Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chelicerata (Chapter 29)
Hexapoda (Chapter 30)
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cimicoidea
Cimicidae
Cimicinae
*Cimex
Phthiraptera
Anoplura
Pediculidae
*Pediculus
Pthiridae
*Pthirus
Diptera
Calliphoridae
*Cochliomyia
Oestroidea
*Calliphoridae
*Sarcophagidae
*Dermatobia
Siphonaptera
Hectopsyllidae
*Tunga
Crustacea (Chapter 31)
Platyzoa
Platyhelminthes (Chapter 26)
Acanthocephala (Chapter 28)
Fungi (Chapters 33
37)
Class Arthropoda accounts for 80% of the known species of animals and has
three subclasses containing organisms that are pathogenic to humans: Class
Chelicerata (Chapter 29), Class Hexapoda (Class 30), and Class Crustacea
(Chapter 31).
Class Hexapoda is the largest class of animals, in terms of the number of
different class species. Molecular evidence would suggest that Class Hexapoda
first appeared about 425 million years ago, coinciding with the earliest fossils
of large, vascular land plants [98]. Presumably, the species diversity of Class
Hexapoda is intimately related with the diversity of land plants, particularly
plants in Class Angiospermae, the flowering plants. Insects pollinate the plants,
the plants serve as primary food sources for the insects; plant and insect
co-evolve to serve one another's survival interests. As the name would sug-
gest, members of Class Hexapoda have six (“hex”) legs (“poda”). The insect
body is built from fused segments, and the head has a mandible and a maxilla.
