Pycnogonida (Arthropoda) from Uruguayan waters (Southwest Atlantic): annotated checklist and biogeographic considerations

Records of pycnogonids from Uruguayan waters (south-western Atlantic) include 26 species cited from precise locations,and at least five other species based on unconfirmed records. Nearly half of the species in that fauna belong to the genusNymphon (12 spp.). Most species (22) come from deep-water an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zootaxa
Main Authors: Scarabino, Fabrizio, Amorim Lucena, Rudá, Munilla, Tomás, Soler-Membrives, Anna, Ortega, Leonardo, Schwindt, Evangelina, López, Guzmán, Orensanz, José María, Christoffersen, Martin Lidsey
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Magnolia Press
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Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/119442
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Summary:Records of pycnogonids from Uruguayan waters (south-western Atlantic) include 26 species cited from precise locations,and at least five other species based on unconfirmed records. Nearly half of the species in that fauna belong to the genusNymphon (12 spp.). Most species (22) come from deep-water and were recorded and described by C. A. Child. Of these,at least twelve species have an extended Antarctic and Subantarctic distribution, showing the influence of these cold watersin the area; three others have a wide deep-sea distribution pattern. Five species are known only from the lower slopeand abyssal basin off La plata river: Mimipallene Atlantis and four species of Nymphon. Records from coastal and shelfareas (four species) are poorly documented and should be the focus of future research. Of these, Colossendeis geoffroyi isconsidered endemic in the Southwest Atlantic between 34ºS and 40ºS, but presents clear Antarctic affinities. A small-sizedspecies living in shallow waters, Pycnogonum cessaci, is here considered as cryptogenic. Los registros referidos a picnogónidos de aguas uruguayas (Atlántico Sudoccidental) incluyen 26 especies citadas con localidad precisa y al menos otras cinco (5) basadas en registros no confirmados. Casi la mitad de esta fauna pertenece al género Nymphon (12 spp.). La mayoría (22 especies) provienen de aguas profundas y son principalmente conocidas debido al trabajo de C. A. Child. De estas, al menos 12 especies tienen además distribución antártica y subantártica, mostrando la influencia de estas aguas en el área y tres otras tienen amplia distribución en aguas profundas. Cinco especies son conocidas hasta ahora únicamente del talud inferior y planicie abisal frente al Río de la Plata: Mimipallene atlantis y cuatro especies of Nymphon. Las especies costeras y de plataforma han sido pobremente registradas (4 especies) y deberían ser el foco de futuras investigaciones. De estas, Colossendeis geoffroyi es considerada como endémica de un sector del Atlántico Sudoccidental (entre ...