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Arthropods first appear in the fossil record some 530 million years ago. These joint-legged animals are the most species-rich and diverse animal group on Earth. The familiar creatures are virtually ubiquitous: horseshoe crabs, scorpions, spiders, ticks, millipedes and centipedes, crabs, lobsters, pill bugs, butterflies, ants, mosquitos, beetles, and the list goes on.
Arthropods' unparalleled success is in large part because of the segmented construction of their bodies and limbs. Evolution can separately modify each segment for different purposes, allowing arthropods to adapt to almost every possible environment and mode of life. Modern arthropod limbs in their most basic form have two branches, each of which is often highly specialized for one function – for instance, moving around, sensing the environment, breathing or mating. One of the major questions for paleontologists is how these double-branched limbs evolved. Read more...
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