- #1
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What did the spider evolve from? Just curious.
-Dan
-Dan
Spider's ancestors-Just curious
- Thread starter topsquark
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SUMMARY
Spiders are classified as Arthropods within the Chelicerata group, sharing ancestry with horseshoe crabs, scorpions, and trilobites. All Arthropoda trace their evolution back to early Cambrian species, with Chelicerates exhibiting fused body parts. Sea spiders (pycnogonids) represent primitive forms, likely descended from the ancestors of modern terrestrial spiders, dating back approximately 500 million years. For further exploration, two resources were suggested: Earthlife.net and Arachnology.be.
PREREQUISITES- Understanding of Arthropoda classification
- Familiarity with Cambrian evolutionary history
- Knowledge of Chelicerata characteristics
- Basic concepts of paleontology
- Research the evolutionary history of Chelicerata
- Explore the significance of trilobites in the Cambrian period
- Study the anatomy and evolution of sea spiders (pycnogonids)
- Investigate the resources provided: Earthlife.net and Arachnology.be
Biologists, paleontologists, and anyone interested in the evolutionary history of spiders and their relatives.
- #2
jim mcnamara
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Spiders are Arthropods - meaning mostly that they they have an exoskeleton. Chelicerata is the group they are in. Their main cousins are horseshoe crabs, scorpions, trilobites.
All of the Arthropoda evolved from early Cambrian species. Chelicerates have their body parts (head, thorax, abdomen all fused), other arthropods don't. Trilobites dominated the the late Cambrian seas, along with sea scorpions.
Sea spiders (pycnogonids) are very primitive (meaning unchanged from a beginning ancestor ~500 million YA) and are probably descended directly from the ancestors of all modern terrestrial spiders.
All of the Arthropoda evolved from early Cambrian species. Chelicerates have their body parts (head, thorax, abdomen all fused), other arthropods don't. Trilobites dominated the the late Cambrian seas, along with sea scorpions.
Sea spiders (pycnogonids) are very primitive (meaning unchanged from a beginning ancestor ~500 million YA) and are probably descended directly from the ancestors of all modern terrestrial spiders.
- #3
Phobos
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I'm going to stick my neck out here (spider bite!) and offer a couple promising-looking sites I came across from a quick Google search. I haven't read it thoroughly, and I'm no spider expert, so I don't know how reliable they are...
http://www.earthlife.net/chelicerata/web-evolve.html
http://www.arachnology.be/pages/Paleontology.html
http://www.earthlife.net/chelicerata/web-evolve.html
http://www.arachnology.be/pages/Paleontology.html
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- #4
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Phobos said:
Thanks all! For the record, I'm phobic and I like to know my enemy...
-Dan
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