fossils 1.3

A set of flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from a lecture on Arthropods in the study of fossils.

Phylum Arthropoda

A group characterized by jointed limbs, segmented bodies, well-developed sensory systems, and an external skeleton made of chitin.

Ecdysis

The process of moulting in arthropods where the exoskeleton is shed to allow growth.

Chitin

A tough, semi-transparent, organic material that makes up the exoskeleton of arthropods.

Compound eyes

Eyes made of multiple lenses, allowing for a broader field of vision, commonly found in trilobites.

Biramous joints

Jointed limbs that are branched, characteristic of certain arthropods.

Hypostome

A structure in some arthropods located at the mouth, important for feeding.

Trilobite

An extinct marine arthropod with a three-lobed body structure, prominent during the Cambrian to Permian periods.

Cephalon

The head region of a trilobite, containing features such as eyes, facial sutures, and glabella.

Pygidium

The tail section of a trilobite, part of its body segmentation.

Infaunal burrower

An organism that lives beneath the surface of the substrate, adapted for life in sediment.