Definition
noun
A genus of the family Limulidae
Supplement
Limulus is a taxonomic genus of the family Limulidae, commonly known as horseshoe crabs. Morphologically, the horseshoe crabs look like crabs but they are more closely related to the arachnids. These animals are horseshoe-shaped and with a hard carapace and a spine-like tail. They have five pairs of appendages. Their mouth is in the center of their legs. Near the mouth is a pair of ventral eyes. Apart from the ventral eyes, they also have a pair of compound lateral eyes, a pair of median eyes, a pair of lateral eyes, and a single endoparietal eye.
One known species is the Limulus polyphemus, which is commonly called the Atlantic horseshoe crab. This species is commonly found in the northern Atlantic coast of North America. Etymologically, the name Limulus means whereas the name polyphemus pertains to the giant in Greek mythology.1
Scientific classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Chelicerata
- Class: Xiphosura
- Order: Xiphosurida
- Family: Limulidae
- Genus: Limulus (O. F. Müller, 1785)
Other common name(s):
See also:
Reference(s):
1 Heard, W. Coast. Retrieved from ://www.marine.usf.edu/pjocean/packets/f01/f01u5p3.pdf.
