arthropod

arthropod

Representative arthropods. Uniramia, the largest of the arthropod subphyla, contains mostly …

(credit: © Merriam-Webster Inc.)

Any member of the largest phylum, Arthropoda, in the animal kingdom. Arthropoda consists of more than one million known invertebrate species in four subphyla: Uniramia (five classes, including insects), Chelicerata (three classes, including arachnids and horseshoe crabs), Crustacea (crustaceans), and Trilobita (trilobites). All arthropods are bilaterally symmetrical and possess a segmented body covered by an exoskeleton containing chitin, which serves as both armour and a surface for muscle attachment. Each body segment may bear a pair of jointed appendages. The phylum includes carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, detritus feeders, filter feeders, and parasites (see parasitism) in nearly all environments, both aquatic and terrestrial.