Arthropods ( AR-thrə-pod) are invertebrates in the phylum Arthropoda. They possess an exoskeleton with a cuticle made of chitin, often mineralised with calcium carbonate, a body with differentiated (metameric) segments, and paired jointed appendages. In order to keep growing, they must go through stages of moulting, a process by which they shed their exoskeleton to reveal a new one. They form an extremely diverse group of up to ten million species.
The evolutionary ancestry of arthropods dates back to the Cambrian period. The group is generally regarded as monophyletic, and many analyses support the placement of arthropods with cycloneuralians (or their constituent clades) in a superphylum Ecdysozoa. Overall, however, the basal relationships of animals are not yet well resolved. Likewise, the relationships between various arthropod groups are still actively debated. Today, arthropods contribute to the human food supply both directly as food and more importantly, indirectly as pollinators of crops. Some species are known to spread severe disease to humans, livestock, and crops. (Full article...)
Selected articles - Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.
-
Image 1Myrmecia regularis is a species of ant endemic to Australia. A member of the genus Myrmecia in the subfamily Myrmeciinae, it was first described by American entomologist Walter Cecil Crawley in 1925. These ants are medium to large in size, measuring 10 to 20 millimetres (0.4 to 0.8 in), and they are bright brownish-red in colour. Queens and workers share similar morphological features, but they can be distinguished by the noticeable size difference. Males also look similar, but collected specimens are too damaged to be examined properly. Myrmecia regularis is found in the south-western coastal regions, inhabiting eucalypt woodland and open forests. They nest underground and do not build mounds. Workers are active during the day and night, foraging on trees in search for prey and sweet substances such as sap and nectar. The larvae are strictly carnivorous and only eat insects that workers capture. Nuptial flight occurs around February to April, with queens shedding their wings inside the nest and mating near to their parent nest. Queens tend to look for food for their young before they hatch, taking as long as eight months to develop. Certain frog species are known to dwell inside M. regularis colonies. ( Full article...)
-
Image 2Caprella mutica, commonly known as the Japanese skeleton shrimp, is a species of skeleton shrimp. They are relatively large caprellids, reaching a maximum length of 50 mm (2.0 in). They are sexually dimorphic, with the males usually being much larger than the females. They are characterized by their "hairy" first and second thoracic segments and the rows of spines on their bodies. Body color ranges from green to red to blue, depending on the environment. They are omnivorous highly adaptable opportunistic feeders. In turn, they provide a valuable food source for fish, crabs, and other larger predators. They are usually found in dense colonies attached to submerged man-made structures, floating seaweed, and other organisms. C. mutica are native to shallow protected bodies of water in the Sea of Japan. In as little as 40 years, they have become an invasive species in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and along the coasts of New Zealand. They are believed to have been accidentally introduced to these areas through the global maritime traffic and aquaculture. Outside of their native range, C. mutica are often exclusively synanthropic, being found in large numbers in and around areas of human activity. Their ecological and economic impact as an invasive species is unknown, but they pose a serious threat to native populations of skeleton shrimp in the affected areas. ( Full article...)
-
Image 3Eleanor Glanville (born Goodricke; first married name Ashfield; 1654–1709) was an English entomologist and naturalist, specialising in the study of butterflies and moths. She inherited family properties across Somersetshire and married twice (once widowed). She had seven children, four of whom survived to adulthood. After separating from her second husband in the late 1690s, Glanville returned to an early passion for butterfly collecting and established herself among the ranks of early insect enthusiasts, corresponding with other entomologists such as James Petiver and John Ray. Glanville sent multiple first-known butterfly specimens to Petiver, contributing to his British insect catalogue Gazophylacium naturae et artis, and her experiments in raising butterflies resulted in some of the earliest detailed descriptions of butterfly rearing. She is known for discovering the Glanville fritillary, the only native British butterfly named after a British naturalist. Three of Glanville's insect specimens still exist today in the Natural History Museum's Sloane collection. Towards the end of Glanville's life, her estranged husband made attempts to obtain her wealth through intimidation and the circulation of rumours, and she countered this by leaving her properties in trust and willing small legacies to her children. Her eldest son contested the will after her death, however, and argued that his mother's entomological pursuits and seemingly eccentric behaviour were enough to declare her will invalid on grounds of insanity. The will was overturned in 1712. ( Full article...)
-
Image 4Malacostraca is the second largest of the six classes of pancrustaceans behind insects, containing about 40,000 living species, divided among 16 orders. Its members, the malacostracans, display a great diversity of body forms and include crabs, lobsters, spiny lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill, prawns, isopods, amphipods, mantis shrimp, and many other less familiar animals. They are abundant in all marine environments and have colonised freshwater and terrestrial habitats. They are segmented animals, united by a common body plan comprising 20 body segments (rarely 21), and divided into a head, thorax, and abdomen. ( Full article...)
-
-
Image 6Thiratoscirtus mastigophorus is a species of jumping spider, a member of the family Salticidae, that lives in the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A member of the genus Thiratoscirtus, it is a small spider, with a cephalothorax that is typically between 1.8 and 1.9 mm long and an abdomen that is 1.7 and 2.2 mm in length. The female is larger than the male. It is generally brown on top with a darker eye field and light brown or greyish-brown underneath. The spider has brownish legs. Although some have yellow patches. The front pair of legs are longer, stouter and darker than the others. In many of its physical attributes, it is similar to other species in the genus. However, compared to Thiratoscirtus bipaniculus and Thiratoscirtus kalisia, with which it has many similarities, the spider can be identified by the structure of its copulatory organs. The male is particularly distinctive as it has a long whip-like embolus that springs from the base of the palpal bulb and follows an unusual path to end near the top of the cymbium. The shape of the embolus is referenced in the species name, which is derived from Greek words meaning 'whip' and 'one bearing a whip'. The species was first described in 2013. ( Full article...)
-
Image 7Carcinosoma (meaning "crab body") is a genus of eurypterid, an extinct group of aquatic arthropods. Fossils of Carcinosoma are likely restricted to deposits of late Silurian (Late Llandovery to Early Pridoli) age, although an Early Ordovician speciman has been classified as ?Carcinosoma aurorae, which would make this the earliest known eurypterid genus. Classified as part of the family Carcinosomatidae, which the genus lends its name to, Carcinosoma contains seven species from North America and Great Britain. Carcinosomatid eurypterids had unusual proportions and features compared to other eurypterids, with a broad abdomen, thin and long tail and spined and forward-facing walking appendages. They were not as streamlined as other groups but had considerably more robust and well developed walking appendages. In Carcinosoma, these spined walking appendages are thought to have been used to create a trap to capture prey in. The telson (the posteriormost division of the body) of Carcinosoma appears to have possessed distinct segmentation, Carcinosoma is the only known eurypterid to possess this feature. At 2.2 meters (7.2 ft) in length, the species C. punctatum is the largest carcinosomatoid eurypterid by far and is among the largest eurypterids overall, rivalling the large pterygotid eurypterids (such as Jaekelopterus) in size. Other species of the genus were considerably smaller, with most ranging from 70 centimeters (2.3 ft) to 100 centimeters (3.3 ft) in length. ( Full article...)
-
Image 8Afraflacilla tarajalis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Afraflacilla that lives around the Mediterranean Sea, including Greece, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. The spider is externally similar to the related Afraflacilla fayda, Afraflacilla mushrif and Afraflacilla roberti. The female is particularly hard to identify, although the large copulatory openings on its the external part of its copulatory organs, or epigyne, and, internally, its relatively short and wide tube-like spermathecae help to distinguish it. It is a small spider, measuring between 4.08 and 6.03 mm (0.16 and 0.24 in) in length. The female is generally light grey, sometimes darker and brownish, and have brown or orange stripes and a blackish spot on the rear part of body, its opisthosoma. The male is darker, greyish or brownish, and also has a dark stripe running down its opisthosoma, which is otherwise brown, reddish-brown or reddish-orange. It is this pattern that helps the spider hide amongst Tamarix trees that it lives amongst and after which it is named. ( Full article...)
-
Image 9
Drawing of the carapace of C. oculatus by its original descriptor, Stepan S. Kutorga (1838) is a genus of eurypterid, a group of extinct aquatic arthropods. Fossils of Campylocephalus have been discovered in deposits ranging from the Carboniferous period in the Czech Republic (the species C. salmi) to the Permian period of Russia (species C. oculatus and C. permianus). The generic name is composed of the Greek words καμπύλος ( kampýlos), meaning "curved", and κεφαλή ( kephalē), meaning "head". It was a member of the hibbertopterid family of eurypterids and probably looked much the same as the other members of the family, Hibbertopterus and Vernonopterus, in that it was a large, broad and heavy animal quite different from the famous swimming eurypterids (such as Pterygotus and Eurypterus) which had been common during earlier periods. Like all other stylonurine eurypterids, Campylocephalus completely lacked swimming paddles. Hibbertopterids such as Campylocephalus were, as many other families within the stylonurine suborder, sweep-feeders. Sweep-feeding food strategies involve specialized appendages with blades that could be used by the animals to rake through the substrate of their living environments in search for small prey items. ( Full article...)
-
Image 10Metanephrops challengeri ( commonly known as the New Zealand lobster or New Zealand scampi) is a species of slim, pink lobster that lives around the coast of New Zealand. It is typically 13–18 cm (5–7 in) long and weighs around 100 g (3.5 oz). The carapace and abdomen are smooth, and adults are white with pink and brown markings and a conspicuous pair of long, slim claws. M. challengeri lives in burrows at depths of 140–640 m (460–2,100 ft) in a variety of sediments. Although individuals can live for up to 15 years, the species shows low fecundity, where small numbers of larvae hatch at an advanced stage. M. challengeri is a significant prey item for ling, as well as being an important fishery species for human consumption; trawlers catch around 1,000 t (2,200,000 lb) per year under the limitations of New Zealand's Quota Management System. The species was first collected by the Challenger expedition of 1872–1876, but only described as separate from related species by Heinrich Balss in 1914. Although originally classified in the genus Nephrops, it was moved in 1972 to a new genus, Metanephrops, along with most other species then classified in Nephrops. ( Full article...)
-
Image 11Pholcus phalangioides, commonly known as the cosmopolitan cellar spider, long-bodied cellar spider, or one of various types called a daddy long-legs spider, is a spider of the family Pholcidae. It was first described in 1775 by the Swiss entomologist Johann Kaspar Füssli (his surname is also spelt Fuesslin) as Aranea phalangoides. Its common name of "daddy long-legs" should not be confused with a different arachnid group with the same common name, the harvestman (Opiliones), or the crane flies of the superfamily Tipuloidea. Females have a body length of about 8 mm while males tend to be slightly smaller. The length of the spider's legs are on average 5 or 6 times the length of its body. Pholcus phalangioides has a habit of living on the ceilings of rooms, caves, garages or cellars. This spider species is considered beneficial in parts of the world because it preys on other spiders, including species considered dangerous such as redback spiders. Pholcus phalangioides is known to be harmless to humans and a potential for the medicinal use of their silk has been reported. ( Full article...)
-
Image 12Thopha saccata, the double drummer, is the largest Australian species of cicada and reputedly the loudest insect in the world. Documented by the Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius in 1803, it was the first described and named cicada native to Australia. Its common name comes from the large dark red-brown sac-like pockets that the adult male has on each side of its abdomen—the "double drums"—that are used to amplify the sound it produces. Broad-headed compared with other cicadas, the double drummer is mostly brown with a black pattern across the back of its thorax, and has red-brown and black underparts. The sexes are similar in appearance, though the female lacks the male's tymbals and sac-like covers. Found in sclerophyll forest in Queensland and New South Wales, adult double drummers generally perch high in the branches of large eucalypts. They emerge from the ground where they have spent several years as nymphs from November until March, and live for another four to five weeks. They appear in great numbers in some years, yet are absent in others. ( Full article...)
-
Image 13Myrmecia inquilina is a species of ant endemic to Australia in the subfamily Myrmeciinae, first discovered in 1955 and described by Athol Douglas and William Brown Jr. in 1959. These ants are large, measuring 21.4 millimetres (0.84 in). During the time of its discovery, Douglas and Brown announced M. inquilina as the first social parasite among the primitive subfamilies, and today it is one of the two known Myrmecia species to have no worker caste. Two host species are known, Myrmecia nigriceps and Myrmecia vindex. Aggression between M. inquilina and its host species does not occur, and colonies may only produce M. inquilina brood months after the inquiline queens begin to lay their eggs. Queens eat the colony brood or trophic eggs, and other Myrmecia species may kill M. inquilina queens if they reject them. Due to its restricted distribution and threats to its habitat, the ant is " vulnerable" according to the IUCN Red List. ( Full article...)
-
Image 14Scorpions ( order Scorpiones) are predatory arachnids with eight legs, a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always ending with a stinger. The evolutionary history of scorpions goes back 435 million years. They mainly live in deserts but have adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions, and can be found on all continents except Antarctica. There are over 2,500 described species, with 22 extant (living) families recognized to date. Their taxonomy is being revised to account for 21st-century genomic studies. Scorpions primarily prey on insects and other invertebrates, but some species hunt vertebrates. They use their pincers to restrain and kill prey, or to prevent their own predation. The venomous sting is used for offense and defense. During courtship, the male and female grasp each other's pincers and dance while the male tries to move the female onto its sperm packet. All known species give live birth and the female cares for the young as their exoskeletons harden, transporting them on its back. The exoskeleton contains fluorescent chemicals and glows under ultraviolet light. The vast majority of species do not seriously threaten humans, and healthy adults usually do not need medical treatment after a sting. About 25 species (fewer than one percent) have venom capable of killing a human, which happens frequently in the parts of the world where they live, primarily where access to medical treatment is unlikely. ( Full article...)
-
Image 15Strabops is a genus of strabopid, an extinct group of arthropods. Strabops is known from a single specimen from the Late Cambrian ( Furongian age) of the Potosi Dolomite, Missouri, collected by a former professor, Arthur Thacher. It is classified in the family Strabopidae of the monotypic order Strabopida, a group closely related to the aglaspidids with uncertain affinities. The generic name is composed by the Ancient Greek words στραβός, meaning "squinting", and ὄψῐς, meaning "face" (and therefore, "squinting face"). The history of Strabops has been turbulent and confusing since its original description by Charles Emerson Beecher, who classified it as a eurypterid. Many authors do not agree with this and have classified Strabops and its allies as part of the Aglaspidida order, while others classify them in their own order. Although the latter is the taxonomic position currently accepted, other paleontologists prefer to simply omit the strabopids from their analyzes due to the poor preservation of their fossils. In addition, it has been suggested that the closely related Paleomerus represents a synonym of Strabops, which are uniquely differentiated by the size of the telson (the posteriormost division of the body) and the position of the eyes. ( Full article...)
The following are images from various arthropod-related articles on Wikipedia.
-
Image 1A shed carapace of a lady crab, part of the hard exoskeleton
-
Image 2Ghost crab, showing a variety of integument types in its exoskeleton, with transparent biomineralization over the eyes, strong biomineralization over the pincers, and tough chitin fabric in the joints and the bristles on the legs (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
-
Image 3Reconstruction of Mollisonia plenovenatrix, the oldest known arthropod with confirmed chelicerae (from Chelicerata)
-
Image 4Arthropleura, an arthropleuridean. (from Myriapoda)
-
Image 5Formation of anterior segments across arthropod taxa based on gene expression and neuroanatomical observations, Note the chelicera(Ch) and chelifore(Chf) arose from somite 1 and thus correspond to the first antenna(An/An1) of other arthropods. (from Chelicerata)
-
Image 6Norway lobsters on sale at a Spanish market
-
Image 7Holotype of the xiphosuran Lunataspis aurora (from Chelicerata)
-
Image 8This female Pandinus scorpion has heavily sclerotised chelae, tail and dorsum, but has flexible lateral areas to allow for expansion when gravid (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
-
Image 9In honeypot ant repletes, the abdomens of the workers that hold the sugar solution grow vastly, but only the unsclerotised cuticle can stretch, leaving the unstretched sclerites as dark islands on the clear abdomen (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
-
Image 10This Zoea-stage larva is hardly recognisable as a crab, but each time it sheds its cuticle it remodels itself, eventually taking on its final crab form (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
-
Image 11Mature queen of a termite colony, showing how the unsclerotised cuticle stretches between the dark sclerites that failed to stretch as the abdomen grew to accommodate her ovaries (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
-
Image 12Tachypodoiulus niger, a millipede. (from Myriapoda)
-
Image 133D model of Tanglangia longicaudata. en=endopod, ex=exopod (from Megacheira)
-
-
Image 15The head of an ant: Chitin reinforced with sclerotisation (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
-
Image 16Body structure of a typical crustacean – krill (from Crustacean)
-
Image 17Some of the various hypotheses of myriapod phylogeny. Morphological studies (trees a and b) support a sister grouping of Diplopoda and Pauropoda, while studies of DNA or amino acid similarities suggest a variety of different relationships, including the relationship of Pauropoda and Symphyla in tree c. (from Myriapoda)
-
-
-
Image 20The fangs in spiders' chelicerae are so sclerotised as to be greatly hardened and darkened (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
-
Image 21 This fully-grown robber crab has tough fabric forming its joints, delicate biomineralized cuticle over its sensory antennae, optic-quality over its eyes, and strong, calcite-reinforced chitin armouring its body and legs; its pincers can break into coconuts (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
-
Image 22A pauropod belonging to the family Eurypauropodidae. (from Myriapoda)
-
Image 23Zoea larva of the European lobster, Homarus gammarus
-
Image 24Crab larva barely recognisable as a crab, radically changes its form when it undergoes ecdysis as it matures (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
-
Image 25 Honeybee larvae have flexible but delicate unsclerotised cuticles. (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
-
Image 26Eggs of Potamon fluviatile, a freshwater crab
-
-
-
Image 29Decapods, from Ernst Haeckel's 1904 work Kunstformen der Natur (from Crustacean)
-
Image 30The house centipede Scutigera coleoptrata has rigid sclerites on each body segment. Supple chitin holds the sclerites together and connects the segments flexibly. Similar chitin connects the joints in the legs. Sclerotised tubular leg segments house the leg muscles, their nerves and attachments, leaving room for the passage of blood to and from the hemocoel (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
-
Image 31A species of Scutigerella, a genus of Symphylan. (from Myriapoda)
-
Image 32Copepods, from Ernst Haeckel's 1904 work Kunstformen der Natur (from Crustacean)
-
Image 33Time series photos of a Tibicen Dog Day Cicada moulting in Ohio USA. (from Arthropod exoskeleton)
Featured pictures are displayed here, which represent the finest images on English Wikipedia.
-
Image 1Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim
-
-
Image 3Photograph: Muhammad Mahdi Karim
-
Image 4Photo credit: Piccolo Namek The orb-weaver spiders (family Araneidae) are the familiar builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields and forests. The family is a large one, including over 2800 species in over 160 genera worldwide, making it the third largest known (behind Salticidae and Linyphiidae). The web has always been thought of as an engineering marvel.
-
Image 5Photo credit: Didier Descouens
-
Image 6Photo credit: Noodle snacks The Forest scorpion ( Cercophonius squama) is a scorpion native to southeastern Australia and Tasmania. The body is 25 to 40 millimetres (0.98 to 1.57 in) long, and coloured creamy yellow to orange brown with dark brown variegations. The legs are yellow with some dark brown pigment.
-
-
Image 8The Polyphemus Moth (Anthera polyphemus) is one the biggest moths, having a wingspan of up to 15 cm. Usually found in forests, moths are notable for apparently being attracted to light, the reason for this behaviour is not known.
-
-
-
Image 11Photograph credit: Charles James Sharp Planthoppers are insects in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha. This photograph shows three adult Phromnia rosea planthoppers on a stem, with three nymphs underneath; the adults fold their wings in a tent-like fashion, while the nymphs are clad in a dense tangle of white wax threads. Both the adults and the nymphs feed by sucking sap from the host plant.
-
Image 12Photo credit: liquidGhoul
-
Image 13A mole cricket, an insect belonging to the Gryllotalpidae family. Mole crickets are common insects, found on every continent except Antarctica, but because they are nocturnal and spend nearly all their lives underground in extensive tunnel systems, they are rarely seen. This specimen is likely to be Gryllotalpa brachyptera and is about 3.5 cm (1.4 in.) in size.
-
Image 14Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim The Globe Skimmer ( Pantala flavescens) is the most widespread dragonfly species on the planet, found between about the 40th parallels of latitude, or where the annual mean temperature is above 20 °C (68 °F), except in Europe where there are only occasional sightings.
-
-
Image 16Photograph credit: Didier Descouens Pieris brassicae, the large white, is a species of butterfly in the family Pieridae, common in Europe, Asia and North Africa. The larva pictured here, which was found at a market in Fronton, France, is a serious pest of plants in the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The eggs are laid in batches on the undersides of the leaves of plants rich in mustard-oil glucosides, and consumption of these substances as they chew the leaves makes the larvae distasteful; the bright colouration of the larvae signals to predators that they taste bad. Additionally, the adult butterflies emit an unpleasant smell and display warning colours.
-
Image 17Two Melangyna viridiceps (called Common Hoverflies in Australia) mating in mid-air. The male, which can be identified by the eyes meeting at the top of its head, is on top. The term "hoverfly" refers to about 6,000 species of flying insects in the family Syrphidae. They are often seen hovering at flowers and are important pollinators.
-
Image 18Photo credit: Basile Morin Xylotrupes socrates (Siamese rhinoceros beetle, or "fighting beetle"), male, on a banana leaf. This scarab beetle is particularly known for its role in insect fighting in Northern Laos and Thailand.
-
-
Image 20Photo credit: Tom Friedel Two Eastern Lubber grasshoppers ( Romalea guttata) mating. Native to the southeastern and south central portion of the United States, it is well known both for its size and its unique coloration. During reproduction, the male grasshopper introduces sperm into the ovipositor through its aedeagus (reproductive organ), and inserts its spermatophore, a package containing the sperm, into the female's ovipositor.
-
Image 21Photograph credit: Charles James Sharp Zonocerus variegatus, the variegated grasshopper, is a species of grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae native to tropical western and central Africa. It feeds on a wide variety of plant foods and causes damage to crops, particularly cassava, groundnuts and vegetables, as well as transmitting diseases caused by mosaic viruses between plants. This Z. variegatus grasshopper was photographed in the Bobiri Forest in Ghana.
-
-
Image 23Photo credit: André Karwath The Ozyptila praticola species of crab spider is found throughout Europe and the Middle East. They do not build webs to trap prey, but are active hunters. Crab spiders are so named because of their first two pairs of legs, which are held out to the side giving them a crab-like appearance. Also, like crabs, these spiders move sideways and backwards more easily than forwards.
-
- † indicates an extinct taxon.
Featured articles
Featured lists
Good articles
Featured images
- Featured image set: butterfly wing magnifications
- File:Abantiades Laptipennis.jpg
- File:Acrididae grasshopper-2.jpg
- File:Adult citrus root weevil, Diaprepes abbreviatus.jpg
- File:Aedes aegypti.jpg
- File:Aeshna cyanea freshly slipped L2.jpg
- File:American Bird Grasshopper.jpg
- File:Ampulex compressa.jpg
- File:Anthomyiidae sp. 1 (aka).jpg
- File:Anthomyiidae sp.jpg
- File:Ants eating cicada, jjron 22.11.2009.jpg
- File:Apis mellifera carnica worker hive entrance 3.jpg
- File:Apis mellifera flying.jpg
- File:Arachnis picta edit1.jpg
- File:Araneus heroine.jpg
- File:Arctiidae caterpillar edit.jpg
- File:Argiope sp.jpg
- File:Assassin bug aug08 02.jpg
- File:Aus soldier Crab.jpg
- File:Australian painted lady feeding.jpg
- File:Austroaeschna tasmanica 2.jpg
- File:Austroagrion watsoni.jpg
- File:Austroicetes frater.jpg
- File:Austroicetes vulgaris.jpg
- File:Austrolestes analis.jpg
- File:Austrolestes annulosus.jpg
- File:Austrolestes cingulatus male.jpg
- File:Austrolestes cingulatus03.jpg
- File:Battus philenor 02.jpg
- File:Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo.jpg
- File:Bee March 2008-10.jpg
- File:bee_pollenating_a_rose.jpg
- File:Bees Collecting Pollen 2004-08-14.jpg
- File:Beetle-Bessbug.jpg
- File:Bembix sp.jpg
- File:Bengalia sp.jpg
- File:Black soldier flies mating.jpg
- File:Brachypelma edit.jpg
- File:Brahmaea wallichii insulata (Brahmeid Moth) wb edit.jpg
- File:Bullant head detail.jpg
- File:Bumblebee October 2007-3a.jpg
- File:Butterfly April 2008-2a.jpg
- File:Butterfly August 2008-3.jpg
- File:Butterfly vindula arsinoe.jpg
- File:Cairns birdwing - melbourne zoo.jpg
- File:Caliphrodae_head.jpg
- File:Calliphora augur whitebackground.jpg
- File:Calliphora sp Portrait.jpg
- File:Calliphora vomitoria edit.jpg
- File:Calliphora vomitoria Portrait.jpg
- File:Calocoris affinis.jpg
- File:Calopteryx virgo male.jpg
- File:Camponotus sp. ant.jpg
- File:Carpilius convexus is consuming Heterocentrotus trigonarius in Hawaii.jpg
- File:Cercophonius squama.jpg
- File:Ceriagrion glabrum female.jpg
- File:Ceriagrion glabrum male panorama.jpg
- File:Cethosia cyane.jpg
- File:Cetonia-aurata.jpg
- File:CH Caterpillar.jpg
- File:Ch.megacephala wiki.jpg
- File:Chalcostephia flavifrons.jpg
- File:Charaxes brutus natalensis.jpg
- File:Chrysomya albiceps eating.jpg
- File:Chrysopa sp. AF 1.jpg
- File:Chrysopilus Snipe fly.jpg
- File:Chthamalus stellatus.jpg
- File:Cicada molting animated-2.gif
- File:Citrus Swallowtail Papilio demodocus.jpg
- File:Clerid beetle04.jpg
- File:Coenagrionidae2.jpg
- File:Common brown robberflies mating.jpg
- File:Common brown robberfly with prey.jpg
- File:Common Eggfly02 - melbourne zoo.jpg
- File:Common grass blue.jpg
- File:Common jassid nymph and ant02.jpg
- File:Coryphistes ruricola.jpg
- File:Craticulina sp.jpg
- File:Culex pipiens diagram en.svg
- File:Culex restuans larva diagram en.svg
- File:Culex sp larvae.png
- File:Culex sp..jpg
- File:Damselfly October 2007 Osaka Japan.jpg
- File:Danaid Eggfly Hypolimnas misippus.jpg
- File:Dark Small-branded Swift.jpg
- File:Darkling beetle.jpg
- File:Darter August 2007-22 edit.jpg
- File:Dirce Beauty Colobura dirce.jpg
- File:Dolichomitus imperator Oviposition R Bartz.jpg
- File:Dragonfly compound eyes02.jpg
- File:Dragonfly macro.jpg
- File:Dragonfly morphology edit 3.svg
- File:Drohnenpuppen 79d.jpg
- File:Drone flies mating.jpg
- File:Drone fly feeding on marigold.jpg
- File:Dungeness crab face closeup.jpg
- File:Emerus feae.jpg
- File:Emperor Gum Moth.jpg
- File:Empis livida (aka).jpg
- File:Enallagma cyathigerum 1(loz).jpg
- File:Eriphia verrucosa male 2009 G5.jpg
- File:Eristalinus fuscicornis.jpg
- File:Eristalinus megacephalus.jpg
- File:Eristalinus October 2007-6.jpg
- File:Eryphanis_sp.jpg
- File:European wasp white bg.jpg
- File:Eusthenia sp.jpg
- File:Evania appendigaster.jpg
- File:Face of a Southern Yellowjacket Queen (Vespula squamosa).jpg
- File:Female Tetraloniella sp edit1.jpg
- File:Fiddler beetle nov07.jpg
- File:Flesh fly concentrating food.jpg
- File:Flower spider with moth02.jpg
- File:FlyingBugPollinating-Oct15-lighter-cleaner.jpg
- File:Garden orb weaver05.jpg
- File:Gminatus australis with Beetle.jpg
- File:Golden stag beetle.jpg
- File:Graphium caterpillar.jpg
- File:Graphium macleayanus.jpg
- File:Graphomya eustolia crop.jpg
- File:Grapsus grapsus Galapagos Islands.jpg
- File:Green Grass-Dart.jpg
- File:Green tent spider.jpg
- File:Grosser Wollschweber Bombylius major detail edit.jpg
- File:Haeckel Arachnida.jpg
- File:Heliconius erato Richard Bartz.jpg
- File:Heliconius melpomene 2b Richard Bartz.jpg
- File:Hermetia illucens Black soldier fly edit1.jpg
- File:Holoplatys semiplanata with scale02.jpg
- File:Homoneura sp wb2.jpg
- File:Homoneura sp02.jpg
- File:Honeybee landing on milkthistle02.jpg
- File:HookeFlea01.jpg
- File:Horehound Bug apr07 edit.jpg
- File:Hornet-vespa.jpg
- File:Housefly mating.jpg
- File:Housefly on a leaf crop.jpg
- File:Hoverflies mating midair.jpg
- File:Hoverfly December 2007-8.jpg
- File:Hoverfly January 2008-6.jpg
- File:Hoverfly07.jpg
- File:IC Macroglossum stellatarum1 NR.jpg
- File:Ichneumonidae mating.jpg
- File:Idea leuconoe Weiße Baumnymphe crop.jpg
- File:Inachis io top detail MichaD.jpg
- File:Inachis io top MichaD.jpg
- File:Inachis_io_Lill-Jansskogen.JPG
- File:Ischnura heterosticta02.jpg
- File:Ixodus ricinus 5x.jpg
- File:Jalmenus-evagoras-ventral.jpg
- File:Joined moths.JPG
- File:Jumping spider with prey.jpg
- File:Junonia villida 2.jpg
- File:Junonia villida tas.jpg
- File:Large brown mantid close up nohair.jpg
- File:Large brown mantid07 edit.jpg
- File:Lime Butterfly Papilio demoleus.jpg
- File:Long legged fly.jpg
- File:Long nosed weevil edit.jpg
- File:Long tongue tachinid fly edit.jpg
- File:Longhorn beetle Cerambycinae.jpg
- File:Lophyra sp Tiger beetle edit1.jpg
- File:Lubber.jpg
- File:Lycosidae female carrying young.jpg
- File:Macrotona australis laying eggs.jpg
- File:Macroxiphus sp cricket.jpg
- File:Male yellow flower wasp02.jpg
- File:Marbled Orb Weaver.jpg
- File:Meat eater ant qeen excavating hole.jpg
- File:Metrioptera roeseli male Richard Bartz.jpg
- File:Metriorrhynchus rhipidius02.jpg
- File:Microphoto-butterflywing.jpg
- File:Miomantis paykullii Luc Viatour.jpg
- File:Mole cricket02.jpg
- File:Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus on Echinacea purpurea 2800px.jpg
- File:Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus on Milkweed Hybrid 2800px.jpg
- File:Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus Tagged Closeup 3008px.jpg
- File:Mosquito Tasmania crop.jpg
- File:Mouse spider.jpg
- File:Musca domestica Portrait.jpg
- File:Myrmecia forficata.jpg
- File:Oncometopia orbona Kaldari.jpg
- File:Orb weaver black bckgrnd03 crop.jpg
- File:Orthetrum chrysostigma.jpg
- File:Oxya yezoensis November 2007 Osaka Japan Edit2.jpg
- File:Ozyptila praticola - front (aka).jpg
- File:P1160778 Melitaea athalia.jpg
- File:Pachygrapsus_marmoratus_2008_G1.jpg
- File:Pachygrapsus_marmoratus_2009_G4.jpg
- File:Panorpa communis 2 Luc Viatour.jpg
- File:Paralucia aurifer.jpg
- File:Pasture day moth caterpillar02.jpg
- File:Peablue October 2007 Osaka Japan.jpg
- File:Peacock mite, Tuckerella sp.jpg
- File:Pegesimallus sp robberfly.jpg
- File:Pelopidas sp.jpg
- File:Perga sp. AF 2 edit1.jpg
- File:Periclimenes imperator (Emperor shrimp) on Bohadschia argus (Sea cucumber).jpg
- File:Phaneroptera sp.jpg
- File:Phaon iridipennis.jpg
- File:Philaethria hecale 2 Richard Bartz.jpg
- File:Pieris sp 3.jpg
- File:Pisaura mirabilis on Plantago lanceolata.jpg
- File:Plectroctena sp ants.jpg
- File:Polistes sp wasp.jpg
- File:Praying_mantis_india.jpg
- File:Pseudalmenus chlorinda.jpg
- File:Pseudatelus sp..jpg
- File:Punctate Flower Chafer.jpg
- File:Redeye cicada02.jpg
- File:Rhithrogena_germanica_subimago_on_Equisetum_hyemale.jpg
- File:Robal.png
- File:Rust Mite, Aceria anthocoptes.jpg
- File:Salticidae sp. AF.jpg
- File:Salticidae_sp._AF_2.jpg
- File:Sand wasp feeding edit1.jpg
- File:Sarcophaga Bercaea2.jpg
- File:Sarcophaga ruficornis fleshfly mating.jpg
- File:Sarcophaga_nodosa.jpg
- File:Sawfly larvae - Pergidae sp.jpg
- File:Sceliodes cordalis.jpg
- File:Sceliphron spirifex TZ edit1.jpg
- File:Scheme ant worker anatomy-en.svg
- File:Schnepfenfliege Rhagio scolopaceus2.jpg
- File:Schwarze Habichtsfliege Dioctria atricapilla.jpg
- File:SEM image of a Peacock wing, slant view 1.JPG
- File:SEM image of a Peacock wing, slant view 2.JPG
- File:SEM image of a Peacock wing, slant view 3.JPG
- File:SEM image of a Peacock wing, slant view 4.JPG
- File:Sibylla pretiosa Cryptic mantis Luc Viatour.jpg
- File:Skorpionsfliege Panorpa communis male full.jpg
- File:Soldierfly.jpg
- File:Sphegina montana Syrphidae.jpg
- File:Spider and bee June 2008-1.jpg
- File:Spider_internal_anatomy-en.svg
- File:Squash bug Coreidae hz.jpg
- File:Squilla mantis (l'Ametlla) brighter and quality.jpg
- File:Stomoxys calcitrans on aloe vera.jpg
- File:Sympetrum flaveolum - side (aka).jpg
- File:Syrphidae poster.jpg
- File:Tachina fly Gonia capitata feeding honey.jpg
- File:Tachinidae.jpg
- File:Tachysphex specie edit1.jpg
- File:Tau Emerald inflight edit.jpg
- File:Thiodina puerpera female 02.jpg
- File:Thomas Bresson - Machaon-1 (by) edit.jpg
- File:Tobacco Hornworm 1.jpg
- File:Traumatic insemination 1 edit1.jpg
- File:Trithemis annulata.jpg
- File:Trithemis kirbyi.jpg
- File:Triops-longicaudatus-dorsal-ventral-edit2.jpg
- File:Two-lined gum treehopper03.jpg
- File:Ulysses Butterfly - melbourne zoo.jpg
- File:Vanessa January 2008-2.jpg
- File:Varroa destructor on honeybee host.jpg
- File:Vespa crabro germana with prey Richard Bartz Crop.jpg
- File:Wandering glider horizontal edit1.jpg
- File:Wasp August 2007-12.jpg
- File:Wasp colony.jpg
- File:Wasp July 2008-1.jpg
- File:Wasp March 2008-1.jpg
- File:Wasp May 2008-11.jpg
- File:Wasp mimicking hoverfly.jpg
- File:Wasp morphology.png
- File:Weevil September 2008-1.jpg
- File:Western tent caterpillars Malacosoma californicum in Joshua Tree NP.jpg
- File:Yellow mite (Tydeidae) Lorryia formosa 2 edit.jpg
- File:Yellow mite (Tydeidae), Lorryia formosa.jpg
- File:Yellow striped hunter mating.jpg
- File:Young grasshopper on grass stalk02.jpg
- File:Zizina labradus-Butterfly-on-Rose SC,-EG-Vic,-23.2.2008.jpg
|
Select [►] to view subcategories
Arthropods Arthropods by year of formal description Arthropods by classification
- WikiProject Tree of Life
- WikiProject Animals
- WikiProject Arthropods
- WikiProject Spiders
- WikiProject Insects
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.
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
Discover Wikipedia using portals
-
List of all portals
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Random portal
-
WikiProject Portals
-
|