ARTHROPODS

Phylum Arthropoda

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 Phylum Arthropoda
(jointed feet )
• Huge group, > 1,000,000 species.
• estimate: 1,000,000 spp. arthropods
1,190,000 spp. animals
• ~ 84% of all animal species are arthropods!!

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 Phylum Arthropoda
• How can we explain the success of
the arthropods?
•
• Exoskeleton!

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 Phylum Arthropoda
• Exoskeleton of chitin and protein (= cuticle)
• structure:
– epicuticle (oily, waxy)
– exocuticle (chitin & protein)
– endocuticle (chitin only)
– epidermis secretes cuticle

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 Problems associated with exoskeleton.
• Problem 1. MOVEMENT
• Solution: Joints in
exoskeleton.
• arthro-, = joint
• -pod, = leg, foot
– Exocuticle absent from
joints; may form hinges.
– Endocuticle alone allows
flexibility.

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 Problems associated with exoskeleton.
• Problem 2. GROWTH
• Solution: Molting

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 Molting (1)

• Secretion of "molting
fluid" to dissolve old
endocuticle.

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 Molting (2)
• New cuticle formed
under old exocuticle.
• Break out of old
cuticle
– Old cuticle breaks at
line of weakness

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 Molting (3)
• Inflate with water/air to
increase size while
skeleton soft,
– but soft skeleton &
gravity limit size;
– arthropods are mostly
small.
• Hardening of new
exocuticle.

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 Growth stages
• Arthropod passes thru
3-20+ growth stages in
life cycle.
• Some stop molting as
adults (insects, most
spiders)
• Some continue to molt
(crayfish, tarantulas)

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 Problems associated with exoskeleton.
• Problem 3. SENSORY
INPUT
• touch
– sensory setae connected
to neurons
• smell & taste
– hollow sensory setae w/
chemosensitive nerve
endings

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 Problems associated with
exoskeleton.
• Problem 3. SENSORY
INPUT
• vision
– clear cuticle over
compound or simple eyes

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 Problems associated with
exoskeleton.
• Problem 3. SENSORY
INPUT
• hearing
– tympanum =
endocuticle, vibrates like
eardrum
– trichobothria (right )

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 Benefits of Exoskeleton:
to individuals:
• Support
• Locomotion
– lever system
• walk, swim, fly
• Mechanical protection (armor)
• Retards evaporation (in air) and/or osmosis
(in water)
– water balance.

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 Benefits of Exoskeleton:
to the phylum:
• Reduction of coelom & segmentation
– Abandoned hydrostatic system of annelid-like
ancestor)
– Coelom reduced to pericardial cavity
• Segments fused = tagma, tagmata
– Tagmosis
– Specialization of body regions (= tagmata)
– Specialization of appendages
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 Tagmosis
• Head (~ 4-6 segments)
– feeding, sensation
• Head appendages
– mandibles,
– maxillae,
– maxillipeds,
– chelicerae
– antennae

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 Tagmosis
• Thorax (~ 3-6
segments)
– locomotion, grasping.
• Thoracic appendages
– walking legs,
– wings
– chelipeds

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 Tagmosis
• Abdomen (~8- 30+ segments)
– respiration, reproduction, etc.
• Abdominal appendages
– abdominal gills (aquatic insect larvae)
– swimmerets (crayfish)
– filtering legs (barnacles)
– gonopods (crayfish, etc.)
– spinnerets (spiders)

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 Tagmosis
• Number of segments/legs in each tagma varies by
subphylum, class.
– Cephalothorax of 6 segments in Chelicerata
• 1 pr. chelicerae
• 1 pr. pedipalps
• 4 pr. walking legs
– Cephalothorax of 13 segments in Crustacea (shrimps)
• 2 pr. antennae
• 1 pr. mandibles
• 2 pr. maxillae
• 3 pr. maxillipeds
• 5 pr. walking legs (1st pair modified as chelipeds)
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 Other arthropod characters
• Open circulatory system
– Dorsal heart pumps hemolymph over brain
– Hemolymph moves through hemocoel back toward heart
– Ostia (holes) in sides of heart let hemolymph in to go around
again.

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 Other arthropod characters
• Respiratory systems
– Gills in aquatic/marine arthropods
– Tracheal systems in most terrestrial arthropods
– Book lungs (modified gills) in spiders & scorpions

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 Other arthropod characters
• Nervous system resembles that of annelid
– Dorsal brain with nerves around esophagus
– Paired ventral nerve cords
– Segmental ganglia
• Often fused into 1-2 ganglia in each tagma

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 Distinguishing Characters of Ph. Arthropoda
• Jointed exoskeleton
• Tagmosis
• Compound eyes

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 Classification of Arthropoda
• Subphylum Trilobita
• Subphylum Crustacea
• Subphylum Chelicerata
• Subphylum Uniramia

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 Classification of Arthropoda

• Subphylum Trilobita
– Class trilobites
• Three-lobed head &
body (left, middle,
right)
• Diverse in Paleozoic
~540-240 MYA
• Extinct

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 Classification of Arthropoda
• Subphylum Crustacea
– 2 pr. Antennae
(antennules, antennae)
– Cephalothorax
• 13 segments &
appendage pairs
– Abdomen
• variable among Classes

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 Classification of Arthropoda
• Subphylum Crustacea
– Class shrimps
– Class barnacles

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 Classification of Arthropoda

• Subphylum Chelicerata
– Cephalothorax
• Jaws are chelicerae
• Pedipalps
• 4 pr. Walking legs
– Abdomen

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 Classification of Arthropoda
• Subphylum Chelicerata
– Class Horseshoe crabs
• Horseshoe crabs
• Scorpions ??

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 Classification of Arthropoda
• Subphylum Chelicerata
– Class Arachnids
• Lost compound eyes
• Spiders
• “Daddy-long-legs”
• Amblypygi
• Mites & ticks
• more
• Scorpions ??

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 Classification of Arthropoda
• Subphylum Uniramia
– Legs unbranched
– Class Centipedes
• 1st legs are “fangs”

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 Classification of Arthropoda
• Subphylum Uniramia
– Class Millipedes
• Double segments (2 pr. legs per segment)

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 Classification of Arthropoda
• Subphylum Uniramia
– Class Insects
• Head, thorax, abdomen
• 2 pr. Wings
• ~800,000 species,
majority of all arthropods

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 Why are Arthropods so successful?

• Exoskeleton  tagmosis  evolution of

flight  speciation  106 species of
insects.

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 Why are Arthropods so successful?

• Exoskeleton  protection from water

loss  early colonization of land 
head start.
– Arthropods were diverse and widespread on
land before vertebrates!

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