Research topic: Chelicerata

Chelicerata , phylum of the living horseshoe crabs (class Merostomata), the arachnids (class Arachnida), and the sea spiders (class Pycnogonida). Chelicerates are characterized by the absence of antennae and jaws and the presence of feeding structures (chelicera), which are modified pincerlike appendages used mainly for grasping and fragmenting food. Nearly all the merostomates are extinct, the only living representative being Limulus, the horseshoe crab (subclass Xiphosura) and its relatives, which inhabits the soft bottom mud of shallow, coastal seas. Merostomates have five or six gills,... Read more