General Arthropod Information

The word arthropod comes from the Greek words for “jointed foot.”
Arthropods are invertebrates with an exoskeleton, a segmented body and jointed appendages. and a body with an exoskeleton.

Main characteristics of arthropods

  • segmented body
  • jointed appendages
  • exoskeleton (usually chitinous)
  • dorsal anterior brain connected to a ventral chain of ganglia

The 5 major classes of arthropods

  • Insects
    • Three body segments: head, thorax and abdomen
    • Six legs (three pairs)
    • One pair of antennae
    • Ants, termites, dragonflies, bees
  • Arachnids
    • Two body segments: cephalothorax and abdomen
    • Eight legs (four pairs)
    • Spiders and scorpions
  • Myriapods
    • Centipedes
      • Segmented, flattened body (two body parts: head and segmented trunk)
      • One pair of legs per body segment
      • One pair of antennae
    • Millipedes
      • Segmented, rounded body (two body parts: head and segmented trunk)
      • Two pairs of legs per body segment
      • One pair of antennae
  • Crustaceans
    • Three body segments: head, thorax and abdomen. Each body segment can have a pair of appendages.
    • Five pairs of jointed legs
    • Two pairs of antennae
    • Breathe through gills


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