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Arthropoda

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A Student’s Guide to the Seashore

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Abstract

The phylum Arthropoda includes such well-known representatives as the insects, spiders, shrimps, and crabs. They are bilaterally symmetrical and show metameric segmentation, although this is not always clear. Arthropods are characterized by paired, jointed appendages and it is from this character that the phylum gets its name — arthropoda meaning jointed feet. These appendages show great variation within the phylum and serve a wide range of functions, including sensory perception, feeding, and locomotion. The body is further characterized by the possession of a semi-rigid exoskeleton which in places is thin enough to allow movement. Periodically, the exoskeleton is shed by a process of ecdysis, or moulting. A new skeleton develops under the existing one and during moulting the animal frees itself from the old skin, which splits along lines of weakness. The new skin is soft and expands rapidly before hardening. Growth increments at moulting can be substantial: for example, the common shore crab increases in carapace breadth by an average of about 30%. The arthropods form the largest group in the animal kingdom and the possession of a hard exoskeleton is a major factor in their colonization of land, sea, and air.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, The University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK

    J. D. Fish & S. Fish

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© 1989 J.D. Fish & S. Fish

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Fish, J.D., Fish, S. (1989). Arthropoda. In: A Student’s Guide to the Seashore. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5888-6_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5888-6_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-04-574044-4

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