Giant Sea Spider

Colossendeis colossea Wilson

Colossendeis colossea Wilson, 1881:244–246, pl. 1: fig. 1, pl. 3: figs. 5–7.—Stock, 1988:508 [literature]; 1991:163.—Turpaeva, 1992:94.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—CALIFORNIA: Farallons 2–3 (2 spec.); Farallons 3-2 (1 spec.); Farallons 3-4 (3 spec.); Farallons 5-7 (1 spec.); Farallons 6-7 (2 spec.); Farallons 9-7 (5 spec.); Farallons 12-4 (1 spec.); Monterey sta M-1 (2 spec.); Monterey sta M-2 (6 spec.); Monterey sta M-3 (7 spec.); Monterey sta M-4 (2 spec.); Monterey sta M-8 (1 spec.).

OREGON: Cr 6507, sta OTB 78-28 (29 spec.); cr 6510, sta OTB 90–27 (1 spec.); cr 6610A, sta OTB 132-20B (1 spec.); cr 6701, sta OTB 155-04 (3 spec.); cr 6702, sta OTB 162-11 (1 spec.); cr 6704, sta OTB 172-02 (1 spec.); cr 6704, sta OTB 173-12 (1 spec.); cr 6707, sta OTB 186-15 (2 spec.); cr 6710, sta OTB 207-04 (4 spec.); cr 6710, sta OTB 208-22 (2 spec.); cr 6801, sta OTB 223-25 (4 spec.); cr 6807C, sta OTB 258-07 (1 spec.); cr 6903F, sta OTB 283-04 (2 spec.); cr 7009D, sta OTB 354-01 (1 spec.).

Cr 6903G, sta BMT 70-? (3 spec.); cr 6903F, sta BMT 73-02 (2 spec.); cr 6907C, sta BMT 89-14B (1 spec.); cr 6907C, sta BMT 90-16 (3 spec.); cr 6907C, sta BMT 93-29 (30 spec.); cr 6907C, sta BMT 94-23 (42 spec.); cr 6907C, sta BMT 95-11 (19 spec.); cr 6907C, sta BMT 96-04 (5 spec.); cr 6907C, sta BMT 97-23 (3 spec.); cr 6910A, sta BMT 113-24 (6 spec.); cr 6910A, sta BMT 115-10 (1 spec.); cr 6910A, sta BMT 116-21 (32 spec.); cr 6910A, sta BMT 117-26 (14 spec.); cr 6910A, sta BMT 118-35 (43 spec.); cr 6910A, sta BMT 120-22 (9 spec.); cr 7001B, sta BMT 154-22 (9 spec.); cr 7001B, sta BMT 155-25 (6 spec.); cr 7001B, sta BMT 156-31 (29 spec.); cr 7001B, sta BMT 157-30 (29 spec.); cr 7001B, sta BMT 159-28 (6 spec.); cr 7001B, sta BMT 163-27 (9 spec.); cr 7003B, sta BMT 185-29 (6 spec.); cr 7003B, sta BMT 190-16 (36 spec.); cr 7003B, sta BMT 191-21A (21 spec.); cr 7003B, sta BMT 192-37 (∼65 spec.); cr 7003B, sta BMT 193-35 (32 spec.); cr 7005C, sta BMT 229-20 (1 juv); cr 7005C, sta BMT 230-20 (4 spec.); cr 7005C, sta BMT 232-29 (1 juv); cr 7102B, sta BMT 258-17 (11 spec.); cr 7102B, sta BMT 260-15 (11 spec.); cr 7102B, sta BMT 261-20 (4 spec.); cr 7102B, sta BMT 262-24 (6 spec.); cr 7102B, sta BMT 263-26 (10 spec.); cr 7102B, sta BMT 267-32 (3 spec.); cr 7102B, sta BMT 269-35 (3 spec.); cr 7102B, sta BMT 270-37 (9 spec.); cr 7105B, sta BMT 276-26 (1 juv); cr 7210A, sta BMT 306-36 (1 spec.); cr 7301F, sta BMT 316-39 (4 spec.); cr 7301F, sta BMT 318-35 (1 juv); cr 7301F, sta BMT 319-35 (3 spec.); cr 7310B, sta BMT 331-39 (1 spec.); cr 7310B, sta BMT 332-50 (1 juv); cr 7310B, sta BMT 334-39 (2 juv).

WASHINGTON: Cr DWD, sta BMT-1 (5 spec.); cr DWD, sta BMT-2 (4 spec.); cr DWD, sta BMT-3 (11 spec.); cr DWD, sta BMT-5 (15 spec.); cr DWD, sta BMT-5 (1 spec.); cr DWD, sta BMT-8 (1 spec.).

DISTRIBUTION.—This is a worldwide deep-water species having few previous records from the American temperate west coast due only to the lack of collections from these depths. The above 650+ specimens do not add any new information to its known distribution.

DIAGNOSIS.—Largest species in terms of leg span of any taken during surveys recorded here. Many samples contain achelate young and chelate juveniles in these records, making size alone a deceptive character.

Proboscis of C. colossea about 1.5 times longer than robust trunk, with large swelling at midpoint, and tapers to narrow flat oral surface. Three terminal palp segments long, almost equal in length, and carried synaxially. Terminal leg segments relatively short, with tarsus shorter than propodus, and variably short claw (sometimes extremely short). Terminal oviger claw quite short in relation to adjacent segment.

Colossendeis colossea Wilson

Colossendeis colossea Wilson, 1881:244–246, pl. 1: fig. 1; pl. III: figs. 5–7.—Fry and Hedgpeth, 1969:53–54, fig. 8 [literature].—Stock, 1975a:987; 1983:300; 1986b:418.—Nakamura and Child, 1991:62.—Bamber and Thurston, 1993:859.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—Aleutians, S of Pribilof Islands, 55°23′00″N, 170°31′00″W, 3239 m, R/V Albatross, sta 3603, 11 Aug 1895 (3 spec.); same station (4 spec., identified as C. spinifera by W.A. Hilton (1943a:3)); Bering Sea, SW of Pribilof Islands, 56°12′N, 172°07′W, 2972 m, R/V Albatross, sta 3308, 4 Aug 1890 (1 spec.).

Aleutians, NE of Semisopochnoi Island, 52°12.5′N, 179°41.1′W, 350 m, R/V Halfmoon Bay, cruise 801, sta 64, 27 Jul 1980 (1 spec.).

DISTRIBUTION.—A cosmopolitan deep-water species.

DIAGNOSIS.—Largest species of genus known in Arctic. Legs extremely long, leg span up to 70 cm. Proboscis about 1.5 times longer than trunk, medially inflated, narrowing proximally and distally, with slightly swollen oral surface, not conspicuously curved. Distal palp 3 segments subequal in length. Tarsus about 1.5 times longer than propodus, claw slightly less than half propodal length.

Colossendeis colossea Wilson

Colossendeis colossea Wilson. 1881:244–246, pl. I: fig. 1, pl. III: figs. 5–7.—Fry and Hedgpeth, 1969:53–54, fig. 8 [literature].—Stock, 1978:402–403; 1983:300; 1986:508.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—CHILE. Off Puerto San Antonio, 33°39′S, 72°10′W, 1170–1480 m, sta 18A-699, 10 Aug 1966, 5 spec; SW of Roca del Rincon, 25°00′S, 70°40′W, 950 m, sta 18A-714, 16 Aug 1966, 13 spec.

DISTRIBUTION.—A very large species distributed in all ocean basins.

Colossendeis colossea Wilson

Colossendeis colossea Wilson, 1881:244–246, pl. 1: fig. 1, pl 3: figs. 5–7.—Fry and Hedgpeth, 1969:53 [literature].—Stock, 1975a:987; 1983:300; 1986b:418.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—HONSHU: Sanriku-oki, 39°44.0′H 143°38.1′E, 2530–2540 m, KH69-2, sta 9, 6 May 1969 (1 adult); 38°45.6′N, 143°11.5′E, 1950–1970 m, KH81-4, sta 8, 25 Jul 1981 (1 adult, 1 juv). Shikoku, center of Tosa Bay, 650 m, 2 Sep 1987 (2 adults).

DISTRIBUTION.—This is a frequently collected cosmopolitan deep-water species.

Colossendeis colossea is a species of sea spider (class Pycnogonida) in the family Colossendeidae. The species was first described by Wilson in 1881.

semi-cosmopolitan

Known from seamounts and knolls

bathyal to abyssal