Links to useful internet resources for each major animal group are
provided via BiologyBrowser - an interactive portal designed by BIOSIS
for the life science community.
Protozoa - 'unicellular' eukaryotes, may be referred
to as protists, protozoans, unicellulates etc; often now included in a separate
kingdom together with fungal protists and algae - as the Protista or Protoctista
- a grouping of problematical and multiple lineage; many groups have
representatives traditionally studied by both algologists and zoologists,
leading to much confusion in terminology and classification; the scheme followed
here takes a zoological viewpoint [links]
- Sarcomastigophora
- Mastigophora mastigophorans,
flagellates
- Phytomastigophorea
phytoflagellates, groups include representatives which have chloroplasts and are
photosynthetic
- Chloromonadida chloromonads,
chlorophytes (Heterosigma)
- Chrysomonadida chrysomonads,
chrysophytes, yellow-green algae (Mallomonas, Ochromonas)
- Cryptomonadida cryptomonads,
cryptophytes, found all over the world - both free living in moist places and
parasitic in animals (Cryptomonas, Rhodomonas)
- Dinoflagellida dinocysts,
dinoflagellates, dinomastigotes, dinophytes, mostly marine planktonic but some
freshwater representatives, may form 'red tides' (Gonyaulax), be
luminescent (Noctiluca), form symbiotic relationships with coelenterates
(Gymnodinium), and others (Peridinium)
- Euglenida euglenoid flagellates,
euglenophyta, mostly inhabit freshwater enriched with organic matter
(Euglena), some marine or brackish, a few are parasitic in animals
- Prymnesiida prymnesiophytes,
haptophytes, golden motile algae viewed by marine biologists as calcareous
nannoplankton plankton and by palaeontologists as coccolithophorids
(Coccolithus, Prymnesium)
- Silicoflagellida
silicoflagellates (Dictyocha)
- Volvocida (Chlamydomonas,
Chloromonas, Dunaliella, Volvox)
- Zoomastigophorea zooflagellates
- Choanoflagellida
choanoflagellates, collar-flagellates, may be solitary (Salpingoeca) or
colonial (Proterospongia), colonial choanoflagellates resemble sponges
and it is thought that they might represent what an ancestor of all metazoans
might have been like
- Diplomonadida some freeliving in
freshwater but most commensal or parasitic in intestines of animals (Giardia,
Hexamita)
- Hypermastigida
- Kinetoplastida include the
freeliving bodonids and parasitic trypanosomes (Leishmania, Trypanosoma)
- Oxymonadida
- Proteromonadida
(Proteromonas)
- Trichomonadida (Trichomonas,
Tritrichomonas)
- Opalinata (Opalina)
- Sarcodina made up of
superclasses Rhizopoda (amastigote amoebae and thecamoebae) and the Actinopoda
which includes the radiolarian groups
- Lobosea
- Gymnamoebia (Gymnamoeba)
- Amoebida (Acanthamoeba,
Amoeba, Entamoeba)
- Pelobiontida
karyoblasteans,freeliving amoeboid protists completely lacking mitochondria
(Pelomyxa)
- Schizopyrenida sometimes called
amoeboflagellates, common in soils, some are pathogenic in man(Naegleria)
- Testacealobosia
- Arcellinida (Arcella,
Difflugia)
- Himatismenida
- Tichosida
- Acarpomyxea (Leptomyxa)
- Acrasea cellular slime moulds
(Acrasis)
- Eumycetozoea includes cellular
slime moulds, the prosteliids (Ceratiomyxa) and dictyosteliids
(Dictyostelium, Polysphondylium), together with acellular, plasmodial or
true slime moulds - myxogastrids, myxomycota, myxomycetes (Physarum)
- Plasmodiophorea mostly obligate
parasites of plants (Plasmodiophora, Spongospora)
- Filosea includes aconchulinids
and gromiids (Euglypha)
- Granuloreticulosia includes
Foraminifera (Ammonia, Anomalina, Globigerina, Globorotalia, Trochammina)
- Xenophyophorea (Psammina)
- Acantharea radiolarian group
- Polycystinea radiolarian group
- Phaeodarea radiolarian group
- Heliozoea primarily freshwater
(Acanthocystis, Dimorpha, Raphidocystis)
- Labyrinthomorpha labyrinthulids,
slime nets, form transparent colonies of individual cells (Labyrinthula)
- Apicomplexa named for 'apical
complex' a distinctive arrangement of organelles at one end of the cell, all are
spore forming parasites of animals and include the haematozoan parasites of
vertebrate blood
- Perkinsea (Perkinsus)
- Sporozoea
- Gregarinia gregarines
(Gregarina, Nematopsis)
- Coccidia coccidians, malarial
parasites (Cryptosporidium, Eimeria, Hepatozoon, Isospora, Plasmodium,
Toxoplasma)
- Piroplasmia piroplasmids
(Babesia, Theileria)
- Microspora mostly intracellular
parasites of vertebrates (Glugea, Microsporidium, Nosema)
- Ascetospora (=Haplospora)
includes the spore forming parasites Haplosporidia (Haplosporidium,
Urosporidium) and Paramyxea
- Myxozoa (=Cnidospora)
traditionally considered protistan parasites but recent molecular evidence
supports an origin with parasitic cnidarians
- Myxosporea myxosporidians,
parasites of vertebrates and often disease causing in fish (Ceratomyxa,
Henneguya, Kudea, Myxidium, Myxobolus)
- Actinosporea actinomyxids,
parasites of invertebrates
- Ciliophora ciliates,
infusorians, characterized by having cilia
- Kinetofragminophorea
- Gymnostomatia includes
Katyorelictida (Loxodes) and Prostomatida (Didinium)
- Vestibulifera includes Colpodida
(Colpoda), Entodiniomorpha (Entodinium, Polyplastron) and
Trichostomatida (Balantidium, Dasytricha)
- Hypostomatia includes
Apostomatida, Cyrtophorida and Nassulida
- Suctoria (Trichophrya)
- Oligohymenophorea
- Hymenostomatida includes
Astomatida, Hymenostomatida (Colpidium, Paramecium, Tetrahymena) and
Scuticociliatida (Uronema)
- Hysterocinetia
- Peritrichia peritrichs
(Ophrydium, Trichodina, Vorticella)
- Polyhymenophorea
- Spirotrichia includes
Heterotrichida (Bursaria, Metopus, Stentor), Hypotrichida (Euplotes,
Oxytricha), Oligotrichida (Strombidium, tintinnids)
- Hemimastigophora
Metazoa - multicellular mitochondrial
eukaryotes (together with plants, fungi and some protists sometimes referred to
as Crown Eukaryotes)
- Invertebrates 'animals without backbones'; here
taken to include all non-chordate metazoans:- [links]
- Porifera poriferans, sponges,
characterized by pores in their outside walls through which water is drawn
[links]
- Calcarea calcareous sponges
with spicules of calcium carbonate (Clathrina)
- Demospongiae have a skeletal
network of spongin fibers and/or siliceous spicules, includes all known
freshwater sponges (Ephydatia, Haliclona, Spongilla)
- Hexactinellida glass sponges
with siliceous spicules (Hexactinella, Rossella)
- Sclerospongiae a polyphyletic
grouping
- Stromatoporoidea fossil
group with massive calcareous skeletons (Stromatoporella)
- Coelenterata (=Cnidaria) coelenterates,
mainly marine phylum characterized by cnida or nematocysts used in feeding;
characteristic body forms are the polyp (generally sedentary) and the medusa
(generally motile) [links]
- Anthozoa includes most
corals & sea anemones, coelenterates whose living representatives
lack a medusoid 'jellyfish' stage in their life cycle
- Ceriantipatharia black
corals, thorny corals (Antipathes, Cerianthus)
- Octocorallia (=Alcyonaria)
alcyonarians, soft corals, sea pens (Alcyonium, Renilla)
- Zoantharia (=Hexacorallia)
corals and sea anemones
- Actiniaria sea
anemones (Actinia, Metridium)
- Rugosa fossil
rugose corals, tetracorals (Acanthophyllum, Stylostrotion)
- Scleractinia (=Madreporaria)
hard corals, stony corals, true corals (Acropora, Fungia,
Montastraea, Porites)
- Tabulata tabulate
corals, fossil (Alveolites, Heliolites)
- Zoanthiniaria
(=Zoanthidea) (Palythoa, Zoanthus)
- Cubozoa box jellyfish
(Carybdea)
- Hydrozoa (=Hydromedusae)
mostly alternate between polyp and medusa stage, many are colonial
- Hydroida freshwater
hydras & colonial hydroids (Hydra, Hydractinia, Obelia,
Plumularia, Tubularia)
- Milleporina (=Milleporida)
hydrocorals, millepores (Millepora)
- Siphonophorida (=Siphonophora)
colonial jellyfish (Physalia)
- Scyphozoa true jellyfish
(Aurelia, Chrysaora, Rhopilema)
- Ctenophora comb jellies, ctenophores,
jelly like motile marine organisms with rows of beating cilia or comb plates
(Beroe, Mnemiopsis, Pleurobrachia) [links]
- Echinodermata echinoderms, marine
deuterostome organisms characterized by tube feet which form part of the water
vascular system, thought to possibly have a common ancestry with the chordates
[links]
- Crinoidea featherstars,
sea lilies (Barycrinus, Metacrinus)
- Echinoidea heart urchins,
sand dollars, sea urchins (Clypeaster, Echinus, Echinocardium, Hemicentrotus,
Lytechinus, Paracentrotus, Strongylocentrotus)
- Holothuroidea sea cucumbers
(Cucumaria, Holothuria, Stichopus)
- Stelleroidea
- Asteroidea sea stars,
starfish (Acanthaster, Asterias, Pisaster)
- Ophiuroidea brittle
stars (Amphiura, Ophiura)
- Platyhelminthes flat worms,
acoelomate animals of uncertain origin [links]
- Cestoda tapeworms (Diphyllobothrium,
Echinococcus, Hymenolepis, Taenia)
- Trematoda parasitic flukes
(Cercaria, Diplostomum, Fasciola, Gyrodactylus, Schistosoma)
- Turbellaria turbellarians,
free living flatworms (Dugesia, Temnocephala)
- Nematoda nematodes, roundworms,
threadworms(some), whipworms, lungworms, hookworms, eelworms; a pseudocoelomate
phylum with both parasitic and free-living representatives, exist in very
large numbers (Ascaris, Caenorhabditis C. elegans, Haemonchus, Heterorhabditis,
Meloidogyne, Onchocerca, Toxocara) [links]
- Acanthocephala acanthocephalans,
spiny headed worms; a parasitic pseudocoelomate phylum with spiny protrusible
proboscis (Acanthocephalus, Corynosoma, Moniliformis) [links]
- Mesozoa mesozoans, small worm
like organisms at one time though to be degenerate flatworms (Rhopalura)
[links]
- Nematomorpha nematomorphans,
horsehair worms, threadworms (some), gordian worms; a pseudocoelomate phylum
(Gordius) [links]
- Nemertinea (=Rhynchocoela, Nemertea)
nemertines, proboscis worms, rhynchocoels, ribbon worms, acoelomate worms
with extensible proboscis (Cerebratulus, Lineus) [links]
- Annelida annelids, segmented
coelomate worms with chitinous bristles [links]
- Hirudinea leeches (Helobdella,
Hirudo, Notostomum) [links]
- Oligochaeta earthworms,
terrestrial bristle worms (Dendrobaena, Eisenia, Lumbricus, Tubifex)
[links]
- Polychaeta lugworms, paddleworms,
polychaetes, ragworms, sandworms, include parasitic Myzostomida but
otherwise mostly marine (Arenicola, Cirratulus, Glycera, Lanice,
Nereis, Polydora, Serpula) [links]
- Rotifera (=Rotatoria) rotifers,'wheel
animals' named for rotating ring of cilia; a pseudocoelomate phylum (Asplanchna,
Brachionus, Lecane) [links]
- Cephalorhyncha cephalorhynchans
[links]
- Chaetognatha chaetognaths, arrow
worms, small marine arrow shaped organisms with moveable hooks (Sagitta)
[links]
- Cycliophora a new phylum only
discovered in 1995 with a single species (Symbion pandora) [links]
- Echiura echiurans, spoon worms,
marine worms with extensible proboscis which live in u-shaped tubes (Echiurus,
Urechis) [links]
- Gastrotricha gastrotrichs, free-living
wormlike organisms with lobed heads; a pseudocoelomate phylum (Chaetonotus,
Macrodasys, Xenotrichula) [links]
- Gnathostomulida gnathostomulids,
jaw worms; a pseudocoelomate phylum (Gnathostomula) [links]
- Kinorhyncha kinorhynchs, free-living
marine, with spiny heads used in characteristic locomotion after which they
are named; a pseudocoelomate phylum (Echinoderes) [links]
- Lobopodia
[links]
- Loricifera loricifers; a pseudocoelomate
phylum first described in 1983 with spiny heads and abdominal plates called
lorica (Nanaloricus)
[links]
- Placozoa a parazoan group represented
by the single species (Trichoplax adhaerens) [links]
- Pogonophora pogonophorans, beard
worms, deep-sea sessile worms of uncertain lineage which produce upright tubes
to live in (Siboglinum) [links]
- Priapulida (=Priapula) priapulids;
a pseudocoelomate protostomate phylum, short fat marine worms about which
relatively little is known (Priapulus) [links]
- Sipuncula sipunculids, peanut
worms, unsegmented protostomate marine worms characterized by the introvert,
a contractile organ used in locomotion (Golfingia, Phascolion, Sipunculus)
[links]
- Vestimentifera vestimentifers,
phylum first described in 1985 for genera formerly considered to be pogonophorans
(Escarpia, Lamellibrachia, Ridgeia) [links]
- Conodonta conodonts, group of
conoidal shaped fossils (Polygnathus) [links]
- Brachiopoda brachiopods, lamp
shells; a marine lophophorate phylum of shelled animals with an extensive
fossil record; Lingula is possibly the oldest genus with known living
representatives [links]
- Bryozoa (=Ectoprocta, Polyzoa)
bryozoans, ectoprocts, polyzoans, 'moss' animals; a lophophorate & coelomate
phylum of aquatic & mostly colonial animals; (some classifications group
Ectoprocta together with Entoprocta as Bryozoa) (Bugula, Membranipora,
Plumatella) [links]
- Entoprocta (=Kamptozoa) entoprocts,
kamptozoans; a marine pseudocoelomate phylum, mostly sessile filter feeders
(Loxosoma) [links]
- Mollusca molluscs, mollusks,
soft bodied animals mostly with an internal or external calcareous shell [links]
- Aplacophora solenogasters,
deep-sea worm like animals [links]
- Polyplacophora modern
chitons (Chiton, Tonicella) [links]
- Monoplacophora mostly
fossil, living species not discovered until 1977 (Neopilina)
[links]
- Gastropoda slugs, snails
& their relatives [links]
- Prosobranchia snails
(Buccinum, Calliostoma, Cerithium, Conus, Cypraea, Haliotis,
Littorina, Murex, Oliva, Patella, Strombus, Thais)
- Heterobranchia (Architectonica,
Nerinea, Pyramidella, Turbonilla)
- Opisthobranchia slugs
- Anaspidea (=Aplysiomorpha)
(Aplysia - sea hares)
- Cephalaspidea
(Acteon)
- Gymnosomata (Clione)
- Notaspidea (Pleurobranchaea)
- Nudibranchia (Acanthodoris)
- Pulmonata
- Archaeopulmonata
(Melampus)
- Basommatophora
(Biomphalaria, Bulinus, Lymnaea)
- Stylommatophora
land snails (Achatina, Arion, Helix, Liguus, Limax, Partula,
Polymita, Succinea)
- Cephalopoda cephalopods
[links]
- Nautiloidea once abundant,
Nautilus is now the only genus with living representatives
- Ammonoidea ammonites
& their relatives, only known from fossils (Ammonites)
- Coleoidea group containing
all living cephalopods other than Nautilus
- Belemnitida belemnites,
fossils (Belemnites, Gonioteuthis)
- Octopoda octopods,
octopuses, devilfishes (Argonauta, Eledone, Octopus)
- Sepiida cuttlefish;
often grouped with squid as Decapoda (Euprymna, Sepia, Spirula)
- Teuthida squid;
often grouped with cuttlefish as Decapoda (Illex, Loligo,
Sepioteuthis, Todarodes)
- Vampyromorpha vampire
squid
- Bivalvia bivalves, pelecypods,
lamellibranchs, includes clams, mussels, oysters etc with laterally
hinged bivalve shells (Arca, Cardium, Crassostrea, Dreissena D. polymorpha
- zebra mussel, Macoma, Mactra, Modiolus, Mya, Mytilus, Pecten, Unio,
Venus) [links]
- Scaphopoda razor shells,
tusk shells, tooth shells (Dentalium) [links]
- Arthropoda arthropods, 'jointed
legged animals' characterized by segmented bodies and jointed appendages;
have gills or tracheae; easily the largest phylum of all animals & of
great economic importance, possibly a polyphyletic group [links]
- Crustacea crustaceans, mainly
aquatic animals with gills and a dorsal carapace or shell, includes crabs,
lobsters, shrimps etc [links]
- Branchiopoda branchiopods
[links]
- Anostraca fairy
shrimps (Artemia) [links]
- Cladocera water
fleas (Bosmina, Daphnia) [links]
- Conchostraca clam
shrimps (Leptestheria) [links]
- Notostraca tadpole
shrimps (Lepidurus, Triops) [links]
- Branchiura fish lice;
incl in Maxillopoda of some authors (Argulus, Chonopeltis)
[links]
- Cephalocarida [links]
- Cirripedia barnacles;
incl in Maxillopoda of some authors (Balanus, Lepas) [links]
- Copepoda copepods; incl
in Maxillopoda of some authors (Acartia, Calanus, Caligus, Cyclops,
Diaptomus, Ergasilus, Harpacticus) [links]
- Malacostraca large group
with heavily calcified external skeleton, two pairs of well-developed
antennae, 8 segments in thorax each with a pair of appendages, 6-7
segments in abdomen; many well known representatives, including: [links]
- Decapoda [links]
- Natantia prawns,
shrimps (Alpheus, Crangon, Hippolyte, Macrobrachium,
Pandalus, Penaeus) [links]
- Reptantia
[links]
- Anomura
hermit crabs (Callianassa, Pagurus, Upogebia)
[links]
- Astacura crayfish,
true lobsters (Astacus, Cambarus, Homarus, Nephrops,
Orconectes, Procambarus) [links]
- Brachyura
true crabs (Callinectes C.sapidus - blue crab, Cancer,
Maja, Ocypode, Scylla, Uca) [links]
- Palinura
slipper lobsters, spiny lobsters (Jasus, Palinurus,
Panulirus) [links]
- Euphausiacea krill
(Meganyctiphanes, Thysanoessa) [links]
- Stomatopoda mantis
shrimps (Squilla) [links]
- Amphipoda amphipods
(Corophium, Gammarus, Talorchestia) [links]
- Cumacea cumaceans
[links]
- Isopoda isopods,
pill bugs, woodlice (Armadillidium, Idotea, Ligia, Limnoria,
Oniscus, Porcellio) [links]
- Mysidacea mysids
(Mysis, Neomysis) [links]
- Ostracoda ostracods;
incl in Maxillopoda of some authors (Candona, Limnocythere)
[links]
- Trilobitomorpha trilobites,
known only from fossils (Calymene, Phacops) [links]
- Chelicerata
- Arachnida arachnids,
spiders & their allies [links]
- Acari mites, ticks
(Amblyomma, Boophilus, Dermacentor, Eriophyes, Haemaphysalis,
Ixodes, Oribates, Psoroptes, Sarcoptes, Tetranychus, Varroa)
[links]
- Araneae true spiders
(Araneus, Erigone, Gnaphosa, Pardosa, Tarentula) [links]
- Opiliones (=Phalangiida)
harvesters [links]
- Pseudoscorpionida
(=Pseudoscorpiones) false scorpions, pseudoscorpions (Roncus)
[links]
- Scorpiones true
scorpions (Buthus, Centruroides, Tityus) [links]
- Solpugida (=Solifugae)
sun spiders (Solpuga) [links]
- Merostomata merostomatans,
horseshoe crabs [links]
- Xiphosura king crabs
(Limulus)
- Pycnogonida (=Pantopoda)
pycnogonids, pantopods, sea spiders (Pycnogonum) [links]
- Smaller arthropod and allied groups [links]
- Arthropleurida arthropleuridans,
fossil group (Arthropleura)
- Onychophora onychophorans,
velvet worms, small wormlike creatures from humid environments which
crawl like caterpillars, show characteristcs of both the annelid and
arthropod phyla (Peripatus) [links]
- Pentastomida pentastomids,
tongue worms, parasitic group of uncertain affinities (Linguatula)
[links]
- Tardigrada tardigrades,
waterbears, very small animals with a thick nonchitinous cuticle and
4 pairs of unjointed legs (Echiniscus, Macrobiotus) [links]
- Myriapoda myriapods (sometimes grouped with
Insecta in the arthropod subphylum Uniramia) [links]
- Chilopoda centipedes
(Lithobius, Scolopendra)
- Diplopoda millipedes
(Glomeris, Polydesmus)
- Pauropoda pauropods
(Allopauropus)
- Symphyla (=Symphylida)
- Hexapoda insects and some
closely related more ancient groups, all with six walking legs
- Entognatha
- Collembola springtails,
very abundant & widely distributed (Isotoma, Onychiurus)
[links]
- Protura very small
& eyeless with enlarged forelegs (Eosentomon) [links]
- Diplura two pronged
bristletails (position unclear but traditionally included in
Entognatha along with Collembola and Protura) (Campodea)
[links]
- Insecta insects [links]
- Anoplura sucking
lice, true lice (Pediculus, Solenopotes) [links]
- Coleoptera beetles
(includes Buprestoidea Caraboidea Lampyris noctiluca
- glow worm Leptinotarsa decemlineata - Colorado Beetle
Strepsiptera)[links]
- Dermaptera earwigs
(Forficula, Labidura) [links]
- Dictyoptera [links]
- Blattodea
(=Blattaria) cockroaches (Blaberus, Blattella, Periplaneta
americana - American cockroach)
- Mantodea (=Manteodea)
mantids (Mantis, Tenodera)
- Diptera true flies
(Aedes aegypti - malaria mosquito Chironomidae, Drosophila
- fruit flies Tachinidae) [links]
- Ephemeroptera
mayflies, shadflies (Baetis, Ephemera, Hexagenia, Rhithrogena)
[links]
- Hemiptera [links]
- Heteroptera
true bugs
- Homoptera
- Aphidoidea
aphids, plant lice
- Cicadoidea
cicadas
- Coccoidea
mealy bugs, scale insects
- Psylloidea
jumping plant lice
- Hymenoptera includes
social wasps and ants [links]
- Symphyta sawflies
- Apocrita
- Evanioidea
- Ichneumonoidea
- Pelecinoidea
(Pelecinus)
- Chalcidoidea
chalcid wasps
- Proctotrupoidea
- Formicoidea
ants
- Vespoidea
true wasps
- Sphecoidea
- Apoidea
bees (Apis mellifera - honeybee)
- Isoptera termites,
white ants (Coptotermes, Nasutitermes, Reticulitermes)
[links]
- Lepidoptera butterflies
& moths [links]
- Bombycoidea
(Bombyx mori - silk moth)
- Cossoidea
- Gelechioidea
- Geometroidea
- Noctuoidea
noctuid moths (Lymantria dispar - gypsy moth)
- Papilionoidea
butterflies (Vanessa)
- Pyraloidea
- Sphingoidea
- Tineoidea
- Tortricoidea
- Yponomeutoidea
- Zygaenoidea
- Mallophaga bird
lice, biting lice (Menopon)
[links]
- Mantophasmatodea
[links]
- Mecoptera scorpionflies
(Boreus, Panorpa) [links]
- Megaloptera alder
flies, dobson flies, fish flies (Chauliodes, Sialis)
[links]
- Neuroptera (=Planipennia)
dobsonflies, doodlebugs, lacewings (Ankylopteryx, Chrysopa,
Chrysoperla, Myrmeleontidae - antlions) [links]
- Odonata damselflies,
dragonflies (Aeschna, Argia, Calopteryx, Ischnura, Libellula,
Orthetrum, Sympetrum) [links]
- Orthoptera [links]
- Phasmida (=Phasmatodea)
leaf insects, stick insects (Carausius, Cuniculina)
- Saltatoria
crickets, grasshoppers, groundhoppers, katydids, locusts
(Acheta, Acrida, Chorthippus, Gryllus, Locusta migratoria
- migratory locust, Melanoplus, Oxya, Schistocerca gragaria
- desert locust, Tettigonia)
- Plecoptera (=Perlaria)
stone flies (Isoperla, Leuctra, Nemoura) [links]
- Psocoptera bark
lice, book lice (Caecilius, Loensia, Psocus)
[links]
- Siphonaptera fleas
(Ceratophyllus, Ctenocephalides, Xenopsylla) [links]
- Strepsiptera twisted
wing insects
[links]
- Thysanoptera thrips
(Aelothrips, Frankliniella, Haplothrips, Thrips) [links]
- Thysanura bristletails,
silverfish (Lepisma) [links]
- Trichoptera caddis
flies (Hydropsyche, Hydroptila, Limnephilus, Rhyacophila)
[links]
- Hemichordata hemichordates,
marine wormlike animals which live in u-shaped burrows in sand or mud, do
have some chordate characteristics but not a notochord as once erroneously
thought
[links]
- Enteropneusta acorn worms,
tongue worms, solitary (Balanoglossus Saccoglossus)
- Planctosphaeroidea only
known from pelagic larval forms
- Pterobranchia pterobranchs,
mostly colonial (Cephalodiscus Rhabdopleura)
- Graptolithina graptolites,
a group of marine colonial animals that lived from the Cambrian to the
mid-Carboniferous, most of them floated freely about in the ocean, but
some lived attached to the bottom, most fossil graptolites look like nothing
so much as tiny sawblades and they have a checkered history of classification
- their affinities being very difficult make out (Mediograptus)
- Phoronida phoronids, lophophorate
marine worm like animals of uncertain affinities (Phoronis)
[links]
- Chordata chordates, characterized
by having a single dorsal nerve chord, a notochord and pharyngeal gill slits
at some stage of their life cycle [links]
- Calcichordata calcichordates,
fossil group of uncertain lineage
[links]
- Urochordata (=Tunicata)
urochordates, tunicates, mostly sessile marine organisms
[links]
- Ascidiacea sea squirts
(Botryllus Ciona)
- Larvacea (=Appendicularia)
appendicularians (Oikopleura)
- Thaliacea chain tunicates,
salps (Salpa)
- Cephalochordata (=Acrania)
cephalochordates, acraniates, lancelets, amphioxus, small scaleless fish
like animals (Branchiostoma)
[links]
- Craniata craniates, have
skulls (often subdivided into two groups - the Agnatha lacking jaws &
the Gnathostomata with jaws)
- Myxini hagfishes, jawless
eel shaped marine fish (Eptatretus Myxine)
- Vertebrata vertebrates, have backbones,
group includes lampreys and all jawed vertebrates: [links]
- 'Fish like' groups [links]:-
- Pituriaspida jawless
armoured vertebrates known only from Devonian of Australia (Pituriaspis
Neeyambaspis)
- Pteraspidomorphi (=Diplorhina)
pteraspidomorphs, Ordovician/Devonian jawless vertebrates
- Cephalaspidomorphi (=Monorhina)
- Anaspidiformes
anaspids, Silurian fossils
- Cephalaspidiformes (=Osteostraci)
cephalaspids, osteostracans, armoured fossils
- Petromyzontiformes
(=Hyperoartii) lampreys (Lampetra Petromyzon)
- Placodermi placoderms,
jointed neck fish, armoured fossils
- Chondrichthyes cartilaginous
fish - dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula - dogfish, Squalus
acanthias - spiny dogfish, spurdog), rays (Torpedo - electric
rays), sharks (Carcharodon carcharias - white shark) etc
- Actinopterygii (=Osteichthyes)
ray-finned fish; includes most living 'bony' fish (teleosts) (Anguilla
- eels, Carassius auratus - goldfish, Ctenopharyngodon idella
- grass carp, Cyprinus carpio - carp, Gadus morhua -
carp, Oncorhynchus - salmon, Salmo - salmon and trout
- Sarcopterygii lobe-finned
fish - coelacanths (Latimeria), lung fish etc; now considered
to also include all tetrapod groups more traditionally considered
separately (see below)
- 'Tetrapod' groups 'with four limbs'; these
may also be categorized as Amniota (mammals, reptiles, dinosaurs and
birds), with all living and fossil amphibians placed in various non-amniote
groups; Amphibia and Reptilia together are sometimes referred to as
'herptiles' [links]
- Amphibia amphibians
spend part of their life in water, breathe through skin & gills,
lay eggs in water and lack scales, cold blooded [links]
- Labyrinthodontia
fossils
- Lepospondyli fossils
- Lissamphibia includes
all living amphibians
- Anura (=Salienta)
frogs (Rana), toads (Bufo bufo - common toad,
Bufo marinus - marine toad, cane toad, Dominican toad,
Xenopus laevis - clawed toad) [links]
- Caudata (=Urodela)
salamanders, newts (Notophthalmus viridescens, Pleurodeles
waltlii, Triturus cristatus - crested newt, Triturus
vulgaris - common newt), mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus)
[links]
- Gymnophiona
(=Apoda) caecilians [links]
- Reptilia reptiles
[links]
have scales and an amniote egg adapted to survival out of water, cold
blooded and mostly well adapted to life on land; contains many fossil
groups including the dinosaurs [links];
modern taxonomy often places the lizards, crocodiles, birds, Sphenodon,
and their extinct relatives into one amniote group - the Diapsida; some
reptilian groups with living representatives are:
- Testudines tortoises,
turtles [links]
- Cryptodira modern
turtles
- Squamata
- Sauria crocodiles
[links]
lizards [links]
- Amphisbaenia
worm lizards [links]
- Serpentes snakes
[links]
- Aves birds have feathers,
no teeth, modified forelimbs (wings), can regulate their body temperature
and have land adapted eggs with shells (current theories place birds
in a separate group - the Archosauria along with dinosaurs, crocodiles
& their relatives); there are many orders of birds, some of the
better known ones with living representatives include: [links]
- Anseriformes ducks
(Anas platyrhynchos - domestic duck), geese (Anser
anser - domestic goose), swans [links]
- Apodiformes hummingbirds
(Trochilidae), swifts (Apodidae) [links]
- Apterygiformes
kiwis (Apteryx australis - brown kiwi, Apteryx owenii
- little spotted kiwi) [links]
- Caprimulgiformes
goatsuckers (Caprimulgidae, Chordeiles minor - common
nighthawk) [links]
- Casuariiformes
cassowaries, emus [links]
- Charadriiformes
shore birds, auks (Alcidae), gulls and terns (Laridae), plovers
(Charadriidae), sandpipers (Scolopacidae) [links]
- Ciconiiformes
herons and bitterns (Ardeidae), ibises (Threskiornithidae),
storks (Ciconiidae) [links]
- Columbiiformes
pigeons and doves (Columbidae, Columba livia - rock dove)
[links]
- Cuculiformes cuckoos
(Cuculidae) [links]
- Falconiformes
falcons (Falconidae, Falco peregrinus - peregrine falcon),
hawks and old world vultures (Accipitridae, Aquila chrysaetos
- golden eagle), ospreys (Pandionidae, Pandion haliaetus
- osprey), new world vultures (Cathartidae) [links]
- Galliformes domestic
fowl (Coturnix japonica - quail, Gallus gallus
- domestic chicken, red junglefowl, Meleagris gallopavo
- turkey), game birds (Phasianus colchicus - ring necked
pheasant) [links]
- Gaviiformes divers
and loons (Gaviidae) [links]
- Gruiformes cranes
(Gruidae), rails (coots, moorhens, gallinules - Rallidae) [links]
- Passeriformes
passerines, perching birds, song birds [links]
- Phoenocopteriformes
flamingos (Phoenicopterus)
- Pelecaniformes
cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae), frigatebirds (Fregatidae), gannets
and boobies (Sulidae), pelicans (Pelecanidae, Pelecanus onocrotalus
- great white pelican)[links]
- Piciformes woodpeckers
(Picidae), toucans (Ramphastidae) [links]
- Podicipediformes
grebes (Podicipedidae) [links]
- Procellariiformes
albatrosses (Diomedeidae), fulmars, shearwaters and petrels
(Procellariidae) [links]
- Psittaciformes
parrots (Melopsittacus undulatus - budgerigar) [links]
- Rheiformes rheas
(Rheidae) [links]
- Sphenisciformes
penguins (Spheniscidae, Aptenodytes forsteri - emperor
penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae Adelie penguin) [links]
- Strigiformes barn
owls (Tytonidae, Tyto alba - barn owl), owls (Strigidae,
Asio otus - long-eared owl, Nyctea scandiaca -
snowy owl) [links]
- Struthioniformes
cassowaries (Casuariidae), emus (Dromaiidae, Dromaius novaehollandiae
(larger emu), ostriches (Struthionidae, Struthio camelus
- ostrich) [links]
- Mammalia mammals can
regulate their body temperatures, generally have hair, bear live young
& nourish them with milk produced by mammary glands, the majority
are placental [links];
in addition to numerous groups known only from fossils the mammalian
orders are:
- Artiodactyla even
toed hoofed mammals - camels (Camelus - bactrian camel,
dromedary), cattle (Bos indicus - zebu cattle, Bos
taurus - domestic cattle of Europe, former USSR and USA,
Bubalus bubalis - Asian water buffalo), deer, giraffes,
goats (Capra hircus - domestic goat), hippos, llamas,
pigs (Sus scrofa - domestic pig), sheep (Ovies aries
- domestic sheep) [links]
- Carnivora carnivores
- badgers, bears, cats (Felis catus - domestic cat),
dogs (Canis familiaris - domestic dog), ferrets (Mustela
furo - domestic ferret), otters, seals, weasels, wolves
[links]
- Cetacea dolphins
(Delphinus delphis - common dolphin, Tursiops truncatus
- bottlenose dolphin), whales (blue whale - Balaenoptera
musculus, humpback whale - Megaptera, killer whale
- Orcinus orca, minke whale - Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
[links]
- Chiroptera bats
(big brown bat - Eptesicus fuscus, hoary bat - Lasiurus
cinereus), flying foxes (Pteropus) [links]
- Dermoptera flying
lemurs (Cynocephalus) [links]
- Desmostylia extinct
mammal group [links]
- Edentata edentates
- anteaters (giant anteater - Myrmecophaga tridactyla,
pygmy anteater - Cyclopes didactylus), armadillos (giant
armadillo - Priodontes maximus, nine-banded armadillo
- Dasypus novemcinctus), sloths (three-toed sloths -
Bradypus, two-toed sloths - Choloepus)[links]
- Embrithopoda [links]
- Hyracoidea hyraxes
(common rock hyrax - Procavia capensis) [links]
- Insectivora insectivores
- hedgehogs (west European hedgehog - Erinaceus europaeus),
moles (European mole - Talpa europaea), shrews (comon
shrew - Sorex araneus, pygmy shrew - Sorex hoyi)
[links]
- Lagomorpha lagomorphs
- hares (common hares, jackrabbits - Lepus), pikas (Ochotona),
rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus - common European rabbit,
Sylvilagus - cottontail rabbits) [links]
- Marsupialia marsupials
- kangaroos and wallabies (Macropodidae, eastern grey kangaroo
- Macropus giganteus, red or plains kangaroo - Macropus
rufus), koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), wombats
(Vombatus) [links]
- Monotremata egg
laying mammals, monotremes - platypus (duck-billed platypus
- Ornithorhynchus anatinus), echidnas or spiny anteaters
(Tachyglossus, Zaglossus) [links]
- Perissodactyla
odd toed hoofed mammals - horses (Equus asinus - ass,
donkey, Equus caballus - true horse), rhinoceroses (black
rhino - Diceros bicornis, white rhino - Ceratotherium
simum), tapirs (Tapirus), zebras (mountain or Hartmann's
zebra - Equus zebra) [links]
- Pholidota pangolins
(Manis) [links]
- Primates lemurs
(Lemuridae, ring tail lemurs - Lemur, brown lemurs -
Eulemur), marmosets (Callithrix jacchus - common
marmoset), monkeys (Macaca - macaques, Pan troglodytes
- chimpanzee, Papio - baboons, Saimiri sciureus
- squirrel monkey), tamarins (Saguinus), vervets &
man (Homo sapiens - modern man) [links]
- Proboscidea elephants
(african elephant - Loxodonta africana, Asian elephant
- Elephas maximus), mammoths [links]
- Rodentia rodents
- cavies (Cavia porcellus - guinea pig), chinchillas
(Chinchilla), gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus -
Mongolian gerbil), hamsters (Cricetus cricetus - common
hamster, Cricetulus griseus - Chinese hamster, Mesocricetus
auratus - golden hamster), mice (Mus musculus - house
mouse), porcupines, rats (Rattus norvegicus - Norway
rat, Rattus rattus - black rat) [links]
- Sirenia dugongs
(Dugong dugon), manatees (Trichechus) [links]
- Tubulidentata
aadvarks (Orycteropus afer) [links]