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Arthropoda

In brief

Arthropods combine a segmented body, jointed appendages and an external covering containing chitin. They replace this covering through moulting as they grow. Appendages can support movement, sensing or food handling. Insects, spiders, crustaceans and myriapods illustrate different combinations of these features; their bodies are not all divided into the same regions. [2]

Evidence for this statement

EcoGenesis

Where to check this statement

biology55-S08
Introduction and morphology: segments, appendages, cuticle and moulting; counts and internal taxonomic ranks excluded.
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Photographs and illustrations

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Editorial draft · human review pending

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On this page

Arthropods: segments, appendages and moulting

Reading this page

A shared body plan supports comparison but does not identify a species. An anatomical label must highlight a structure appropriate to the selected group. An insect diagram cannot stand in for a spider merely because both belong to the same phylum.

Evidence for this statement

EcoGenesis

    Try it

    Select representatives of two different groups. Compare their labelled body regions and appendages, then check their positions in the classification.

    Evidence for this statement

    EcoGenesis

      This group in the catalogue

      The installed Catalogue of Life places Arthropoda at the rank of phylum. Accepted record col:RT belongs to COL26.7 Base, 2026-07-14. The authored scientific name is retained alongside the shorter name; navigation uses the record identifier.

      [1]
      Evidence for this statement

      EcoGenesis

      Where to check this statement

      classification55-RT
      Installed classification: exact record, ancestor path and direct-child count. This is not a new phylogeny or a biological review.

      The immediate parent here is Animalia (kingdom). Preserve intermediate groups in the full path: a short list of principal ranks can omit them.

      [1]
      Evidence for this statement

      EcoGenesis

      Where to check this statement

      classification55-RT
      Installed classification: exact record, ancestor path and direct-child count. This is not a new phylogeny or a biological review.

      This index version contains 5 direct child records. This counts the next level of the tree, not all species, organisms, observations or studied genomes in the group.

      [1]
      Evidence for this statement

      EcoGenesis

      Where to check this statement

      classification55-RT
      Installed classification: exact record, ancestor path and direct-child count. This is not a new phylogeny or a biological review.

      From group to species

      Prepared examples in this branch are Drosophila (Sophophora) melanogaster. Membership was checked in the same CoL release. Opening an example leads to its separate species record. Its geography, traits and sequences do not become properties of every member of the group.

      [1]
      Evidence for this statement

      EcoGenesis

      Where to check this statement

      classification55-RT
      Installed classification: exact record, ancestor path and direct-child count. This is not a new phylogeny or a biological review.

      Next question

      Choose an example and frame a question at species or specimen level. On the map, preserve the exact filter and observation source; in molecular searches, preserve assembly, gene and sequence version. If a dataset is unavailable, leave the question open. A missing service response does not establish biological absence.

      Evidence for this statement

      EcoGenesis

        Continue exploring

        Classification record and its scope

        Inspect structured data
        col id
        RT
        scientific name
        Arthropoda
        rank
        phylum
        parent id
        N
        child count
        5
        source release
        COL26.7 Base, 2026-07-14
        source sha256
        891457d62af389842924ef1de8bd6fbbdf9f6b03428ef5dd487bed4d04c0ace0
        classification semantics
        provider_source_classification_only
        phylogeny
        False
        lineage
        • col id
          CS5HF
          scientific name
          Eukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
          rank
          domain
          status
          accepted
        • col id
          N
          scientific name
          Animalia
          rank
          kingdom
          status
          accepted
        • col id
          RT
          scientific name
          Arthropoda
          rank
          phylum
          status
          accepted
        [1]
        Evidence for this statement

        Source annotation

        Where to check this statement

        classification55-RT
        Installed classification: exact record, ancestor path and direct-child count. This is not a new phylogeny or a biological review.

        Continue exploring

        Sources and versions

        Editorial draft · human review pending

        1. Arthropoda · Catalogue of Life

          2026-09-19T12:02:54.209836+00:00 · Terms of use on source site

          Provenance and original
          Source version
          COL26.7 Base, 2026-07-14
          Original SHA-256
          891457d62af389842924ef1de8bd6fbbdf9f6b03428ef5dd487bed4d04c0ace0
          Source reading scope
          Installed classification: exact record, ancestor path and direct-child count. This is not a new phylogeny or a biological review.
          Location in the original source
          Installed classification: exact record, ancestor path and direct-child count. This is not a new phylogeny or a biological review.
        2. OpenStax 28.6 — Superphylum Ecdysozoa: Arthropods

          2026-09-19 · CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0

          Provenance and original
          Source version
          Biology 2e (2018); page inspected 2026-09-19
          Source reading scope
          Introduction and morphology: segments, appendages, cuticle and moulting; counts and internal taxonomic ranks excluded.
          Location in the original source
          Introduction and morphology: segments, appendages, cuticle and moulting; counts and internal taxonomic ranks excluded.
        Inspect structured data
        Content version
        fcc242f215fb7042e24181ebf26622118986aecf28476cc5cd649f242121723d
        Source version
        COL26.7@891457d62af389842924ef1de8bd6fbbdf9f6b03428ef5dd487bed4d04c0ace0
        Updated
        2026-10-01

        Where this organism has been observed

        Explore observations on the map →

        Observations and connections with other organisms

        Explore published sightings and reported interactions, such as feeding or pollination. Each record links to its source.

        Research about this organism

        01 · A place in the living world

        Classification

        Explore the tree of life
        1. DomainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
        2. KingdomAnimalia
        3. PhylumArthropoda

        02 · From organism to molecules

        Genes, genomes and proteins

        03 · Continue exploring

        Tools and connections

        04 · EcoGenesis

        What the available evidence supports

        Classification and name provenance.

        A catalogue name does not establish a genome, protein or measurement. Missing records do not mean a trait or gene is absent from the organism.

        Coverage updates as this page checks its sources.

        Sources and licences

        SourceIDLicenceDetails
        colRT—Source record ↗