Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Faunal Directory

Genus Pseudopallene Wilson, 1878

Museums

Regional Maps

Genus Pseudopallene Wilson, 1878

  • Spasmopallene Stock, J.H. 1968. Pycnogonida collected by the Galathea and Anton Bruun in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Videnskabelige Meddelelser fra Dansk Naturhistorisk Forening 131: 7-65 [39].
  • Pallenella Staples, D.A. 2005. Pycnogonida from the Althorpe Islands, South Australia. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 129 2: 158-169 [159].
  • Pseudopallene Wilson, E.B. 1878. Descriptions of two new genera of Pycnogonida. American Journal of Science 15: 200-203 [202].

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia


Note that conversion of the original AFD map of states, drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones to IBRA and IMCRA regions may have produced errors. The new maps will be reviewed and corrected as updates occur. The maps may not indicate the entire distribution. See further details below.
IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)
drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones (map not available)

IMCRA

Tasmania Province (10), Southeast Transition (11), Central Eastern Province (12), Tasman Basin Province (13), Central Western Shelf Transition (28), Central Western Shelf Province (29), Southwest Shelf Transition (30), Southwest Shelf Province (31), Great Australian Bight Shelf Transition (32), Spencer Gulf Shelf Province (33), Western Bass Strait Shelf Transition (34), Bass Strait Shelf Province (35), Tasmanian Shelf Province (36), Southeast Shelf Transition (37), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39), Northwest Province (4), Northeast Shelf Province (40), Northeast Shelf Transition (41), Central Western Transition (5), Central Western Province (6), Southwest Transition (7), Southern Province (8), West Tasmania Transition (9)

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

  • Australia
    • 200 m bathymetric: Bass Strait, Lower E coast, Lower W coast, S Gulfs coast, Tas. Coast
    • New South Wales: SE oceanic
    • Queensland: NE coast
    • South Australia: Great Australian Bight, S Gulfs coast, S oceanic
    • Tasmania: Bass Strait, SE oceanic
    • Victoria: Bass Strait, SE oceanic
    • Western Australia: Central W coast, W oceanic

Diagnosis

Scape 1-segmented, chelae fingers smooth; proboscis conical distally, tip mammiliform; palps lacking; ovigers 10-segmented, no auxiliary claws. Australian species have a compact body, proboscis directed ventrally, chelifores carried ventrally and angled outwards.

 

Taxonomic Notes

Staples (1997A) doesn't recognize Spasmopallene as a valid genus and says that, "Subadult forms have been placed in the genus Spasmopallene mistakenly erected for them..." (Staples, 1997, p. 1053). Instead, Staples (1997) places all of the Spasmopallene species under Pseudopallene ambigua, itself a problematic species. Staples (1997A) does not say whether or not he examined the type specimens of the three Spasmopallene species for signs of sexual maturity. The type descriptions appear to be adults since the ovigerous legs are fully formed, but there is no mention of gonopores or cement glands in any of them. Re-examination of the types will be the first step in resolving this problem.