Pereiopod

The walking legs of crustaceans, also called pereiopods or Peraeopoden, ( go over from the Greek peraioo =, in English spelling sometimes pereopods ) are the limbs of the Thorakalsegmenten the Higher cancers.

Derived from the original for all the limbs of crustaceans gap leg they consist of seven members. These are ( from proximal to distal): coxa and basis and ischium, merus, carpus, propodus and dactylus of the original endopodites. At the base also remains of Exopoditen may be present in the females of some species.

Originally, the crustaceans have eight Thorakalsegmente that form the cephalothorax along with the head. Most orders usually have but only seven pairs of walking legs. Numerous adaptations of some or all pairs of legs are used for the systematic subdivision. These features are often reflected in scientific terms as Isopoda, Amphipoda or.

The function of the pereiopods varies. They are used for floating or ongoing locomotion or digestion, and in some cases the defense.

In the decapods ( Decapoda ), only the limbs of the last five Thorakalsegmente are called walking legs. The foremost of these pairs of walking legs bear the shears of many groups such as the large crabs and the crabs.

The amphipods ( Amphipoda ), the first two of the seven Pereiopodenpaare are often trained to Gnathopoden. The end members of these pairs of legs can make claws or scissors and used for catching or grinding of food. The Coxen of walking legs in the amphipods are immobile and form the side of the Ranger body Coxalplatten.

The Euphausiacea, the krill, the walking legs form a fish trap-like fishing apparatus, is filtered with the food from the water.

Documents

• Pereiopod in Crustacea glossary of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

• Anatomy (eddy lots)