Ascorhynchus castelli
Creators: name: Müller, Hans-Georg
name: Krapp, Franz
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Pycnogonida
Pantopoda
Ascorhynchidae
Ascorhynchus
Ascorhynchus castelli

description: Ascorhynchus castelli (Dohrn, 1881)   
Fig. 27  
 Barana castelli Dohrn, 1881: 123   
 Ascorhynchus castelli: Stock 1975: 966 (literature). Krapp & Kraeuter1976: 340. Stock 1986: 400. Arnaud 1987: 41.   
 Material: 5.— 5 juv., among them 1 subadult (SMF 1112), coral rubble, 30 m, 18.II.1986.   
 Description of subadult male: Trunk relatively robust, outline a long oval, fully segmented; all segments bearing slender thorny dorso-median tubercle; these tubercles on segments 1–3 of similar height, that on the 4 th segment lower. Crurigers separated by about their own diameter, with 1–2 dorso-distal setae based on tiny inconspicuous tubercles. Ocular process in the centre of comparatively long cephalon, twice as high as basal diameter, basal half cylindrical, distally a pointed cone which bears some short setae. Ocular process of same height as anterior 3 segmental tubercles, bearing distinctly pigmented eyes. Anterior margin of cephalon above origin of palps adorned with small conical tubercle, bearing 2 short setae. Proboscis about 2/3 of trunk length, broadest in proximal half, distally rounded. Abdomen somewhat ventrally oriented, its extremity reaching the distal margin of coxae 2 of legs 4, dorsally with some short setae.   
 Scape of cheliphores cylindrical, 3 times as long as broad, with dorso-median small tubercle bearing some short setae, in addition some dorso-distal and ventral short setae; fingers of cheliphores without teeth and relatively small. Palp 10-articled; 3 rd and 5 th articles elongate, but 5 th slightly shorter than 3 rd; 5 distal articles with many ventral and distal short setae; articles 6 and 8–10 of equal length; 7 th article 1.5 times as long as these. Oviger 10-articled; 4 th and 5 th articles elongate and of similar length; 4 distal articles with numerous pinnate spines, formula 13:9:6:7; terminal article with a curved distal claw.   
Legs relatively robust; coxa 1 dorso-distally with low tubercle armed with seta; coxa 2 twice as long, coxa 3 1.5 times length of coxa 1; femur and tibia 1 of equal length, tibia 2 somewhat longer; femur and tibia 1 dorso-distally bearing irregularly rounded and narrow tubercle measuring about one fifth length of the corresponding articles; femur in addition with one distal and one postero-lateral tubercle; tarsus about as long as broad, with 6 short ventral setae; propodus 5 times as long as tarsus, feebly curved, sole with about 17 short setae. Main claw robust, moderately curved, 2/5 length of propodus.  
 Measurements: Length 3.0; width 1.29 (at the level of 2 nd crurigers); length of abdomen 0.86; length of proboscis 2.14; length of cheliphores 0.71. Leg 3: coxa 1. 0.53; coxa 2, 0.78; coxa 3, 0.5; femur 1.71; tibia 1, 1.75; tibia 2, 1.93; tarsus 0.24; propodus 1.31; terminal claw 0.53.   
 Small, juvenile specimen: Propodus nearly cylindrical. Ocular process distinctly higher than the pointed dorso-median outgrowths, each of which bearing one antero-distal seta.   
 Remarks: Compared to the Santa Marta material, Stock’s (1975a: 967, Fig.4) figures show shorter and distally rounded dorso-median outgrowths. A similar variability of dorsomedian outgrowths was also seen in Ascorhynchus castellioides Stock, 1957 (see below). Stock (1975a: 968) records a depth range of 0– 40m.   
 Distribution: Mediterranean and western Atlantic, from the coast of North America (Georgia) southward to Colombia (Arnaud 1987: 41; Stock 1975a: 966). The species was found by the VELERO III- expedition on the Caribbean coast of Colombia (Cabo de la Vela).
description: Published as part of Müller, Hans-Georg & Krapp, Franz, 2009, The pycnogonid fauna (Pycnogonida, Arthropoda) of the Tayrona National Park and adjoining areas on the Caribbean coast of Colombia 2319, pp. 1-138 in Zootaxa 2319 (1) on pages 55-57, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2319.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5317868