Portal:Arthropods

edit   Arthropods Portal Shortcut: P:ARTH Arthropods make up the largest phylum of animals (Phylum Arthropoda) and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others. More than 80% of described living animal species are arthropods, with over a million modern species described and a fossil record reaching back to the late Proterozoic era. Arthropods are common throughout marine, freshwater, terrestrial, and even aerial environments, and includes various symbiotic and parasitic forms. They range in size from microscopic plankton (~¼ mm) up to forms several metres across. Arthropods are characterised by the possession of a segmented body with appendages on each segment. They have a dorsal heart and a ventral nervous system. All arthropods are covered by a hard exoskeleton made of chitin, a polysaccharide which protects against trauma and desiccation. They shed this covering periodically when moulting. Examples of the five arthropod subphyla Trilobitomorpha: Kainops invius Chelicerata: Eriophora transmarina Myriapoda: Scolopendra cingulata Hexapoda: Drosophila melanogaster Crustacea: Cancer pagurus Read more ... Show new selections edit   Selected article A shrimp farm is an aquaculture business for the cultivation of marine shrimp or prawns for human consumption. Commercial shrimp farming began in the 1970s, and production grew steeply to match the market demands of the United States, Japan and Western Europe. Global production of farmed shrimp reached more than 1.6 million tonnes in 2003, worth nearly 9 billion U.S. dollars. About 75% of farmed shrimp is produced in Asia, particularly China and Thailand. The other 25% is produced mainly in Latin America, where Brazil is the largest producer. Shrimp farming has changed from traditional, small-scale businesses in Southeast Asia into a global industry, and technological advances have led to shrimp being grown at ever higher densities. Virtually all farmed shrimp are of the family Penaeidae, and just two species – Penaeus vannamei (Pacific white shrimp) and Penaeus monodon (giant tiger prawn) – account for 80% of all farmed shrimp. These industrial monocultures are very susceptible to diseases, which have caused several regional wipe-outs of farm shrimp populations. Increasing ecological problems, repeated disease outbreaks, and pressure and criticism from both NGOs and consumer countries led to changes in the industry in the late 1990s and stronger regulation by governments. Read more... More articles edit   Did you know ... ? ... that symbiotic moss animals live on setae on the antennae, mouthparts and legs of the crab Goneplax rhomboides (pictured)? ... that millipedes in the genus Desmoxytes give off an almond-like smell as they produce hydrogen cyanide to ward off predators? ... that the extinct arachnid Attercopus was once considered as the world's oldest spider? ... that the extinct sandfly species Lutzomyia adiketis is host to the Paleoleishmania species P. neotropicum? ... that all species of the fruit fly genus Zaprionus have the same characteristic white stripes over the head and thorax? ... that the invasive crayfish Orconectes immunis can outcompete the earlier invader O. limosus? More facts edit   Recognised content Featured articles Ant Chrysiridia rhipheus Cochineal Henry Edwards (entomologist) Shrimp farm Featured lists List of Odonata species of Great Britain Good articles Abantiades latipennis Andreacarus voalavo Arthropod Bees and toxic chemicals California spiny lobster Cancer pagurus Carcinus maenas Chelicerata Chirocephalus diaphanus Coconut crab Colony collapse disorder Crustacean Cultural depictions of spiders Earwig External morphology of Lepidoptera Hemilepistus reaumuri Homarus gammarus Insect Johngarthia lagostoma Katipo Lepidoptera Lulworth Skipper Maevia inclemens Neotrypaea californiensis Nephrops norvegicus Phaeacius Polish cochineal Portia fimbriata Potamon fluviatile Scyllarides latus Sphecius grandis Spider Timema Zygoballus sexpunctatus Featured images Featured image set: butterfly wing magnifications edit   WikiProjects WikiProject Tree of Life WikiProject Animals WikiProject Arthropods WikiProject Spiders WikiProject Insects WikiProject Lepidoptera What are WikiProjects? edit   Selected picture Credit: Derek Ramsey The Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, (seen here on Echinacea purpurea) is a milkweed butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies, and is famous for its migrations. Read more... Gallery edit   Taxa Chelicerata: spider · Acari · Opiliones · pseudoscorpion · scorpion · Solifugae · sea spider · Schizomida · Amblypygi · Thelyphonida · Palpigradi · Ricinulei · Xiphosura · †Eurypterida Crustacea: Malacostraca (Decapoda – crab, lobster, hermit crab; Amphipoda; Isopoda; mantis shrimp) · Maxillopoda (barnacle; copepod) · Branchiopoda (fairy shrimp; Triops; Daphnia) · ostracod · Remipedia · Cephalocarida Hexapoda: Entognatha (springtail; Diplura; Protura) · insect (beetle; fly; bee; wasp; ant; butterfly; moth; cockroach; flea; louse; mayfly; dragonfly; damselfly; earwig; mantis) Myriapoda: centipede · millipede (pill millipede) · Pauropoda · Symphyla · †Arthropleuridea †Trilobite: †Agnostida · †Asaphida · †Corynexochida · †Harpetida · †Nectaspida · †Redlichiida · †Lichida · †Phacopida · †Proetida · †Ptychopariida † indicates an extinct taxon. edit   Topics Anatomy: antenna · arthropod exoskeleton · arthropod leg · arthropod eye · book lung · chelicerae · differences between butterflies and moths · gill · insect morphology · invertebrate trachea · Malpighian tubule system · mandible · rostrum · simple eye in invertebrates Study: arachnology · entomology · forensic entomology · glossary of entomology terms · lepidopterist · list of carcinologists · list of entomologists · myrmecology · timeline of entomology Development: crustacean larvae · ecdysis · exuvia As food: entomophagy · fried spider · crab fisheries · lobster fishing · shrimp paste Miscellaneous: arthropod bites and stings · beneficial insects · economic entomology · endangered arthropod · evolution of insects · insectivore edit   To do Here are some tasks you can do: Start a new article. Arthropods cover an huge range of taxa and other topics, so there will always be plenty of missing articles. Some which have been explicitly requested are listed here. Clean up existing articles. Lists of articles needing cleanup are available either grouped by the work needed or ungrouped. Expand an existing article. Existing articles are often incomplete and missing information on key aspects of the topic. It is particularly important that the most widely read articles be broad in their scope. Wikipedia:WikiProject Arthropods/Popular pages (updated monthly) shows the number of views each article gets, along with assessments of its quality and importance. Articles with higher importance ratings and greater numbers of views are the priority for article improvements, but almost all our articles would benefit from expansion. Stubs can be found in Category:Arthropod stubs and its subcategories. edit   Categories To display subcategories, click on the "+": [+] Arthropods edit   Related portals Biology • Agriculture and Agronomy • Animals  • Arthropods • Amphibians and Reptiles • Biotechnology • Birds • Cats • Cetaceans • Crustaceans • Dinosaurs • Dogs • Dentistry • Extinction • Evolutionary biology • Fish • Insects • Marine life • Medicine • Metabolism • Mind and Brain • Molecular and Cellular Biology • Neuroscience • Plants • Sharks edit   Associated Wikimedia Arthropoda on Wikispecies Arthropoda on Wikimedia Commons Arthropods on Wikiquote Arthropoda on Wikibooks Arthropoda on Wiktionary Taxonomy Images & Media Quotations Manuals & Texts Definitions What are portals? · List of portals · Featured portals