New records of deep-sea sea spiders (Chelicerata: Pycnogonida) in the southeastern Pacific
Journal
MARINE BIODIVERSITY
Date Issued
2016-09
Author(s)
Araya, Juan Francisco
Abstract
New records of the very large sea spiders Colossendeis colossea, Colossendeis macerrima, and Colossendeis minor are presented based on specimens collected as bycatch from the deep water fisheries of the Patagonian toothfish during January-March 2015 off the port of Caldera (27A degrees S), Regin de Atacama, northern Chile. The specimens examined represent the deepest bathymetric record for C. colossea in the country, the northernmost record of C. macerrima for Chile, extending its previous record by about 2170 km, and the first record of C. minor in Chilean waters, which is also the southernmost record of C. minor for the Pacific Ocean. The presence of these species in northern Chile may give hints of a continuous distribution of this genus along the Chilean coasts, representing part of a hidden biodiversity of invertebrates thriving in deep waters in the southeastern Pacific.


