Merostomata

Thesaurus

Noun

Merostomata - used in some classifications; includes the orders Xiphosura and Eurypteridaclass Merostomataarthropod - invertebrate having jointed limbs and a segmented body with an exoskeleton made of chitinChelicerata, superclass Chelicerata - spiders; scorpions; horseshoe crabsorder Xiphosura, Xiphosura - horseshoe crabs and extinct formsEurypterida, order Eurypterida - extinct aquatic arthropods of the Paleozoic

Merostomata

[‚mer·ə′stō·mə·də] (invertebrate zoology) A class of primitive arthropods of the subphylum Chelicerata distinguished by their aquatic mode of life and the possession of abdominal appendages which bear respiratory organs; only three living species are known.

Merostomata

a class of predominantly fossil marine arthropods, related to the trilobites and arachnids. (Merostomata are joined with the arachnids in the subphylum Chelicerata.) Respiration is by branchial gills. The body is covered with a chitinous carapace and is divided into a cephalothorax and a spiculate abdomen, each bearing six pairs of appendages (the abdominal ones have branchial plates). There are three or four orders. Two or three orders are traced to the Cambrian and Devonian, while one—Xiphosura—appeared in the Silurian and exists now. The extinct order Eurypterida is often assigned to Merostomata.

Merostomata

Merostomata

Merostomata

Merostomata

Merostomata

Synonyms for Merostomata

noun used in some classifications

Synonyms

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