Arthropoda

Arthropods 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.

Arthropoda

Cédric Aria, Fangchen Zhao, Han Zeng, Jin Guo, Maoyan Zhu Diego C. García-Bellido, Jean Vannier, Desmond Collins Char… · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Also called
arthropodPBDB
Sits inside
PanarthropodaPBDB
Motility
actively mobilePBDB

Time the record covers

At least 515 million years on record.

The record covers at least 521 Mya to 5.333 Mya. No occurrence read is dated outside 538.8 Mya to 3.6 Mya.

Cambrian — about 3141 of 12000 occurrencesCambrianOrdovician — about 4725 of 12000 occurrencesSilurian — about 1098 of 12000 occurrencesDevonian — about 1807 of 12000 occurrencesDevonianCarboniferous — about 782 of 12000 occurrencesCarboniferousPermian — about 67 of 12000 occurrencesPermianEarly Triassic — about 0 of 12000 occurrencesMiddle Triassic — about 0 of 12000 occurrencesLate Triassic — about 1 of 12000 occurrencesEarly Jurassic — about 0 of 12000 occurrencesMiddle Jurassic — about 0 of 12000 occurrencesLate Jurassic — about 19 of 12000 occurrencesEarly Cretaceous — about 55 of 12000 occurrencesLate Cretaceous — about 149 of 12000 occurrencesPaleocene — about 45 of 12000 occurrencesEocene — about 94 of 12000 occurrencesOligocene — about 13 of 12000 occurrencesMiocene — about 3 of 12000 occurrencesPliocene — about 1 of 12000 occurrencesPleistocene — about 0 of 12000 occurrences550–531 Mya — about 8 occurrences531–513 Mya — about 294 occurrences513–495 Mya — about 1875 occurrences495–476 Mya — about 2159 occurrences476–458 Mya — about 1589 occurrences458–440 Mya — about 2095 occurrences440–421 Mya — about 893 occurrences421–403 Mya — about 840 occurrences403–385 Mya — about 789 occurrences385–366 Mya — about 199 occurrences366–348 Mya — about 143 occurrences348–330 Mya — about 518 occurrences330–311 Mya — about 89 occurrences311–293 Mya — about 94 occurrences293–275 Mya — about 14 occurrences275–256 Mya — about 23 occurrences256–238 Mya — about 0.4 occurrences238–220 Mya — about 0.3 occurrences220–201 Mya — about 0.7 occurrences165–147 Mya — about 13 occurrences147–128 Mya — about 14 occurrences128–110 Mya — about 35 occurrences110–92 Mya — about 27 occurrences92–73 Mya — about 9 occurrences73–55 Mya — about 173 occurrences55–37 Mya — about 80 occurrences37–18 Mya — about 25 occurrences18–0 Mya — about 2 occurrences521 Mya5.333 Mya550 Mya0 Mya

12,000+ occurrences of Arthropoda on record. The Paleobiology Database records this as a living group, and the chart stops with its fossils rather than at the present. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

12,000 occurrences read

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. The read hit its cap, so every figure above is a floor and the shares are of the occurrences read. More on what this infers.

Found in

at least 761 formations

Deadwood — 43.85°N, 103.36°WDeadwood — 44.42°N, 103.71°WDeadwood — 47.42°N, 105.59°WDeadwood — 47.15°N, 110.22°WDeadwood — 47.98°N, 102.92°WDeadwood — 44.25°N, 103.78°WDeadwood — 44.28°N, 103.73°WDeadwood — 44.25°N, 103.57°WDeadwood — 44.07°N, 103.22°WDeadwood — 44.00°N, 103.00°WDeadwood — 44.22°N, 103.60°WDeadwood — 44.45°N, 104.42°WDeadwood — 43.58°N, 103.55°WDeadwood — 43.53°N, 103.43°WDeadwood — 43.85°N, 103.34°WDeadwood — 44.35°N, 104.00°WDeadwood — 43.82°N, 103.77°WDeadwood — 43.72°N, 103.67°WDeadwood — 44.25°N, 103.38°WDeadwood — 43.53°N, 103.55°WDeadwood — 43.05°N, 103.05°WDeadwood — 44.77°N, 107.53°WDeadwood — 44.20°N, 103.45°WDeadwood — 44.08°N, 103.33°WDeadwood — 44.33°N, 103.90°WDeadwood — 44.63°N, 104.38°WDeadwood — 44.35°N, 104.95°WPioche Shale — 37.89°N, 114.61°WPioche Shale — 37.94°N, 114.48°WPioche Shale — 37.76°N, 114.55°WPioche Shale — 37.63°N, 114.52°WPioche Shale — 37.61°N, 114.76°WPioche Shale — 37.62°N, 114.38°WPioche Shale — 37.52°N, 114.79°WPioche Shale — 37.41°N, 114.79°WPioche Shale — 37.90°N, 114.41°WPioche Shale — 37.75°N, 114.55°WPioche Shale — 36.19°N, 115.01°WPioche Shale — 37.53°N, 114.73°WShallow Bay — 49.83°N, 57.87°WShallow Bay — 49.02°N, 55.52°WShallow Bay — 49.92°N, 57.83°WShallow Bay — 49.25°N, 65.57°WLudlowville — 42.76°N, 78.65°WLudlowville — 42.78°N, 78.79°WLudlowville — 42.86°N, 77.76°WLudlowville — 42.87°N, 77.88°WLudlowville — 42.83°N, 77.81°WLudlowville — 42.88°N, 78.57°WLudlowville — 42.96°N, 78.13°WLudlowville — 42.80°N, 77.27°WLudlowville — 42.78°N, 76.99°WLudlowville — 42.70°N, 76.75°WLudlowville — 42.83°N, 76.50°WLudlowville — 42.86°N, 76.35°WLudlowville — 42.93°N, 76.22°WLudlowville — 42.85°N, 78.37°WSecond Abden Shale — 56.07°N, 3.17°WDavis — 39.64°N, 86.86°WDavis — 37.93°N, 90.73°WDavis — 37.84°N, 90.53°WDavis — 37.97°N, 90.03°WOutram — 52.88°N, 118.08°WSurvey Peak — 52.88°N, 118.08°WCarrara — 39.16°N, 119.83°WCarrara — 35.85°N, 116.23°WLochkov — 49.93°N, 14.18°ELochkov — 50.08°N, 14.47°ELochkov — 49.95°N, 14.08°ELochkov — 49.50°N, 14.33°EBaota — 33.00°N, 111.00°EBaota — 29.00°N, 109.00°EBaota — 28.00°N, 107.00°EBaota — 29.00°N, 107.00°EBaota — 32.00°N, 107.00°EBaota — 28.00°N, 109.00°EBaota — 32.00°N, 108.00°EBaota — 29.00°N, 110.00°EBaota — 29.00°N, 111.00°EBaota — 30.00°N, 111.00°EBaota — 31.00°N, 111.00°EBaota — 27.00°N, 101.00°EBaota — 32.00°N, 118.00°EBaota — 30.00°N, 116.00°EBaota — 33.00°N, 106.00°EBaota — 33.00°N, 108.00°ETinu — 17.00°N, 96.50°WTinu — 17.37°N, 97.17°WTinu — 17.47°N, 97.23°WTinu — 17.03°N, 97.23°WTinu — 17.03°N, 96.57°WWhite Head — 48.50°N, 64.25°WWhite Head — 48.57°N, 64.42°WWhite Head — 48.57°N, 64.33°WCape Phillips — 75.13°N, 95.00°WCape Phillips — 75.00°N, 95.00°WCape Phillips — 75.10°N, 94.00°WCape Phillips — 74.10°N, 94.00°WDalby — 57.00°N, 17.00°EDalby — 58.00°N, 15.00°EDalby — 61.00°N, 15.00°EDalby — 58.00°N, 14.00°EDawan — 33.00°N, 111.00°EDawan — 27.00°N, 108.00°EDawan — 28.00°N, 109.00°EDawan — 32.00°N, 108.00°EDawan — 29.00°N, 109.00°EDawan — 29.00°N, 110.00°EDawan — 30.00°N, 111.00°EDawan — 31.00°N, 111.00°EDawan — 27.00°N, 101.00°EDawan — 30.00°N, 116.00°EDawan — 32.00°N, 119.00°ESkaneateles — 42.80°N, 76.69°WSkaneateles — 42.90°N, 76.47°WSkaneateles — 42.97°N, 76.44°WSkaneateles — 42.95°N, 76.43°WSkaneateles — 42.98°N, 76.34°WSkaneateles — 42.94°N, 76.25°WSkaneateles — 42.86°N, 76.15°WSkaneateles — 42.86°N, 76.14°WSkaneateles — 42.93°N, 75.99°WSkaneateles — 42.86°N, 75.89°WSkaneateles — 42.95°N, 75.88°WSkaneateles — 42.89°N, 75.57°WSkaneateles — 42.85°N, 75.58°WSkaneateles — 42.88°N, 75.52°WSkaneateles — 43.00°N, 75.41°WSkaneateles — 42.86°N, 75.42°WSkaneateles — 42.79°N, 75.27°WSkaneateles — 42.85°N, 75.18°WSkaneateles — 42.83°N, 75.02°WSkaneateles — 42.82°N, 75.10°WSkaneateles — 42.81°N, 74.94°WSkaneateles — 42.87°N, 77.88°WSkaneateles — 42.81°N, 76.81°WOnondaga — 40.43°N, 78.39°WOnondaga — 40.48°N, 76.53°WOnondaga — 40.42°N, 77.19°WOnondaga — 41.10°N, 77.50°WOnondaga — 40.60°N, 77.57°WOnondaga — 40.54°N, 77.70°WOnondaga — 39.73°N, 78.08°WOnondaga — 39.26°N, 78.53°WOnondaga — 42.95°N, 76.17°WOnondaga — 42.92°N, 78.25°WOnondaga — 42.78°N, 74.33°WOnondaga — 42.70°N, 74.92°WOnondaga — 42.96°N, 78.74°WOnondaga — 42.65°N, 74.08°WOverton — 52.48°N, 2.63°WZlichov Limestone — 50.00°N, 14.00°EZlichov Limestone — 49.50°N, 14.33°EKinzers — 40.04°N, 76.31°WKinzers — 40.12°N, 76.30°WKinzers — 40.04°N, 76.41°WKinzers — 40.00°N, 76.73°WKinzers — 40.44°N, 75.12°WKinzers — 40.05°N, 76.36°WMahantango — 40.50°N, 77.25°WMahantango — 40.05°N, 77.52°WMahantango — 40.33°N, 76.92°WMahantango — 40.33°N, 77.17°WMahantango — 40.42°N, 77.17°WMahantango — 40.42°N, 77.00°WMahantango — 40.50°N, 76.92°WRacine — 43.04°N, 87.91°WRacine — 43.05°N, 88.01°WRacine — 42.73°N, 87.78°WRacine — 42.88°N, 88.04°WRacine — 43.01°N, 88.38°WSanta Rosita — 24.79°S, 65.38°WSanta Rosita — 24.00°S, 65.00°WSanta Rosita — 22.25°S, 64.96°WSanta Rosita — 23.00°S, 66.00°WSanta Rosita — 25.00°S, 65.00°WSanta Rosita — 24.00°S, 66.00°WSanta Rosita — 24.17°S, 65.49°WSanta Rosita — 24.05°S, 65.46°WSanta Rosita — 23.61°S, 65.35°W

Loading coastlines…

The named rock units Arthropoda has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. The read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 737 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 1,522 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Found in the same rock

1,828 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records at least 436 sites for Arthropoda, and this reads 240 of them. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

at least 638 references

Each of the 12,000 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. That read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 626 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content2

Picture of Arthropoda

Credit
Cédric Aria, Fangchen Zhao, Han Zeng, Jin Guo, Maoyan Zhu Diego C. García-Bellido, Jean Vannier, Desmond Collins Char…
Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0
Commercial use
the licence allows it

Photogrammetry

Licence
not stated by the source
Commercial use
cannot be read from the licence given — check the record
Specimen
Arthropoda indet. · ETHZ:ENT:0575770

Smithsonian Open Access was not reached for this taxon, so this list is what the others held rather than everything there is.

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

What may have been alongside itPanarthropoda through timeThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. Gravenhorst 1843