AI overview
Pycnogonida is a class of marine arthropods, commonly known as sea spiders, that live in oceans around the world. These creatures are important to marine ecosystems and are studied by scientists to better understand ocean biodiversity and the variety of life forms that inhabit the seas.
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Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Chelicerata
- Image
- Nymphon maculatum 2011-721 (1) (cropped).jpg
Show 3 more facts
- P105
- class
- P5008
Article
Sea spiders are marine arthropods of the class Pycnogonida, hence they are also called pycnogonids (/pɪkˈnɒɡənədz/; named after Pycnogonum, the type genus; with the suffix -id). The class includes the only extant order Pantopoda (lit. 'all feet'), alongside a few fossil species which could trace back to the early or mid-Paleozoic.
They are cosmopolitan, found in oceans around the world. The over 1,300 known species have leg spans ranging from 1 mm (0.04 in) to over 70 cm (2.3 ft). Most are toward the smaller end of this range in relatively shallow depths; however, they can grow to be quite large in the Antarctic region and in deep waters.