Question

An animal-related to the spider is
A. King crab
B. Mosquito
C. Peripatus
D. Housefly

Answer 1

Hint: They are velvet worms that belong to the family Peripatidae. They refer to Onychophora and this group contains many other genera. They are primitive arthropods and form a connecting link between Annelida and Arthropoda. They are living animals that have characteristics of both the groups.

Complete answer:
Peripatus is a connecting link between annelids and arthropods. It is evolutionarily important due to its position in the phylogenetic tree. It is a living fossil. It is commonly found in the West Indies, Central America, and northern parts of South America. About twenty species of Peripatus are known. Their body is elongated and consists of about 14-44 segments in the trunk and each segment has a pair of legs. All the species have a different number of segments. They have dry, velvety skin that matches the surrounding and their colour ranges from reddish-brown to dark slate. Their brain is separated, non-ganglionated, and united towards the tail above the rectum. Their eyes are similar to the annelids. Their respiratory systems have numerous, irregular distributed pits, which have thin trachea. They are animals related to a spider found in moist places, in crevices of rocks, under bark, stones, logs and beneath fallen leaves.
Hence, the correct answer is option C.

Note: Peripatus have jointed paired legs, trachea, and compound eyes like other arthropods. But they also display annelida characteristics such as worm-like segmented body, segmental nephridia, and non-chitinous cuticle. They show important anatomical and morphological evidence of evolution.