“If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.”

E. O. Wilson (American biologist, born 1929)

Insects, Arachnids, Myriapods and Crustaceans

Insects, arachnids, myriapods and crustaceans are all arthropods.

Arthropods are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a segmented body and paired jointed appendages (legs, antennae, mouthparts etc.). The term arthropod comes from the Greek arthron (joint) and pous (foot), so literally means “jointed foot”.

Arthropods account for over 80 per cent of all known living animal species and are vital to life on Earth. (Over a million species have been described worldwide, and there are probably many more.) However, many species are in decline as climate change, use of pesticides, light pollution and the pressure of an increasing human population take their toll.

Arthropods = Myriapods, insects, arachnids, crustaceans.

The little things that make the world work

While many arthropods go about their lives largely unnoticed, others are well known and even liked for their perceived usefulness: bees and ladybirds for example. Some are pretty to look at while others have very un-pretty habits. Some are reviled and some are loved. They all have a place in the worldwide ecological web, and, considering their smallness, we should really be able to find a place for them to live out their often amazing little lives.