Chelicerata

The subphylum Chelicerata (from Neo-Latin, , ) constitutes one of the major subdivisions of the phylum Arthropoda. Chelicerates include the sea spiders, horseshoe crabs, and arachnids (including harvestmen, scorpions, spiders, solifuges, ticks, and mites, among many others), as well as a number of extinct lineages, such as the eurypterids (sea scorpions) and chasmataspidids.

AI overview

Chelicerata is a major group of arthropods that includes living animals like spiders, scorpions, mites, ticks, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders, as well as extinct relatives such as ancient sea scorpions. This group matters because it represents one of the largest and most diverse subdivisions of arthropods, with members found in nearly every environment on Earth and playing important roles in ecosystems.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Species

horseshoe crabs

Subphylum

PhylumArthropoda

Habitatmarine, brackish, freshwater

Observations0

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Wikidata facts

Image: Black scorpion.jpg

Show 5 more facts

Commons category: Chelicerata
taxon name: Chelicerata
taxon common name: pipalkarji
start time: 508000000-
IPA transcription: ˌt͡ʃɛlɪˈsɜɹɑtə

Sources (1)

wikidata.org

via Wikidata · CC0

~31 min read

Article

18 sections

Contents

Description
Segmentation and cuticle
Chelicerae and pedipalps
Body cavities and circulatory systems
Respiratory systems
Feeding and digestion
Excretion
Nervous system
Senses
Reproduction
Evolutionary history
Fossil record
Relationships with other arthropods
Major sub-groups
Diversity
Interaction with humans
References
Bibliography

Chelicerata split from Mandibulata by the mid-Cambrian, as evidenced by stem-group chelicerates like Habeliida and Mollisonia present by this time. The surviving marine species include the four species of xiphosurans (horseshoe crabs), and possibly the 1,300 species of pycnogonids (sea spiders), if the latter are indeed chelicerates. On the other hand, there are over 77,000 well-identified species of air-breathing chelicerates, and there may be about 500,000 unidentified species.