Sea Spider Research Paper

The Sea Spider is one of the millions of different creatures that live in the some of the coldest waters, and around 7,000 meters down in the oceans of Arctic and Antarctic, as well as the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas. Sea spiders have over 1300 know different species, some species include names like Pantopoda or Pycnogonids. Usually these species are categorized as Arthropods and the sea spiders are under the class of Pycnogonida. The sizes of the sea spiders range between 1 millimeter to over 90 cm (35 inches), the smaller species of sea spiders are usually found in more shallow waters and are under the traditional classification as chelicerates. These marine arthropods are very similar to traditional spiders, they are small in the body with eight legs. Some of the sea spider species have five or six pairs of legs instead of eight legs. With the small size and thin bodies and legs, sea spiders do not have a necessary respiratory system,
A proboscis allows the sea spiders to suck nutrients form invertebrates, and their digestive tracts has diverticula extending into their legs. All pycnogonid species are separate sexes except for one species, the hermaphroditic. The female species have ovaries and the males have a pair of testes located in the dorsal region near the digestive tract. Reproduction for the species involves external Fertilization. After fertilization the males care for the laid eggs and young. The typical protonymphon larva is most common and they are free living larva and gradually turns into an adult sea spider. Not much is currently known on development on the atypical protonymphon larva. the adults are free living, while the larvae and Juveniles are living in or on a temporary host. When the attaching larva hatches it still looks like an embryo, and immediately attaches itself to the ovigerous legs of the father, where