Crustaceans are a large group of arthropods that include crabs, barnacles, shrimp, and krill. They are distinguished by having two-parted limbs and a larval stage called a nauplius. Their fossil record shows they have remained largely unchanged since the Triassic period. Crustacean bodies are divided into three regions - head, thorax, abdomen - and covered by a hard exoskeleton. They typically have biramous appendages and an open circulatory system with a heart near the dorsal surface.