cephalothorax

(noun)

the fused head and thorax of spiders and crustaceans

Related Terms

Examples of cephalothorax in the following topics:

  • Subphyla of Arthropoda

    • Unlike that of the Hexapoda, the head and thorax of most crustaceans is fused to form a cephalothorax, which is covered by a plate called the carapace, thus producing a body structure of two tagma.
    • The body of chelicerates may be divided into two parts: prosoma and opisthosoma, which are basically the equivalents of cephalothorax (usually smaller) and abdomen (usually larger).

  • Phylum Arthropoda

    • Tagma may be in the form of a head, thorax, and abdomen, or a cephalothorax and abdomen, or a head and trunk.