By: David Quesada
Anthropoda
Introduction to Anthropoda
Arthropods comes from the Greek word "anthron" meaning leg and "podus" meaning leg or foot. They are called this due to their classification of their joints. All arthropods have external skeletons and an open circulatory system. Above eighty percent of the animal kingdom belong to this phylum which has millions of species. Arthropods produce sexually and in most cases belong to a single sex. It is rare for an arthropod to have both genetalia or a hermaphrodite. Furthermore, most Arthropods reproduce externally and lay eggs.
Atlantic Horseshoe Crab (Limulus Polyphemus)
Mating and reproducing is seasonal and includes two distinct sexes (dioecious). During the winter, horseshoe crabs migrate to the continental shelf. During the summer, they return to the shores along the Atlantic Coast. There the smaller males clings onto the bigger female. The female reaches the beach where she lay eggs anywhere from 15,000 to 40,000 eggs (depending on the size) in a fifteen to twenty centimeter hole. Then the males release spermatophores (sperm packets) fertilizing the eggs. During this both male and female extrudes their gonopores within the environment. Horseshoe crab reproduction is an external fertilization. The eggs usually do not survive and are eaten by many bird species. The eggs take about two weeks to develop into larvae which then travel into deeper waters. Around the tenth year of its life, the horseshoe crabs begin mating.
Find more about the reproduction of the horseshoe crab through the project below conducted by the University of Florida:
Find more about the reproduction of the horseshoe crab through the project below conducted by the University of Florida:
green_eggs__sand_web_2011.pdf | |
File Size: | 6947 kb |
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House Centipede (Scutigera Coleoptrata)
This arthropod reproduces annually, usually in the spring. Females leg eggs anywhere from 60 to a maximum 150. The reproduction process begins when the male and females are attracted by sounds and pheromones and they encircle each other. The house centipedes then touch each other with their antennae. The male then ejaculates a layer of sperm which he directs the female to. The female then deposits eggs on top of the sperm and then usually covers it with dirt for protection. The development of the offspring is external. After the eggs have developed the female offers some degree of protection by nesting together for a couple of weeks.
Learn more about the general information about the house centipede:
Centipedes: Chilopoda - House Centipede (scutigera Coleoptrata): Species Accounts - Legs, Pairs, Accessed, and November - JRank Articles http://animals.jrank.org/pages/2545/Centipedes-Chilopoda-HOUSE-CENTIPEDE-Scutigera-coleoptrata-SPECIES-ACCOUNTS.html#ixzz33QrYpbxu
Learn more about the general information about the house centipede:
Centipedes: Chilopoda - House Centipede (scutigera Coleoptrata): Species Accounts - Legs, Pairs, Accessed, and November - JRank Articles http://animals.jrank.org/pages/2545/Centipedes-Chilopoda-HOUSE-CENTIPEDE-Scutigera-coleoptrata-SPECIES-ACCOUNTS.html#ixzz33QrYpbxu
Emperor Scorpion (Pendinus imperator)
Emperor Scorpions are monogamous with two distinct sexes (dioecious) . When mating the go through an extensive ritual. A male begins by grabbing the females pedipalps. The male sexually stings the female and at other times kisses it before depositing its sperm. These are only a few behaviors of the many it usually performs. The male than drags the female to a suitable place for mating and deposits his spermatophore and drags the female over it. The female then lowers her abdomen and accepts it through her genital opening. Afterwards, it is common for the female to kill and consume the male as food. The female then goes through a seven to nine month gestation period and gives live birth to up to thirty-five babies. It is important to note that reproduction takes place year-round unlike most species.
Find more at:
http://www.scorpionworlds.com/emperor-scorpion/
Find more at:
http://www.scorpionworlds.com/emperor-scorpion/