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Mating observation of giant sea spiders (Pycnogonida: Colossendeidae)
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2023
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Source: Marine Biodiversity, 53(3)
[PDF-1.03 MB]
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Journal Title:Marine Biodiversity
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Description:Sea spiders (Pycnogonida) are a common faunal component of marine benthic communities around the world. They typically possess a slender body with an anterior proboscis, four pairs of long legs, and a posterior anal tubercle (Arnaud and Bamber 1987). To this day, their reproductive biology remains poorly studied, and in several taxa completely unknown, as is the case for Colossendeidae (Bain and Govedich 2004; Brenneis et al. 2017). This family includes the largest pycnogonids, with some species reaching up to 75-cm leg span (Bamber 2007). Pycnogonids exhibit the rare phenomenon of paternal brood care. During mating, the eggs are transferred to the male, which carries them until hatching with its ovigers, a specialized appendage pair located anterior to leg pair 1. However, females of many taxa also possess ovigers, which they may use to transiently collect freshly laid eggs during mating (Bain and Govedich 2004; Burris 2011).
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Source:Marine Biodiversity, 53(3)
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DOI:
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ISSN:1867-1616;1867-1624;
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Rights Information:CC BY
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