ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF

Derivation of the name

• The name arthopoda means “Jointed legs” and that refers to the most characteristic feature of them.

• Arthopoda ranks high in the scale of animal life.

• They have adaptive nature.

INTRODUCTION

• ARTHOPODS are economically of great importance to man.

• Man had hard time living with arthopods because of billions of rupees loss that they caused due to damage.

• There is no species of organism that are not eaten by arthopods.

• Arthopods playing an important role in human health and welfare. Strangely man can hardly live without them.

• They are beneficial to man while some are dreadful.

• On one hand where members such as prawns, lobsters, crabs etc contribute to food supply, others contribute to pollination and destroys crops and acts as pest.

Crustacea

• The crustacea are of considerable economic significant to man.

• This group is valued directly or indirectly for his health and economic progress.

• They are important diet of man with great nutritive value.

In mud crabs claws are best part to eat

Chelipeds has great meat

•Prawn fishery has advanced in many countries •Commercial farming of freshwater prawns is tried in Australia

• The decapods and bivalve mollucs together comprise of the so called “Shell fish industry”.

• Around 120 million dollar worth of these animals are marked annually in U.S.A alone.

• India earned about 1170 millions in 1981 by exporting prawn and prawn products.

Whales feeding on krill

Zooplanktons

Calanus

• Amphipods form a great part of diet of sea gulls, seals and penguins.

• Daphnia are sold as fish food.

Crustaceans as fish baits

• Crustaceans are also used as fish baits.• Especially the soft shelled individuals.

Crustaceans as scavengers

• They serve as an agency for destruction of decaying vegetables and animal bodies in water.

• They also serve as an intermediate host. • These crustaceans are parasites of aquatic

animals

Horse shoe crabs

• These are sometimes fed to pigs and chicken.• There is a belief that this diet makes the

poultry lay more eggs, undoubtedly it fattens both fowls and pigs, but imparts a shocking flavour to their flesh

• The blue crab, as an example, provides livelihood to the coastal communities in the Gulf of Mexico, as major commercial capture fisheries provide jobs and other economic support .

• The dockside values from their annual catch is estimated at $40 million based on reports of recent years' sales. However, due to the continuous spate of environmental problems, including the recent BP oil spill disaster in the Gulf, the presence of the blue crab in the communities' marsh edges and in sea grasses is said to be in critical conditions.

Scorpion • It is studied as a type of archinids in most of

the universities • They feed on insects such as cockroaches and

beetles so they are beneficial.• Scorpion venom is used for pharmacological,

biochemical and immunological research.

Grasshoppers

• They act as crop pest destroying many crops. • They eat cotton and young corn and can also

eat their own fellow during scarcity of food.

• They provide food for several insects.• They also make good fish bait.• They were also used as food by man. • They also act as an intermediate host.

Honey bee • The most useful arthopods. • To make honey, honey bees are required man

cannot make it artifically. • Honey makes important food for man and

other animals • It acts as an natural antiseptic

• Beeswax is also produced from honey • Manufacturing of varnishes, polishes and

various waxes • It is also used for medical purpose

• In USA 6 million colonies of honeybees produce 1,50,000 million tons of honey annually serving for human food & medicine

• They cause pollination • Example orchard trees

Ants

• They become serious pests at time • They are also used as food. Cocoons of ants

Sometimes sold as bird food • Chemists in China report identification of

substances in a certain species of ants that show promise for fighting arthritis, hepatitis, and other diseases.

Termites

• They play a great role in agriculture, the soil broken down by them is unusually fertile.

• They play role in influencing vegetation, thereupon the animal population and economy of tropical countries.

• They are also used as food • 2 species of termites have been found to be

edible if cooked in omeletton burger• They form valuable addition to human diet

Uses of silk• The raw silk thread woven into cloth has

several uses• Sarees, kurtis, jackets are prepared from it. • It is knitted into goods such as gloves, socks,

vests etc. They add to great economy

• Articles manufactured include tyres of racing cars, insulation coils for telephones and wireless receivers, sieves for flour mills, fishing lines, parachutes etc.

• In recent years, the spiders’ web was discovered as an additional material that could provide tensile strength; they became essential raw materials for Kevlar vests, fishing nets, surgical sutures, and adhesives as they contained natural antiseptics.

• Beautifully colored elytra of some Coleoptera and Lepidoptera are used in making jewellery and in pottery, baskets, metals, alloys etc

As medicines

• Cochineal insects contain carminic acid, coccerin, myrestin, fat and fatty acids used in treatment of neuralgia and whooping cough

• Blow fly larvae are used in treating decay of tissues

• Cantheridin oil from blister beetles serves as hair restorer

• Body extract of cocoons of Bombyx mori used in treating leucorrhoea & chronic diarrhoea

References :

http://animals.mom.me/arthropods-important-humans-5133.html

http://www.brighthub.com/environment/science-environmental/articles/85197.aspx

Book of Arthopoda by Kotpal

Thank you