Nymphonidae
The pycnogonid Nymphon leptocheles grazes on a hydroid Tubularia indivisa.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Pycnogonida
Order: Pantopoda
Suborder: Eupantopodida
Superfamily: Nymphonoidea
Family: Nymphonidae
Genera

Boreonymphon
Bradypallene
Heteronymphon
Neonymphon
Nymphon
Pentanymphon
Sexanymphon

Diversity
7 genera, 250 species

Nymphonidae is a family of sea spiders which has representatives in all the oceans. This family contains some 250 species, most of which are found in the genus Nymphon. Nymphonid bodies are between 1 and 15 mm long, the extent between the points of the legs reaching 150 mm.[1] Most species are predators of hydroids. Like most sea spiders, species in this family have four pairs of legs, except for Pentanymphon antarcticum, which has five pairs,[2][3] and Sexanymphon mirabilis, which has six pairs.[4][5]

Taxonomy

Seven genera are currently recognized:[6]

  • Boreonymphon Sars, 1888 (4 species)
  • Bradypallene Kim & Hong, 1987 (1 species)
  • Heteronymphon Gordon, 1932 (8 species)
  • Neonymphon Stock, 1955 (1 species)
  • Nymphon Fabricius, 1794 (> 250 species)
  • Pentanymphon Hodgson, 1904 (1 species)
  • Sexanymphon Hedgpeth & Fry, 1964 (1 species)

Selected species

References

Wikispecies has information related to Nymphonidae.
  1. ↑ Nymphon stroemi at Marine Species Identification Portal.
  2. ↑ Hodgson, T.V. (1904). "On a new pycnogonid from the south polar regions". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 14 (84): 458–462. doi:10.1080/03745480409443036 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  3. ↑ Hedgpeth, Joel W. (1947). "On the evolutionary significance of the Pycnogonida". Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 106 (18): 1–53 – via Smithsonian Research Online.
  4. ↑ Hedgpeth, Joel W.; Fry, William G. (1964-03-01). "Another dodecopodous pycnogonid". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7 (75): 161–169. doi:10.1080/00222936408651451. ISSN 0374-5481.
  5. ↑ Jayasree, V.; Sreepada, R. A.; Parulekar, A. H. (1993). "An unusual giant pycnogonid (Pycnogonida-Colossendeidae) Decolopoda qasimi sp. nov. from Antarctic waters". Current Science. 65 (2): 179–181 – via NIO Digital Repository Service.
  6. ↑ Bamber, R.N., El Nagar, A. & Staples, D. (Eds) (2014). Pycnobase: World Pycnogonida Database. Accessed at http://www.marinespecies.org/pycnobase on 2014-10-30


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