Pycnogonida, The Sea Spiders
The Sea Spiders are mainly found in the Mediterranean Sea but can be seen in the Atlantic Ocean, Artic Ocean, and Caribbean Sea. They have a similar look to a common spider but can be larger; their size varies on their environment and has longer legs than most Arachnids. These aquatic animals are best known for its long legs and similar look to Arachnids though they are in the Chelicerata subphylum.
An adult male can be as large as 76 centimeters (Around 2.8 feet) in length from leg to leg and as small as 5 centimeters. It is a very light weight class as heavy as .7kg (1 pound) and as light as .01kg (.1 pounds). Sea Spiders have a proboscis out of its mouth that sucks out the nutrients of prey. They have a small center and 8 legs but can have 10 or 12 legs. They craw or swim with its legs pushing down the water. The color greatly varies from yellow to even blue.
They have no found origins yet because only two complete fossils have been found. It seems they are most often found in the Atlantic Ocean near Europe and in the Mediterranean Sea. The fossils were found in these areas. These animals have many connections and seem to have originated from crabs and a form of early spider. They have only one common ancestor that we know as and that is to the prehistoric monkey-spider hybrid.
The Pycnogonida are predators of many soft tissued invertebrates. They mainly feast on sponges. They keep to themselves and stay hidden most of the time. They have no one predator that lives off of them. They live in small communities and are rarely found. Their only defense is their legs with contain a poison of sorts that disables the attacker or prey.
There are no recorded discoverers of the Pycnogonida. Many biologists are trying to discover the connections of the Sea Spiders and discover more genus and species. There are many genus recorded but no intense studying of just one.
The Pycnogonida Sea Spiders are a very elusive and new class. They are magnificent in their ways or live and should have more in-depth studies in my view.
- Bamber, R.N., El Nagar, A. (Eds) (2013). Pycnobase: World Pycnogonida Database. Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org/pycnobase/ accessed on 5/8/2013
- Selection from Bamber, R. N., 2007. A holistic re-interpretation of the phylogeny of the Pycnogonida Latreille, 1810 (Arthropoda). In: Zhang, Z.-Q & Shear, W.A. (Eds): Linnean Tercentenary. Progress in invertebrate taxonomy. Zootaxa, 1668: 295-312.
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