Fig. 161. Limulus.

A-Dorsal view. B-Ventral

161. Limulus view.

Classification
Phylum .. .Arthropoda
Jointed limbs.
Class ..Arachnida
Terrestrial or aquatic
arthropods with book-lungs or trachea and without
antennae, mandibles and jaws.
Order .. . Xiphosura
Delobranchiate in which carapace is covered
Type .Limulus (The king crab)
..
by horseshoe shaped
carapace.
Habit and habitat : Limulus is marine
found in muddy bottom, 2 to 6
rawling in sand for food. The king crab lives fathoms deep, partly buried and
in shallow water
the sand and mud and eats worms and along the shore, where it burrows in
small animals. It comes to
to breed. sandy beaches in the early summer

Distribution:It inhabits eastern coast of Asia and

its island and eastern
Nova Scotia to Florida. It has restricted and
cost of North American from
discontinuous distribution.
Comments
(1) Commonly called as King crab.
(2) Body is differentiated into a broad horseshoe-shaped prosoma and small
a
nearly triangular
opisthosoma. Body regions are cephalothorax, abdomen and a long spike like telson or tail.
3) Prosoma is convex above with sloping sides. It contains one median and two lateral
longitudinal
ridges.
(4) Prosoma is covered by a large semicircular carapace and joined to opisthosoma by a broad hinge.
The prosomatic appendages are first pair of chelate chelicerae, while 2-7 segments bear a pair of
chelate walking legs each.
)Carapace also bears one pair of median and two large composite sub-dorsal or lateral eyes.
1381 Study of Museum Specimens
(6) Opisthosoma comprises of six segments, the mesosoma, a vestigial metasoma and a long spine like
Telson. Mesosoma contains 6 pairs of immovable
spines.
(7) Chelicerae are 3-jointed small and chelate.
(8) Legs are biramous and the last pair are not paddle-shaped.
9) First pair of mesosomatic appendages form the genital operculum. Opisthosoma has book gills. The
post anal caudal spine is hinged and freely movable.
(10) Young are planktonic larvae (Trilobite stage).
Special features Limulus has majestic look and hence it is called as king crab. Limulus has been
from Paleozoic period when it was abundant and only five species of it, known since
reported
Triassic period, are living today, so it has The king
long fossil history. crabs although of large size
have little economic importance. Sometimes they are fed to chicken
and pigs.
and all above features, hence it is King
Identification Since the specimen contains semicircular carapace
crab.
 1. Tentacles present. Body transparent.
2. Tube feet. Respiratory tree absent.
Ex. Synapta
188. Antedon
Classification
Phylum. .Echinodermata Coelomate, pentaradiate and spiny skinned animals with vascular system.
Sub-phylum.. .Pelmatozoa Sedentary throughout life.
Class ..Crinoidea Attachment by aboral stalk, Pedicellariae spines and madreporite absent.
Order Articulata Central disc covered by a movable tegmen having various ossicles. Food
grooves open.
Type Antedon (The Feather Star)
...

Habit and habitat: Antedon is marine and about 2 fathoms

occurs deep and remains attached to rocks
by ciri from central disc. They are gregarious forms and fecd on microscopic living organisms
Distribution : It has world wide distribution found in all seas and at all
depths down to 5,800 meters. It
is especially found along Atlantic coast in 25 to 500 fathoms form Chesa
peake Bay to the banks of
Newfoundland. The members are known form lower Cambrian to Recent.
Comments
(1) Commonly called on sea-lily or feather-star.
(2) On the aboral side calyx bears a knob-like structure called as centrodorsal plate or stalk.
(3) The calyx is differentiated into an upper convex oral surface, having mouth and anus and the lowe
flat aboral surface, into which arms and cirri are inserted.
pinnules
>pirinules

arms

arms
calyx
oral
Surface of
central disc
centrodor
plate or
AAANCIN

AVAD TANANALA
-calyx

anus
mouth cirn
embulacral
groovesS aboral cirri
A B
Fig. 188. Antedon. A-Entire, B-Central disc in aboral view.
(Z-20)
Study of Museum Specimens
163
(4) On the aboral side calyx bears a knob-like structure, called as stung of the stalk.
(5) The oral surface is covered
by a
leathery skin in which
calcareous plates are embedded.
numerous
directed upwards.
It is
(6) Mouth is central and directed upwards which leads into 5
food open grooves or ambulacral
grooves, Which divide into 10 they
reach near the edge and lead into the arms. The
as
surrounded by sensory tube feet mouth is
or
podia which are without suckers. The ambulacral
groovesS gve
branches into each pinnule and
throughout their course contain fingur-like, non-prehensile tube feet or
podia. Water vascular system is well developed. There is no madreporite.
(7) There are 10 arms having extensions of viscera
and each bears numerous
gonads.
pinnules containing
(8) The cirri are emerging from aboral surface and are composed of skeletal ossicles.
9) Sea-lily attaches to substratum by cirri. Anus on aboral surface.
(10) It is of the living representatives of the class Crinoidea. Sexes are
one
separate. Development
includes cystidian and pentacrinoid larva.
Identification: Since the specimen contains aboral cirri and all above feature, hence it is Antedon
 ence it 15 Echeneis.
45. Pleuronectes : Flat Fish
Classification : Same as in
Notopterus.
Order .. . Pleuronectiformes
Flat-fish
Family Pleuronectidae
Type Pleuronectes
Geographical distribution : Pleuronectes is found in South
America, India Malayasia
hemisphere. Upper Eocene to Recent. and Southern
Habit and habitat: Pleuronectes is a marine bottom dweller in
coastal waters lying on side. It
molluscs. It swims by undulating movements. feeds on
Indian water flat-fish is
colouration. characterized by banded
Comments
(1) Commonly called as flat-fish. Body divided into head, trunk
and tail.
(2)
(2) Fish is strongly compressed and
asymmetrically flattened. Head is asymmetrical, the
cranium is normal but anterior cranium is twisted with two orbits posterior
on one side in the adult and
the fish is sinistral. Eyes are found on left side. In some hence
cases eyes can be dextral i.e.
right side. Nostrils also on left side. lying on

(3) Body scales are imbricate. Cycloid or ctenoid.

trunk
pectoral fin
dorsal fin

both eyes head lateral line

on left side
nostril caudal fin

mouth

operculum-
tail

ventral fin anal fin

Fig. 45. Pleuronectes

 541 Study of Museum Specimens S

(4) Mouth is narrow and protractile. It has 'sharp chisel-like teeth on the jaws and flattened crushing (S
teeth in the pharynx.
(5) Right side is white, left side is pigmented while lower side silvery white.
is

(6) The dorsal and anal fins are elongated, expanded and continue upto beginning of tail. Dorsal and
anal fins supported by fin rays. Pectoral fins are placed high up and ventral fin below pectoral fin. (
Caudal fin fan shaped.
(7) Air baldder is physoclistous. Lateral line and operculum present spiracle absent.
Economic importance : The flat-fish is also an important food fish and is sought commercially to a

great extent.
but adult fish It lies
Special features Young Pleuronectes is bilaterally symmetrical, is asymmetrical.
both eyes
on oneside and lower eye migrates
fish has flat
around so
that are
left
on
upper surface.
and above features, hence it s
Identification Since this body, both eyes on

Pleuronectes.
56. Proteus: Olm
Classification: Same as that of Necturus. Austria, and C
Europe,
distribution: Proteus is distributed in South Eastern
Geographical
Eocene to Recent.
in underground Sucad
inhabits waters of deep caves in perfect darkness
Habit and habitat : Proteus
never exceeds more than 50'F. It feeds on small crustaceans.
Temperature
Comments
or cave salamander.
(1) Commonly known as olm skin. Body divided into head,
20-25 cm in length and covered with unpigmented
(2) Body is elongated,
trunk and tail.
in head are without eyelids.
deep
(3) Head is broad. Rudimentary eyes sunken forelimb 3 digits.
a hind-limb contains 2 digits and a
(4) Limbs are poorly developed, also
and two pairs of gill-slits are persistent. Lungs
Three pairs of carmine-coloured external gills fresh air in
(5) out a bubble of air and engulfs
present.The animal often rises to the surface, gives
lungs. Maxillaries absent. Premaxillaries, vomers and mandibles
Both jaws have teeth.
(6) Skull cartilaginous.
toothed. Vertebrae amphicoelous.
tail provided with caudal fin.
(7) Locomotion by flattened and compressed
Proteus is
permanenta neotenic larva with 3 pairs of gills. Presence of permanent
Special features
slits and teeth in both jaws are some of the important characters.
tail, weak limbs, gills and gill
contains 3 pairs of gils, limbs and pointed tail with tail fin and above
Identification: Since the animal
Proteus.
features, hence it is

external gills trunk laterally compressed tail tail caudal fin

1wwwwi

head
riostril

eye forelimb
hindlimb
Fig. 56. Proteus
 chelicea

160. Aranea: Spider

Classification:
Phylum . . . Arthropoda Jointed limbs. carapace of
Class-. Arachnida Terrestrial or aquatic arthropods
walking prosoma
and legs
with book-lungs or trachea pedicel
without antennae mandibles an
jaws.
which
Order...Araneida Embolo branchiates in
prosoma possesses 2 jointed
-opisthosoma
non-chelate chelicerae and

non-chelate pedipalps.
anus
Type Aranea
oposterior spinnerets
Habit and habitat: Aranea is commonly found in houses a poster
Fig. 160. Aranea.
gardens having cosmopolitan distribution. It is carnivorous,
feeding on small insects by hunting or in ensnaring U.>.A.
Bangladesh and
DIstribution : It is found in India, Africa, New Zealand, Burma,

Comments:
(1) Commonly called as spider. covered with hairs of
but is more or less densely
1 n t e g u m e n t 1s never entirely
smooth and glabrous
or in the shape
of bristles, scales, clubs or spines.
there being simple, plumose,
many varieties, which is superficially
differentiated into an anterior prosoma and a posterior opisthosoma
6 ) Body is
limbless. They are often brightly coloured. covered by carapace
narrow pedicel. Prosoma is
Prosoma and opisthosoma are joined by a delicate
(4)
having 8 ocelli and appendages.
sub-chelate small chelicerae containing poison glands and six jointed
(5) Head appendages are
pedipalps.
(6) Segments 4-7 bear walking legs.
soft, rounded and without telson.
(7) Opisthosoma is segmented,contains anus and 4 pairs of spinnerets spinning organs, which produce
(8) Last part of opisthosoma
silken threads for the construction of spider web.
are b0ok-lungs.
9) Respiratory organs sexua
are malpighlan tubules and coxal glands. Sexes are separate with distinct
(10) Excretory organs
dimorphism.
construct webs of various types, reticular webs, sheet webs, funnel we
Special features: The spiders ion
orb webs. Some spiders are vagabonds and make silk tents only for their protecto
and geometric ged
with a hing
while moulting or for wintering. Trap door spiders protect the mouth of their burrows
door. t is
specimen has spinnerets spinning organs and all above features, hence
Identification: Since the
spider