seven smaller sole spines with flanking rows of short setae. Setae: distally, some longer than propodal diameter. Claw: less than half propodal length, auxiliaries 0.75 as long as main claw, all three with endal proximal row of tiny spinules (Ref. 6).
Ease of Identification

Meristic characteristics of Nymphon megacheles

Lateral Lines Interrupted: No
Scales on lateral line
Pored lateral line scales
Scales in lateral series
Scale rows above lateral line
Scale rows below lateral line
Scales around caudal peduncle
Barbels
Gill clefts (sharks/rays only)
Gill rakers
on lower limb
on upper limb
total
Vertebrae
preanal
total

Fins

Dorsal fin(s)

Attributes
Fins number
Finlets No. Dorsal   
Ventral  
Spines total
Soft-rays total
Adipose fin

Caudal fin

Attributes

Anal fin(s)

Fins number
Spines total
Soft-rays total

Paired fins

Pectoral Attributes  
spines     
soft-rays   
Pelvics Attributes  
Position    
spines     
soft-rays   
Ref. [ e.g. 3742]
Glossary [ e.g. cnidaria]
Back to Search
Comments & Corrections