What are sea spiders and where do the live and feed?”
Sea spiders, also called Pantopoda or pycnogonids, are marine arthropods of class Pycnogonida. They are cosmopolitan, found especially in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas and the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. There are over 1300 known species, ranging in size from 1 to 10 millimeters to over 90 centimeters in some deep water species. Most are toward the smaller end of this range in relatively shallow depths, however, they can grow to be quite large in Antarctic waters. Although “sea spiders” are not true spiders, or even arachnids, their traditional classification as chelicerates would place them closer to true spiders than to other well known arthropod groups, such as insects or crustaceans. However this is in dispute, and they may even be an ancient sister group to all other living arthropods. Contents [hide] * 1 Description o 1.1 Reproduction and development * 2 Distribution and ecology * 3 Classification * 4 Fossil record * 5 References * 6 External links [edit] Description Sea
Sea spiders, also called Pantopoda or pycnogonids, are marine arthropods of class Pycnogonida. They are cosmopolitan, found especially in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas and the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. There are over 1300 known species, ranging in size from 1 to 10 millimeters to over 90 centimeters in some deep water species. Most are toward the smaller end of this range in relatively shallow depths, however, they can grow to be quite large in Antarctic waters. Although “sea spiders” are not true spiders, or even arachnids, their traditional classification as chelicerates would place them closer to true spiders than to other well known arthropod groups, such as insects or crustaceans. However this is in dispute, and they may even be an ancient sister group to all other living arthropods. Contents [hide] * 1 Description o 1.1 Reproduction and development * 2 Distribution and ecology * 3 Classification * 4 Fossil record * 5 References * 6 External links [edit] Description Sea
