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Horseshoe crabs are arthropods of the family Limulidae and the only surviving xiphosurans. Despite their name, they are not true crabs or even crustaceans; they are chelicerates, more closely related to arachnids like spiders, ticks, and scorpions. The body of a horseshoe crab is divided into three main parts: the cephalothorax, abdomen, and ...
The group has hardly changed in appearance in hundreds of millions of years; the modern horseshoe crabs look almost identical to prehistoric genera and are considered to be living fossils. The most notable difference between ancient and modern forms is that the abdominal segments in present species are fused into a single unit in adults.
Limulus is a genus of horseshoe crab, with one extant species, the Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus). One fossil species is currently assigned to the genus though several other species have been named, which have since been assigned to other genera. Currently valid species include: [2] Limulus polyphemus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Diagram highlighting the telson of the prawn Litopenaeus setiferus Telson (arrow no. 3) of the horseshoe crab Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda. The telson (from Ancient Greek τέλσον 'headlands, limit') is the hindmost division of the body of an arthropod.
Horseshoe crab blood contains a clotting agent, limulus amebocyte lysate, which is used to test antibiotics and kidney machines to ensure that they are free of dangerous bacteria, and to detect spinal meningitis and some cancers. [94] Cooked tarantula spiders are considered a delicacy in Cambodia, [95] and by the Piaroa Indians of southern ...
It is a distinctive feature of the subphylum Chelicerata (arachnids, horseshoe crabs and others). Although it is similar in most respects to an abdomen (and is often referred to as such), the opisthosoma is differentiated by its inclusion of the respiratory organs ( book lungs or book gills ) and the heart .
Merostomata is a class of chelicerate arthropods that contains the extinct Eurypterida (sea scorpions) and the extant Xiphosura (horseshoe crabs). The term was originally used by James Dwight Dana to refer to Xiphosura only, but was emended by Henry Woodward to cover both groups.
Atlantic horseshoe crab on the shore at Brighton Beach, New York City. The Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), also known as the American horseshoe crab, is a species of horseshoe crab, a kind of marine and brackish chelicerate arthropod. [1] It is found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast of North America. [1]