Arthropods

Phylum: Arthropoda (von Siebold, 1848)

General

Takes its greek name from its distinctive jointed appendages, Arthron "joint" and Pous "Foot" or "Leg"
Over 1,000,000,134,000 species identified, found world-wide
Includes Lobsters, crabs, hermit crabs, crayfish, shrimps and barnacles and fit under Superclass, Crustaceans
Non aquatic species include insects
Thought to have originated from Annelids
Feed on everything

Defining Characteristics

Protostomes, develops mouth before anus
Most possess a straight gut with an anus, body cavity has a true coelom
Bilaterally symmetry (mostly)
Two main body types in the aquatic realm: shrimp like and crab like
Body is divided into 2 or 3 sections
Has distinctive jointed appendages, may be modified in a number of ways to form antennae, mouthparts and reproductive organs

Do have a nervous system including a brain and ganglia
Do possess a respiratory system in the form of trachea and spiracles (mostly)
Do possess a open or lacunar circulatory system with a simple heart, on or more arteries, and no veins (mostly)

Body

Body possess an external skeleton (mostly), Stiff cuticle, usually a hard outer. Body covering made of chitin and proteins, form an exoskeleton which may or may not be stiffened further with calcium carbonate, like jointed armour.
Segmented bodies with various patterns of segmented fusion (tagmosis) to form integrated units (heads and abdomen)
Body possesses 3 – 400+ pairs of jointed legs

Reproduction / Life Cycle

Can take up to 12 stages to metamorphose into adult
Normally sexual, involving capulation and gonochoristic, but can be parthenogenetic
Females may release up to

Feeding

Feed on everything

Divided into:

Subphylum: Chelicerata – spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, eurypterids(extinct), sea spiders

Subphylum: Crustacea – shrimp, crabs, barnacles, copepods, fish lice

Subphylum: Myriapoda – centipedes, millipedes

SUBPHYLUM: CHELICERATA

CLASS: Pycnogonida (Sea Spiders)

Scientific Name: Pallenella ambigua (Stock,1956)

Common Name: Sea Spider

Meridionale ambigua

Photo by Paul Sorensen. Victoria, Port Phillip Bay Devils Dropoff, February 2013.

Scientific Name: Nymphon sp. (Stock,1956)

Common Name: Sea Spider

Nymphon sp.

Photo by Paul Sorensen. Victoria, Blairgowrie Pier, November 2021.

SUBPHYLUM: CRUSTACEA

ORDER: Decapoda (Ten-footed)

Scientific Name: Leptomithrax gaimardii (Milne Edwards,1834)

Common Name: Giant Spider Crab

Photo by Paul Sorensen. Victoria, Blairgowrie Pier, August 2013.

Photo by Paul Sorensen. Victoria, Rye Pier, March, 2013.

Scientific Name: Schizophrys rufescens Griffin & Tranter, 1986

Common Name: Spider Crab

Photo by Paul Sorensen. South Australia, Rapid Bay, March 2022.

Scientific Name: Nectocarcinus tuberculosus (Milne Edwards, 1860)

Common Name: Velvet Crab

Photo by Paul Sorensen. Victoria, Port Phillip Bay.

Scientific Name: Guinusia chabrus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Common Name: Red Rock Crab

Photo by Paul Sorensen. Victoria, Port Phillip Bay.

Scientific Name: Pinnotheres kickmani (Guiler, 1950)

Common Name: Hickman’s Pea Crab

Photo by Paul Sorensen, Victoria, Blairgowrie Pier, October 2021.

INFRAORDER: CARIDAE (Caridean or True Shrimp)

Scientific Name: Thor amboinensis (De Man, 1888)

Common Name: Squat Anenome / Sexy Shrimp

Photo by Paul Sorensen. Philippines, Puerto Galera, September 2022.

Scientific Name: Achaeus japonicus (De Haan, 1839)

Common Name: Orangutan crab

Photo by Paul Sorensen. Philippines, Puerto Galera, September 2019.

Scientific Name: Ebalia intermedia (Miers, 1886)

Common Name: Smooth Nut Crab

Ebalia intermedia

Photo by Paul Sorensen. Victoria, Frankston Pier, June 2021.

Scientific Name: Alpheus richardsoni (Yaldwyn, 1971)

Common Name: Snapping Shrimp

Alpheus richardsoni

Photo by Paul Sorensen. Victoria

Scientific Name: Athanopsis australis DM Banner & AH Banner, 1982

Common Name: Southern hooded shrimp

Athanopsis australis

Photo by Paul Sorensen. Victoria, Blairgoriw Pier, March 2022.

Philocheras victoriensis (Fulton&Grant, 1902)

Victorian Sand Shrimp

Philocheras victoriensis

Unnamed

Shrimp

Arthropod

Unnamed

Shrimp

Arthropod

Palaemon intermidius (Stimpson, 1860)

Transparent Shrimp

Palaemon intermidus

Palaemon serenus (Heller, 1862)

Red Claw / Rock Pool Shrimp

Palaemon serenus

Hadrosquilla perpasta (Hale, 1824)

Mantis Shrimp

Hadrosquilla perpasta

Unnamed

Golden Shrimp

Unnamed Shrimp

Black Shrimp

Unnamed Shrimp

Shrimp

Mysid Shrimp

Unnamed Shrimp

Shrimp

Unknown Species

Cyclograpsus granulosus (Milne Edwareds, 1853)

Purple-mottled shore crab

Cyclograpsus granulosus

Micthyris platycheles (Milne Edwards, 1852)

Soldier Crab

Micthyris platycheles

Strigopagurus strigimanus (White, 1847)

Stridulating Hermit Crab

Strigopagurus strigimanus

Paguristes frontalis (Milne Edwards, 1836)

Common Hermit Crab

Paguristes frontalis

Galathea austliensis (Stimpson, 1858)

Straited Craylet, Straited Squat Lobster

Galathea australiensis

Heteropilumnus fimbriatus (H.Milne Edwards, 1834)

Bearded Crab

Heteropilumnus fimbriatus

Microhalimus sp.

Decorator Crab

Microhalimus sp

Unknown Name

Crab

Portunoidea sp.

Crab

Portunoidea sp

Unknown Crab - Under flourescetn light

Crab

Order: Amphipoda

Hyaloidea

Order: Isopoda

Crabyzos longicaudatus (Bate,1863)

Sea Centipede

Crabyzos longicaudatus

Actaecia species

Isopod

Actaecia species

Unknown species

Isopod

Isopod Species

Isopod

Isopod Species

Neosphaeroma species

Isopod

Neosphaeroma sp.

Neosphaeroma species

Isopod

Neosphaeroma sp.

Zuzara semipunctata (Leach, 1818)

Isopod

Zuzara semipunctata

Arthropods outside of Victoria

References:

WoRMS (2020). Arthropoda. Accessed at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1065 on 2020-04-26