Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chelicerata (Chapter 29)
Hexapoda (Chapter 30)
Crustacea (Chapter 31)
Maxillopoda
Pentastomida
Linguatulidae
*Linguatula
Porocephalidae
*Armillifer
*Porocephalus
Platyzoa
Platyhelminthes (Chapter 26)
Acanthocephala (Chapter 28)
Fungi (Chapters 33
37)
Class Arthropoda has three subclasses that contain organisms that are patho-
genic to humans: Class Chelicerata (Chapter 29), Class Hexapoda (Class 30),
and Class Crustacea (Chapter 31). Class Crustacea includes many of the
menu items that are commonly called shellfish: lobsters, crabs, shrimp.
It also contains smaller organisms, such as copepods, commonly found in
plankton; and barnacles, which are found encrusted over ocean surfaces.
Most crustaceans live in water, but some live on land. An example of the
latter is organisms of Genus Armadillidium, variously known as woodlice,
pill bugs, potato bugs, and other misleading names that would wrongly
suggest a non-Crustacean identity. Crustaceans are characterized by a body
plan composed of fused segments covered by a single carapace and protected
by a hard exoskeleton. Molting occurs in all growing crustaceans.
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of Crustaceans is the multiple larval
stages that precede the emergence of the adult form. These larval forms
vastly amplify the complexity of carcinology (the study of crustaceans).
In past years, many larval forms of crustaceans have been incorrectly identi-
fied as separate animal species.
Crustacea
Maxillopoda
Pentastomida
Linguatulidae
*Linguatula
Porocephalidae
*Armillifer
*Porocephalus
Only one subclass of Class Crustacea contains organisms that are infectious in
humans: Class Pentastomida, the so-called tongue worms. This class contains
three genera that cause different forms of the same disease: pentastomiasis [101].
