A student discovers an arachnid with a segmented abdomen, long legs, and a tail with no stinger. The student uses the dichotomous key to identify it. What arachnid has the student found?

explanation:

the fossil record extends back to a dog-like ancestor some 55 million years ago, which gave rise to the first horse-like species 55 to 42 million years ago in the genus eohippus.

the correct answer is: b. pantala flavescens, because these organisms would have a high level of genetic variation due to sexual reproduction.  

because involves two organisms (parents) whose genetic material combines, sexual reproduction leads to genetic variation in new generations of offspring. the offspring is an unique organism, with new genome, more protected with the higher ability to adapted. this process is fundamental to evolution.