ARTHROPODS

Phylum Arthropoda

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 1

 Phylum Arthropoda
• Phylum Arthropoda
• Greek: arthro = jointed, + pod = foot
• Huge group, > 1,000,000 species.
• estimate: 1,000,000 spp. arthropods
1,190,000 spp. animals
• ~ 84% of all animal species are
arthropods!!

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 2

 Phylum Arthropoda
• Body plan
• Tube-in-tube, bilateral symmetry,
protostomous, “split” coelom
• Marine, aquatic, terrestrial
• even Antarctica !
• Cell and tissue organization
• Triploblastic, complex organs
• ~ 30,000 genes in genome, (same as for mammals)

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 3

 Phylum Arthropoda

• Huge group, > 1,000,000 species.

• How can we explain the success of the
arthropods?

Exoskeleton!

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 4

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 5

 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.

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 6

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 7

 Molting (1)

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 8

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 9

 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.

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 10

 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)

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 11

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 12

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 13

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 14

 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.

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 15

 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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 16

 Tagmosis
• Head (~ 4-6 segments)
– feeding, sensation
• Head appendages
• mandibles,
• maxillae,
• maxillipeds,
• chelicerae
• antennae

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 17

 Tagmosis

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 18

 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)

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 19

 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)
04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 20
 Phylum Arthropoda
• Ways the needs of cells are met
• Food
• Herbivores, predators, detritivores, parasites, filter
feeders, . . .
• O2 and CO2 exchange
• Gills—usu. modified legs,
• Book lungs,
• Tracheal systems
• Waste removal
• Diffusion from gills, Malphigian tubules
04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 21
 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.

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 22

 Phylum Arthropoda
• Special concerns of a
multicellular animal
• Circulation: Open
circulatory system,
(analogous to that in
Mollusca)
• Dorsal aorta
• Hemocoel
• Pores (ostia) valved
• Text fig. 42.3

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 23

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 24

 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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 25

 Phylum Arthropoda
• Special concerns of a multicellular
animal
• Circulation:
• Open circulatory system,
• Coordination,
• Complex sensory organs, nervous system
• Structural support & Movement
• Exoskeleton & muscles
• Maintenance of homeostasis—water balance.

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 26

 Phylum Arthropoda
• Reproduction
• Usually sexual, some parthenogenic

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 27

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 28

 Classification of Arthropoda
• Subphylum Trilobita
• Subphylum Crustacea
• Subphylum Chelicerata
• Subphylum Myriopoda
• Subphylum Hexapoda

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 29

 Classification of Arthropoda

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 30

 Classification of Arthropoda

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 31

 Classification of Arthropoda
• Subphylum Crustacea
 Class crabs
 Class barnacles

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 32

 Classification of Arthropoda

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 33

 Classification of Arthropoda

• Subphylum Chelicerata
 Class Horseshoe crabs
• Horseshoe crabs
• Scorpions ??

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 34

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 35

 Classification of Arthropoda
• Subphylum Myriapoda
• Legs unbranched
• Head & body
 Class Centipedes
• 1st legs are “fangs”

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 36

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 37

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

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 38

 Classification of Arthropoda
• Subphylum Hexapoda
 Class Insects
• Incomplete metamorphosis
• Dragonflies
• Orthoptera
• Hemiptera, Homoptera
• Complete metamorphosis
• Coleoptera (beetles)
• Hymenoptera (wasps, ants,
bees)
• Diptera (flies)

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 39

 Why are Arthropods so successful?

• Exoskeleton  tagmosis  evolution of

flight  speciation  106 species of
insects.

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 40

 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!

04 Feb. 2014 Arthropoda.ppt 41