In this work, the philosophical basis of the use of ontologies in Evolutionary Morphology are explored and integrated into the conceptual framework of Evolutionary Morphology. Additionally, an ontology of the circulatory organs of arthropods is presented. Further, the hearts of in total 45 species as well as the vascular and lacunar system of a species of prawn are investigated using 3D imaging methods. Against the theoretical background, the morphological data are analyzed functionally and evolutionary on the explanatory level.<eng>
