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Abstract

The Pycnogonida are a clade of strictly marine arthropods with global distribution and a predominantly benthic lifestyle. In the Salish Sea ecoregion of North America, sea spider species diversity is poorly characterized, and morphological and molecular data for many species are lacking, limiting our understanding of this group. Using scanning electron microscopy and a range of molecular techniques, we present morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses of seven species of coastal sea spider from the Salish Sea ecoregion. We redescribe Achelia alaskensis (Cole, 1904), Achelia gracilipes (Cole, 1904), Anoplodactylus erectus (Cole, 1904), Anoplodactylus viridintestinalis (Cole, 1904), and Phoxichilidium quadradentatum (Hilton, 1942). Additionally, we describe two new species of sea spider, Tanystylum kiixin sp. nov. and Callipallene pilosuspedes sp. nov. Finally, to help minimize ambiguities regarding the identification of the species herein, we include a dichotomous key for the pycnogonid fauna of the Salish Sea and West Coast of Vancouver Island.