dcsimg

Description

provided by NMNH Antarctic Invertebrates

Ammothea longispina n. sp. (Figs. 50b, 51 and 52).

St. 170. 23. ii. 27. Off Cape Bowles, Clarence Island, 61°25’30”S, 53°46’W, 342 m.; R. Large dredge: 1 female (holotype).

Description of holotype. Trunk rather compact; lateral processes separated by narrow intervals, last two pairs by almost their own diameter. Transverse body ridges prominent, each with a narrow, conical median projection. Cephalic segment with a blunt rounded lobe external to the insertion of each chelophore; hardly as long as the sum of the two succeeding segments. Ocular tubercle rather higher than wide, stout, rounded at apex; eyes set near apex, of small size but the anterior rather larger than the posterior pair (Fig. 51).

Proboscis longer than trunk, straight, slender; widest in proximal third narrowing to almost half this width anteriorly; apparently suited for probing.

Abdomen rather long but much elevated, so that it does not reach beyond the distal end of the fourth lateral process.

Chelophore almost one-third of proboscis; scape twice as long as wide distally; chela small, fingers almost obsolete.

Palp much shorter than proboscis, with only eight segments; second subequal to fourth segment (Figs. 51 and 52a).

Oviger as represented in Fig. 52b.

Third leg rather short and stout. Second coxa approximately equal to the sum of the first and third. Femur five times as long as wide, slightly shorter than second tibia. Terminal segments as represented in Fig. 50b; distal spine on propodus unusually large, the smaller spine wanting on the propodus of the first leg.

Setules on trunk restricted to the conical process of each transverse ridge, the two low cephalic protuberances and the distal border of each lateral process. On the legs they are arranged in longitudinal rows on the longer segments; on the dorsal border of each tibia they are replaced by small, curved spines.

Measurements (mm).

Length of proboscis

13.3

Greatest width of proboscis

2.4

Length of trunk

11.6

Length of cephalic segment

4.9

Width of anterior border of cephalon

3.9

Width across second lateral processes

10.0

Length of abdomen

5.6

Length of chelophore

4.0

Third leg:

First coxa

2.8

Second coxa

4.6

Third coxa

2.0

Femur

14.0

First tibia

12.2

Second tibia

15.0

Tarsus and propodus

4.8

Claw

2.8

Auxiliaries

0.8

Remarks. Each palp seems to be quite perfect and there is no distinct evidence of fusion of any two segments. This species is much larger than A. tetrapora and is characterized by (1) the long, tapering proboscis, (2) the relatively short palp (in A. tetrapora the palp is longer than the proboscis), (3) the very large spine on the propodus, and (4) the blunt antero-lateral cephalic lobes.” (Gordon 1932, p.101-103)

Comprehensive Description

provided by Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology
Ammothea longispina Gordon

Ammothea longispina Gordon, 1932b:101–103, figs. 50–52.—Clark, 1977:174 [list], 175 [key].

Ammothea (Homathea) longispina.—Fry and Hedgpeth, 1969: 88–90, figs. 104, 105, 132–136 [literature].—Turpaeva, 1974:284.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—Argentine Basin, SE of Rio de la Plata: Atlantis II cruise 60, sta 237, 36°32.6′S, 53°23.0′W, epibenthic sled, 993–1011 m, 11 Mar 1971 (2 with eggs, 2, 3 juveniles).
license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
bibliographic citation
Child, C. Allan. 1982. "Deep-Sea Pycnogonida from the North and South Atlantic Basins." Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 1-54. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.349

Habitat

provided by World Register of Marine Species
slope

Reference

van der Land, J. (ed). (2008). UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms (URMO).

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cc-by-4.0
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WoRMS Editorial Board
contributor
Jacob van der Land [email]