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Whipscorpion
Thelyphonida is an arachnid order comprising invertebrates commonly known as whip scorpions or vinegaroons (also spelled vinegarroons and vinegarones). They are often called uropygids in the scientific community based on an alternative name for the order, Uropygi (which may then also include the order Schizomida). The name "whip scorpion" refers to their resemblance to true scorpions and possession of a whiplike tail, and "vinegaroon" refers to their ability when attacked to discharge an offensive, vinegar-smelling liquid, which contains acetic acid. Taxonomy Carl Linnaeus first described a whip scorpion in 1758, although he did not distinguish it from what are now regarded as different kinds of arachnid, calling it ''Phalangium caudatum''. '' Phalangium'' is now used as a name for a genus of harvestmen (Opiliones). In 1802, Pierre André Latreille was the first to use a genus name solely for whip scorpions, namely ''Thelyphonus''. Latreille later explained the name as meaning ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arachnid
Arachnida () is a class of joint-legged invertebrate animals (arthropods), in the subphylum Chelicerata. Arachnida includes, among others, spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, camel spiders, whip spiders and vinegaroons. Almost all adult arachnids have eight legs, although the front pair of legs in some species has converted to a sensory function, while in other species, different appendages can grow large enough to take on the appearance of extra pairs of legs. The term is derived from the Greek word (''aráchnē'', 'spider'), from the myth of the hubristic human weaver Arachne, who was turned into a spider. Almost all extant arachnids are terrestrial, living mainly on land. However, some inhabit freshwater environments and, with the exception of the pelagic zone, marine environments as well. They comprise over 100,000 named species, of which 47,000 are species of spiders. Morphology Almost all adult arachnids have eight legs, unlike adult i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thelyphonidae
Thelyphonidae is the sole family in the Thelyphonida order of arachnids. Description These arachnids can reach a length of . The body consists of a cephalothorax coated with chitin and of an abdomen divided into 12 segments. Fossil record The largest of prehistoric whipscorpions and possibly the largest-known whipscorpion ever discovered was '' Mesoproctus'' from this family. While ''M. rowlandi'' reached in length (without tail), an unnamed species ''M. sp.'' had a carapace of in length and in width, comparable or even larger than the extant '' Mastigoproctus'' have.Jason A. Dunlop, David M. MartillThe first whipspider (Arachnida: Amblypygi) and three new whipscorpions (Arachnida: Thelyphonida) from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences, 92, 325-334, 2002. Genera Most genera are currently placed in four recognised subfamilies: Hypoctoninae Auth.: Pocock, 1899 *'' Etienneus'' Heurtault, 1984 *'' Hypoc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Whip Scorpion
Thelyphonida is an arachnid order comprising invertebrates commonly known as whip scorpions or vinegaroons (also spelled vinegarroons and vinegarones). They are often called uropygids in the scientific community based on an alternative name for the order, Uropygi (which may then also include the order Schizomida). The name "whip scorpion" refers to their resemblance to true scorpions and possession of a whiplike tail, and "vinegaroon" refers to their ability when attacked to discharge an offensive, vinegar-smelling liquid, which contains acetic acid. Taxonomy Carl Linnaeus first described a whip scorpion in 1758, although he did not distinguish it from what are now regarded as different kinds of arachnid, calling it ''Phalangium caudatum''. '' Phalangium'' is now used as a name for a genus of harvestmen (Opiliones). In 1802, Pierre André Latreille was the first to use a genus name solely for whip scorpions, namely '' Thelyphonus''. Latreille later explained the name as meanin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Schizomida
Schizomida (common name shorttailed whipscorpion) is an order of arachnids, generally less than in length. The order is not yet widely studied. About 300 species of schizomids have been described worldwide, most belonging to the Hubbardiidae family. A systematic review including a full catalogue may be found in Reddell & Cokendolpher (1995). The Schizomida is sister to the order Uropygi, the two clades together forming the Thelyphonida. Based on molecular clock dates, both orders likely originated in the late Carboniferous somewhere in the tropics of Pangea, and the Schizomida underwent substantial diversification starting in the Cretaceous. The oldest known fossils of the group are from the Mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber of Myanmar, which are assignable to the Hubbardiidae. E. O. Wilson has identified schizomids as among the "groups of organisms that desperately need experts to work on them." Taxonomy Schizomids are grouped into three families: * Calcitronidae † (fossil) ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pangaea
Pangaea or Pangea () was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. It assembled from the earlier continental units of Gondwana, Euramerica and Siberia during the Carboniferous approximately 335 million years ago, and began to break apart about 200 million years ago, at the end of the Triassic and beginning of the Jurassic. In contrast to the present Earth and its distribution of continental mass, Pangaea was centred on the equator and surrounded by the superocean Panthalassa and the Paleo-Tethys and subsequent Tethys Oceans. Pangaea is the most recent supercontinent to have existed and the first to be reconstructed by geologists. Origin of the concept The name "Pangaea" is derived from Ancient Greek ''pan'' (, "all, entire, whole") and ''Gaia'' or Gaea (, "Mother Earth, land"). The concept that the continents once formed a contiguous land mass was hypothesised, with corroborating evidence, by Alfred Wegener, the originator of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pygidium
The pygidium (plural pygidia) is the posterior body part or shield of crustaceans and some other arthropods, such as insects and the extinct trilobites. In groups other than insects, it contains the anus and, in females, the ovipositor. It is composed of fused body segments, sometimes with a tail, and separated from thoracic segments by an articulation.Shultz, J.W. (1990). Evolutionary Morphology And Phylogeny of Arachnida. Cladistics 6: 1–38. Chelicerates In arachnids, the pygidium is formed by reduction of the last three opisthosomal segments to rings where there is no distinction between tergites and sternites. A pygidium is present in Palpigradi, Amblypygi, Thelyphonida, Schizomida, Ricinulei and in the extinct order Trigonotarbida. It is also present in early fossil representatives of horseshoe crabs. Trilobites In trilobites, the pygidium can range from extremely small (much smaller than the head, or cephalon) to larger than the cephalon. They can be smooth, as in order ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Exoskeleton
An exoskeleton (from Greek ''éxō'' "outer" and ''skeletós'' "skeleton") is an external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to an internal skeleton (endoskeleton) in for example, a human. In usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as " shells". Examples of exoskeletons within animals include the arthropod exoskeleton shared by chelicerates, myriapods, crustaceans, and insects, as well as the shell of certain sponges and the mollusc shell shared by snails, clams, tusk shells, chitons and nautilus. Some animals, such as the turtle, have both an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton. Role Exoskeletons contain rigid and resistant components that fulfill a set of functional roles in many animals including protection, excretion, sensing, support, feeding and acting as a barrier against desiccation in terrestrial organisms. Exoskeletons have a role in defense from pests and predators, support and in providing an attachment framewo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amblypygi
Amblypygi is an ancient order of arachnid chelicerate arthropods also known as African cave-dwelling spiders, whip spiders and tailless whip scorpions (not to be confused with whip scorpions or vinegaroons that belong to the related order Thelyphonida). The name "amblypygid" means "blunt tail", a reference to a lack of the flagellum that is otherwise seen in whip scorpions. Amblypygids possess no silk glands or venomous fangs. They rarely bite if threatened, but can grab fingers with their pedipalps, resulting in thorn-like puncture injuries. As of 2016, 5 families, 17 genera and around 155 species had been discovered and described. They are found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide; they are mainly found in warm and humid environments and like to stay protected and hidden within leaf litter, caves, or underneath bark. Some species are subterranean; all are nocturnal. Fossilized amblypygids have been found dating back to the Carboniferous period, such as ''Weygoldti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carboniferous'' means "coal-bearing", from the Latin '' carbō'' ("coal") and '' ferō'' ("bear, carry"), and refers to the many coal beds formed globally during that time. The first of the modern 'system' names, it was coined by geologists William Conybeare and William Phillips in 1822, based on a study of the British rock succession. The Carboniferous is often treated in North America as two geological periods, the earlier Mississippian and the later Pennsylvanian. Terrestrial animal life was well established by the Carboniferous Period. Tetrapods (four limbed vertebrates), which had originated from lobe-finned fish during the preceding Devonian, became pentadactylous in and diversified during the Carboniferous, including early amphibian lin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Octavius Pickard-Cambridge
Octavius Pickard-Cambridge FRS (3 November 1828 – 9 March 1917) was an English clergyman and zoologist. He was a keen arachnologist who described and named more than 900 species of spider. Life and work Pickard-Cambridge was born in Bloxworth rectory, Dorset, the fifth son of Rev. George Pickard, rector and squire of Bloxworth: the family changed its name to Pickard-Cambridge in 1848 after receiving the property left behind by a relative, Charles Owen Cambridge, of Whitminster House in Gloucestershire. Octavius was tutored at home by the poet William Barnes, after failing to receive admission to Winchester College. He also learned to play the violin from Sidney Smith. He then studied law in London before theology at the University of Durham. He was very active and made many friends in this period. He served as steward at steeplechases and presided over the college choral society. In 1857 he presented the Pickard-Cambridge Challenge Cup to University College Boating Club ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mastigoproctus
''Mastigoproctus'' is a genus of whip scorpions. Native to the tropical forest regions of northern South America, these whip scorpions can reach a length of up to and can weigh over . Despite popular belief, they are not venomous as, like all other whip scorpions, they do not possess venom glands. Species , the World Uropygi Catalog accepts the following seventeen species: *'' Mastigoproctus abeli'' Villarreal & Giupponi, 2009 – Venezuela *'' Mastigoproctus annectens'' Werner, 1916 – Brazil *'' Mastigoproctus ayalai'' Viquez & Armas, 2007 – Venezuela *''Mastigoproctus baracoensis'' Franganillo, 1931 – Cuba *''Mastigoproctus brasilianus'' (C. L. Koch, 1843) – Brazil *'' Mastigoproctus butleri'' Pocock, 1894 – Brazil *''Mastigoproctus cinteotl'' Barrales-Alcalá, Francke & Prendini, 2018 – Mexico *''Mastigoproctus colombianus'' Mello-Leitão, 1940 – Colombia *''Mastigoproctus formidabilis'' Hirst, 1912 – Venezuela *''Mastigoproctus giganteus'' (Lucas, 1835) – Un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
