Telson

upright=1.4|thumb|right|Diagram highlighting the telson of the prawn Litopenaeus setiferusthumb|Telson (arrow no. 3) of the horseshoe crab Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda

The telson () is the hindmost division of the body of an arthropod. Depending on the definition, the telson is either considered to be the final segment of the arthropod body, or an additional division that is not a true segment on account of not arising in the embryo from teloblast areas as other segments. It never carries any appendages, but a forked "tail" called the caudal furca may be present. The shape and composition of the telson differs between arthropod groups.