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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda)

Phylum Arthropoda - Arthropods

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Which fly is this, please? - Eristalis arbustorum Small ground beetle - Lebia cyanipennis Spharagemon campestris - female Moth - Platynota labiosana Limonia annulata? Stratiomys maculosa? - Stratiomys maculosa - female Thyreodon fernaldi ? - Thyreodon fernaldi Ashy or Dusky? - Phanogomphus - female
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Explanation of Names
'joint-legged'
Numbers
Worldwide. 20 classes, >160 orders, ~4,200 families, and ~1.2 million described species(1)
Size
ranges from the smallest mite (~0.1 mm) and the smallest insect (a Hymenopteran, Dicopomorpha echmepterygis at 0.14 mm), up to the Japanese Spider Crab (legspan to 3.8 m), but most 2‒25 mm
Identification
Three or more pairs of jointed legs (some mites have less, many insect larvae have none)
Body segmented, bilaterally symmetrical
Exoskeleton, usually tough, composed in part of chitin
terminology glossary
Range
Cosmopolitan
Habitat
Almost every habitat
See Also
Common household bugs • Potentially dangerous arachnids and insects
Print References
Giribet G., Edgecombe G.D. (2019) The phylogeny and evolutionary history of arthropods. Current Biology 29: R592‒602. (Full text)
Internet References
higher taxa of Arthropoda (Kluge 2000)
Works Cited
1.Catalogue of Life
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 31 January, 2004 - 4:45pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, John VanDyk, Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod, Christopher C Wirth, Chuck Entz, ceiseman, v belov, Harsi S. Parker, Blocky, Arturo Santos
Last updated 14 November, 2023 - 2:10pm

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