Sea spiders are marine arthropods of the class Pycnogonida, also called pycnogonids; despite their name, they are not true spiders or arachnids, though they belong to the chelicerates alongside those groups. They are found in every ocean, with more than 1,300 known species, and their leg spans range from one millimeter to over 70 centimeters, with the largest specimens typically found in Antarctic and deep-sea waters, while most species remain small and live in shallow marine habitats.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Living or Extinct Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceEnormous walking legs in contrast to a reduced body region, giving an all legs or no body appearance 1 Comparison
CITES Appendix Scientific Name Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Wikidata: Pycnogonida
In Biome
Source Sea spider, Wikipedia
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Sea spider, Wikipedia
Introduction, opening sentence
Sea spiders are marine arthropods of the class Pycnogonida
Morphology section
Many sea spiders are recognised by their enormous walking legs in contrast to a reduced body region, resulting into the so-called "all legs" or "no body" appearance.
Lead
Sea spiders are mostly carnivorous predators or scavengers that feed on soft-bodied invertebrates such as cnidarians, sponges, polychaetes, and bryozoans, by inserting their proboscis into targeted prey.
In Biome: Estuary, Distribution and ecology
They are most common in shallow waters, but can be found as deep as 7,000 metres (23,000 ft), and live in both marine and estuarine habitats.
View the Source2. GBIF Species API
3. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ19106, descriptionView the Source 4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Animalia
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 23Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 23
"cites_listing":"I/II/III/NC","eu_listing":"A/B/C/D/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":null,"class":null,"order":null,"family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Animals","language":"EN"},{"name":"Fauna","language":"EN"},{"name":"Animaux","language":"FR"}],"cites_listings":[]
Wikidata: Pycnogonida
- Wikidata Q19106, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
- Child Taxon Of: Arthropoda, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
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