Cheliceromorpha

Cheliceromorpha
Temporal range: Cambrian stage 3–Recent
Fossil of Leanchoilia superlata, a megacheiran
Limulus polyphemus, a xiphosurid chelicerate
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Deuteropoda
(unranked): Cheliceromorpha
Boudreaux, 1979
Subgroups

Cheliceromorpha is a proposed clade of arthropods comprising Megacheira and Chelicerata. It is equivalent to total-group Chelicerata with the exclusion of Artiopoda (trilobite and relatives). Defining traits of Cheliceromorpha including a deutocerebral (align to the second brain segment) pair of raptorial appendages with 6 or less segments (e.g. great appendages, chelicerae), and exites of trunk appendages with overlapping lamellae which evolved into book gills in crown-group chelicerates.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Boudreaux, H. B. Significance of Intersegmental Tendon System in Arthropod Phylogeny and a Monophyletic Classification of Arthropoda (Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1979).
  2. ↑ Liu, Yu; Lustri, Lorenzo; Mai, Huijuan; Williams, Mark; Liu, Liming; Tang, Yani; Harvey, Thomas H. P.; Hou, Xianguang (2026-07-01). "Urokodia sheds light on the origin of chelicerae and book gills of Chelicerata". Nature: 1–6. doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10713-2. ISSN 1476-4687.