The horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus is an ancient genus that has changed little in over 250 million years. It is more closely related to chelicerates than crustaceans. Its body consists of a prosoma with six pairs of legs and two types of eyes, and an opisthosoma with six pairs of appendages that aid in respiration, reproduction, and locomotion. The first pair forms a genital operculum and the remaining five pairs are modified into gills. Horseshoe crabs are long-lived for invertebrates, with males maturing between 9-11 years and females between 10-12 years.