sea spider

American  

noun

1. any member of the arthropod class Pycnogonida, marine invertebrates with eight long walking legs attached to a small body consisting of a cephalothorax and vestigial abdomen.

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sea spider British  

noun

1. a small marine arachnid, having four pairs of legs and somewhat resembling a spider, unusual in that the male carries the eggs once they are laid and cares for the offspring

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Etymology

Origin of sea spider

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

In January, for example, researchers found corals, sponges and even giant sea spiders some 750 feet under the waves — all suddenly unearthed when a glacier broke free during a Schmidt Ocean Institute voyage.

From Salon

The reproduction of giant sea spiders in Antarctica has been largely unknown to researchers for more than 140 years, until now.

From Science Daily

Most notable among them was Charles Wyville Thomson, a Scotsman who in the 1860s hauled up glass sponges, sea spiders, and other curiosities—thus debunking a theory that the deep ocean was lifeless.

From Scientific American

An unprotected clutch would prove an easy snack for predators like starfish, polychaete worms and sea spiders, Dr. Cheng said.

From New York Times

The results showed which body parts evolved when, and revealed that the ancestors of modern sea spiders are much older and hardier than previously thought.

From Science Magazine