The organ's development through the lineage can be estimated by comparing groups that branched early, such as the velvet worm and horseshoe crab to the advanced eye condition found in insects and other derived arthropods.
They opportunistically catch arthropods that have been startled by other predators, such as coatis (Nasua spp.).
Areas of taxonomic specialization include the worldwide insect order Hymenoptera, freshwater non-insect arthropods, and California insect fauna.
Copidosoma floridanum serves as a useful example of a wasp that provides pest control, and most recently, the wasp's genome is being sequenced by the Human Genome Sequencing Center as part of the i5K project, which aims to sequence the genomes of 5,000 arthropods.
Their primary diet consists of small arthropods, especially Hymenoptera, beetles, and spiders; this is supplemented by seeds of Cecropia and other plants.
For instance, infections of nematodes or of arthropods, including Drosophila, species of the rickettsial bacteria Wolbachia can produce a male-specific sterility, which is congenital by means of transmission through the female line.
Hemocyanin, a copper-based system of transporting oxygen in blood found in many molluscs and arthropods
The biospeleological studies led by the cave biologists Ana Sofia Reboleira and Alberto Sendra, provided the deepest subterranean arthropods of the Earth.
Las Hoyas was an inland lacustrine environment which presents an important aquatic and terrestrial flora (with many specimens of Charophytes, Montsechia, Weischelia or Frenelopsis) and diverse fauna, with specimens of at least five or six Phyla: Arthropods, Molluscs, Chordata and many vermiform soft bodied animals which might be Nemertines or Annelids.
Shorebirds and Passerines are two of the most speciose groups of birds that rely heavily on the presence of surface swarming Arthropods.
Arthropods do use different opsins in their different eye types, but at least in Limulus the opsins expressed in lateral and in compound eyes are 99% identical and presumably diverged recently.
It was portrayed as living alongside several species of giant arthropods, like giant mesothelae spiders, and Meganeura, a giant dragonfly, as well as anthracosaur amphibians like Proterogyrinus.
The name from Greek προ (pro-) = "before" and Articulata, i.e. prior to animals with true segmentation such as annelids and arthropods.