ARTHROPODS

FROM THE GREEK WORD ARTHRO MEANING JOINT,

AND POD MEANING FOOT
General Characteristics

They posses a chitinous exoskeleton that must be shed during

growth.
The paired appendages (e.g., legs, antennae) are jointed.
The segmented bodies are arranged into regions, called
tagmata (e.g., head, thorax, abdomen).
They have bilateral symmetry.
The nervous system is ventral (belly) and the circulatory system is
open and dorsal (back).
 Phylum Crustacea
Greatly modified group that have in common w/
the Nauplius larva.
(Possesing 3 pair of jointed appendages and a
single compound eye at later stage.)
Terminal body segment is the telson. (pygidium
in polychaetes)
Paired appendages, the uropods, form the tail
fan of the individual.
There is a tendency to fuse body segments,
known as tagmosis. (found in the head region)
Class Copepoda

Most abundant group of Crustacea.

Cope is a greek word for oar or paddle; pod greek for foot.
Planktonic, benthic, freshwater.
Consume diatoms as part of their diet
Possess a single small compound eye (central anterior region of
head)
Two jointed antennae (extend laterally from the head)
Body shape is elliptical
Laterally compressed (majority)
Dorso ventrally (parasitic)
Terminology
Appendages- a limb or other process extending
from the body, usually articulated ( having a
joint or joints)
Abdomen- posterior section of the body, behind
the thorax or cepalothorax
Thorax- the portion of the body between the
head and the abdomen
Cephalosome- the anterior unsegmented region
of the body that includes not only the head but
also, at the least, the segment of maxillipeds.
Urosome- the posteriormost region of the body
and marked off from the metasoma by a distinct
articulation in virtue of which the urosome can
be freely moved about like a tail.
Caudal rami- A pair of laminar structures at the
posterior end of the anal segment, movably
articulated with the latter and each provided
typically with 6 setae.
Urosome
 Endopods- the inner or medial branch of
a two-brached crustacean leg or
appendage.
Pleopods- ( swimming legs of copepods);
located under the cephalothorax or
metasoma of crustaceans.
Uniramous- unbrached appendage
Biramous- appendages are divide into
two segmented branches
Exopodite (external branch)
Endopodite (inner branch)
Anatomy
3 Major Orders

Calanoid
Cyclopoid
Harpacticoid
CALANOIDA
Include 40 families
About 1800 species of both
marine and freshwater
copepods.
Dominant in plankton,
making up 55%-95% of
plankton samples.
Therefore important in many
food webs.
Many commercial fishes are
dependent on calanoid
copepods for their diet. Such
as whales.
CALANOID Body features
Largest species reach 18mm. But
most are 0.5-2.0 mm
Ovoid body
Movable joint behind the 6th and
last segment of thorax
First antennae are long and atleast
half the length of their body
Biramous second antennae
Abdomen has 4 segments prior to
telson
Eggs in female are carried in a
single cluster
CYCLOPOIDA
Small, planktonic
Sea and freshwater habitat
Capable of rapid movement
Embryos are carried in paired or single
sacs attached to first abdominal somite.
 CYCLOPOID Body Features
First antennae shorter than length of
head and thorax
Uniramous second antennae.
Movable joint between the 5th and 6th
segments
Paired egg sacs
Abdomen or urosome has 5 or 6
segments sometimes fused, anterior to
telson
HARPACTICOIDA
Benthic copepods
Marine and freshwater
Few are planktonic or live in association with
other organisms
HARPACTICOID Body Features
No noticeable division between the body region
Minute in size
Possess shortened par of first antennae
Second pair of antennae are biramous
Typically have a wide abdomen
Somewhat wormlike body
Diferrences