This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/60j2a Image Credit: Andrea Marshall Occassionally, brittle stars are seen in the body of jelly fishes. They are usually present under the bell or on the oral arms. But they are not seen on jelly fishes in cold to temperate waters. Interesting fact is the food sources of brittle stars seems to be mesozooplanktons and they were never observed with arms out in water. Then, where do they get their food from? They take food directly from the mouth or the oral arms of the jelly fish. It means, they are stealing food from the jellyfish which are pelagic predators. There are several reports of other brittle stars moving down into the feeding arms or near the mouth and stealing food directly from the host. So these are called as KLEPTOPARASITES. Suggested Reading 1. Ingram BA, Pitt KA, Barnes P. Stable isotopes reveal a potential kleptoparasitic relationship between an ophiuroid (Ophiocnemis marmora...
This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/drl98 Horseshoe crabs live primarily in and around shallow coastal waters on soft sandy or muddy bottoms. They occasionally come onto shore to mate. Horseshoe crabs superficially resemble crustaceans but belong to a separate subphylum of the arthropods, Chelicerata, and are closely related to arachnids. Horseshoe crabs are closely related to the extinct eurypterids (sea scorpions), which include some of the largest arthropods to have ever existed, and the two may be sister groups. The earliest horseshoe crab fossils are found in strata from the late Ordovician period, roughly 450 million years ago. Morphology of a limulus (horseshoe crab) : marine arthopod which lives near the shore. Frontal organ : organ of the horseshoe crab situated at face-level. Chelicera : a pair of venomous hooks situated on the head of a horseshoe crab. Walking leg : floating appendage. Genital operculum : struc...
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