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Questions and Answers
What are sea spiders?
What are sea spiders?
- Found on land
- A type of fish
- Common in warm waters
- Members of the class Pycnogonida (correct)
What does the diet of sea spiders consist of?
What does the diet of sea spiders consist of?
Cnidarian polyps and ectoprocts
What is a proboscis?
What is a proboscis?
A structure that feeds by sucking prey tissues
What are chelifores used for?
What are chelifores used for?
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How many pairs of walking legs do sea spiders have?
How many pairs of walking legs do sea spiders have?
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Segments in Pycnogonids are standard like in other chelicerates.
Segments in Pycnogonids are standard like in other chelicerates.
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What are ovigers?
What are ovigers?
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Describe the gonads of Pycnogonids.
Describe the gonads of Pycnogonids.
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Gonopores are located on one of the pairs of legs, where the female releases _____ and the male fertilizes them.
Gonopores are located on one of the pairs of legs, where the female releases _____ and the male fertilizes them.
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Study Notes
Sea Spiders Overview
- Sea spiders are members of the class Pycnogonida, primarily inhabiting cold ocean floor waters.
- Commonly found in various marine environments, they play a role in the ecosystem as predators.
Diet and Feeding Mechanism
- Their diet mainly consists of cnidarian polyps and ectoprocts, which they extract for nourishment.
- Sea spiders utilize a proboscis to suck tissues from prey, allowing for efficient feeding.
Anatomical Features
- Equipped with chelifores, which are the first pair of appendages used to tear apart prey.
- They possess four pairs of elongated, thin walking legs that aid in navigation and locomotion.
- Pycnogonids exhibit a unique feature among arthropods: they possess five or six pairs of legs due to segment duplication instead of the common four pairs found in other chelicerates.
Reproductive Characteristics
- Males have a subsidiary pair of legs known as ovigers, which are used to carry developing eggs; these structures are often missing in females.
- Gonads of Pycnogonids are U-shaped, with branches extending into each leg, highlighting their unique reproductive adaptations.
- The female releases eggs from one of the leg pairs, while the male fertilizes them; fertilized eggs are attached to the ovigers for brooding until they hatch.
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