What type of organism does the term arthropod refer to?

The term arthropod refers to a specific group of invertebrate animals characterized by their exoskeleton, segmented bodies, and jointed appendages. Arthropods include a wide variety of organisms such as insects, arachnids (which include spiders), myriapods (like centipedes and millipedes), and crustaceans (such as crabs and lobsters).

The option that mentions "bony spider" is misleading, as spiders do not have bones; instead, they have an exoskeleton made of chitin. However, the label "bony" does not accurately describe an arthropod. Spiders are, in fact, part of the arachnid class of arthropods.

In contrast, soft-bodied animals generally refer to organisms like mollusks or annelids, while worms are typically associated with various segmented or unsegmented creatures that do not fall under the arthropod classification. The broadest classification within the choices presented is invertebrate, which includes arthropods as a subset. Therefore, focusing on the characteristics unique to arthropods, such as their jointed limbs and exoskeletons, is essential in understanding why "arthropod" is correctly associated