An arthropod, (phylum Arthropoda), any member of the phylum Arthropoda, the largest phylum in the animal kingdom, which includes such familiar forms as lobsters, crabs, spiders, mites, insects, centipedes, and millipedes. About 84 percent of all known species of animals are members of this phylum. Arthropods reproduce sexually. Male and female adults produce gametes. If fertilization occurs, eggs hatch into offspring.     After hatching, most arthropods go through one or more larval stages before reaching adulthood. The larvae may look very different from the adults. They change into the... Show more

An arthropod, (phylum Arthropoda), any member of the phylum Arthropoda, the largest phylum in the animal kingdom, which includes such familiar forms as lobsters, crabs, spiders, mites, insects, centipedes, and millipedes. About 84 percent of all known species of animals are members of this phylum.
Arthropods reproduce sexually. Male and female adults produce gametes. If fertilization occurs, eggs hatch into offspring.    
After hatching, most arthropods go through one or more larval stages before reaching adulthood. The larvae may look very different from the adults. They change into the adult form in a process called metamorphosis. During metamorphosis, the arthropod is called a pupa. It may or may not spend this stage inside a special container called a cocoon. A familiar example of arthropod metamorphosis is the transformation of a caterpillar (larva) into a butterfly (adult).    
Distinctive life stages and metamorphosis are highly adaptive. They allow functions to be divided among different life stages. Each life stage can evolve adaptations to suit it for its specific functions without affecting the adaptations of the other life stages. 

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