Pycnogonida: Taxonomy and revision of the South Atlantic Distribution
Taxonomy
Pycnogonida
The class Pycnogonida, also known as 'sea spiders', has more than 1369 described species and a cosmopolitan distribution. Recent publications have indicated the need for taxonomic studies for the class throughout the Brazilian coast, especially in the Northeast region, which has a low number of records. The Baía de Todos os Santos (BTS), Bahia, although little studied, has great potential for taxonomic studies of several marine invertebrates, especially for Pycnogonida. Through a review for the group, a list of species recorded for the South Atlantic was made, by ecoregion, thus discussing the distribution, current taxonomic status of the group, and ecological interactions, in addition to describing a new species for the genus Anoplodactylus and several new records of the families Ammotheidae, Ascorhynchidae, Phoxichilidiidae and Endeidae, for BTS.