Spiders?

We had trivia all summer and into fall and this very question came up and was met with skepticism by a few. So here is your answer, to whom it may concern. I may use this in the trivia sessions at Trophy Gardens so you may want to tuck it away in your memory bank.

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Science

Are Spiders Insects? How Scientists Classify Creatures

05 | 27 | 2021

Have you ever gotten into a debate with a friend about what kind of creature a spider is? Despite their creepy-crawly behavior and abundance of legs (and regardless of what you may have heard), spiders aren’t actually insects. These critters belong to a scientific class called Arachnida, which makes them arachnids, along with other beings in the same class, like ticks, mites, and scorpions — but not insects like bees, beetles, or butterflies. Confused? Let’s take a look at how animals, particularly spiders, are classified. It might not make spiders any easier to handle if you’re an arachnophobe, but at least you’ll be able to yell at them with scientific accuracy.

Kingdom Animalia

Scientists organize most non-plant organisms into seven main groups: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. Kingdom is the most general, while species is the most specific. All animals fall into the kingdom Animalia by virtue of certain shared characteristics (with very few exceptions): They’re multicellular, they eat and digest organic material, they breathe air, they move, and they reproduce sexually. As you may have guessed, spiders are definitely animals based on these biological abilities.

Once they establish that something is an animal, taxonomists will continue to classify it into more specific categories of shared characteristics. Spiders belong to the phylum Arthropoda, the largest phylum of animals. This diverse group also includes insects, crabs, lobsters, and centipedes. These creatures all have exoskeletons, segmented bodies, and paired, jointed appendages (“arthropoda” actually means “jointed feet” in Latin).

Many taxonomists also place animals in a subphylum, a category that’s a little more specific than phylum, but less specific than class. Here’s where spiders and insects branch away from each other on the tree of life. Spiders belong to the subphylum Chelicerata, along with scorpions, mites, and horseshoe crabs. Organisms in Chelicerata have four pairs of walking legs and two pairs of mouthpart appendages (the pedipalps and the chelicerae).

Insects, on the other hand, belong to the subphylum Hexapoda — derived from Greek for “six feet.” Unlike spiders, the winged insects, springtails, and silverfish in this group have six legs and a pair of antennae, as well as jaws for crushing and chewing.

Many taxonomists also place animals in a subphylum, a category that’s a little more specific than phylum, but less specific than class. Here’s where spiders and insects branch away from each other on the tree of life. Spiders belong to the subphylum Chelicerata, along with scorpions, mites, and horseshoe crabs. Organisms in Chelicerata have four pairs of walking legs and two pairs of mouthpart appendages (the pedipalps and the chelicerae).

Insects, on the other hand, belong to the subphylum Hexapoda — derived from Greek for “six feet.” Unlike spiders, the winged insects, springtails, and silverfish in this group have six legs and a pair of antennae, as well as jaws for crushing and chewing.

There is more but I am sure you are bored by now so if not you can do your own investigating. 🤩