Pycnogonum

Brünnich, 1764

Small Sea Spiders

Pycnogonum is a of ( Pycnogonida) in the Pycnogonidae, established by Brünnich in 1764. It is the genus of the family Pycnogonidae. Members are characterized by a squarish body with tough , reduced appendages, and distinctive defensive chemistry. The genus includes long-lived with protracted postembryonic development and complex .

Pycnogonum stearnsi by (c) Don Loarie, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Pycnogonum stearnsi 545 by Ken-ichi Ueda. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Pycnogonum stearnsi 163319630 by Alex Heyman. Used under a CC0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Pycnogonum: /pɪkˈnɒɡənəm/

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Identification

Members of Pycnogonum can be distinguished from other pycnogonid by: squarish body shape with tough, sparsely hairy ; absence of and ; long, smooth ; low bearing ; four pairs of short but strong ambulatory legs with well-developed ; and in males, small nine-segmented ovigerous legs on the first trunk used for carrying .

Images

Habitat

Marine littoral and coastal environments; occurs in intertidal zones where it shares with such as the shore crab Carcinus maenas.

Distribution

Records from Denmark (DK), Norway (NO), and Sweden (SE); additional occur in North Atlantic coastal waters.

Seasonality

occurs November through August in at least one .

Diet

Uses to suck juices from ; specific prey items not documented in available sources.

Life Cycle

Postembryonic development involves numerous anamorphic and epimorphic stages with significant anatomical reorganization including: formation of , trunk , primary body cavity, and ; loss of all larval appendages and spinning apparatus; and synchronized changes in and food sources. Males typically undergo 9 moults, females 10–11 moults; growth sometimes occurs without . Males carry on ovigerous legs.