SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY
MAJOR CLADES OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
|
SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY |
|||||
| HOME | SYLLABUS | WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS | J. SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY | TAXA OF LIFE | |
|
MAJOR CLADES OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM | |||||
This figure following is a modification of the summaries of Nielsen (2001), Raff (2001), Adouette et al. (2000), Brusca and Brusca (2003), and Tudge (2000) in which the Animal Kingdom is monophyletic and forms four major clades: the CHOANOFLAGELLATES (CHOANOZOA), PARAZOA, RADIATA, and BILATERIA. The Kingdom Fungi is a sister group to the Animal Kingdom. Here, the Bilateria is separated into the Protostomata and Deuterostomata. The letters define synapomorphies that occurred at the base of each clade.
 |
Synapomorphies that
define the major clades of the Animal Kingdom.
A Development from a blastula. Simple life history with gametic meiosis. B Determinant development with well-developed tissue layers (2). C Radial symmetry. D Bilateral Symmetry (the Bilateria). Animal develops from a gastrula that forms a gut, mesoderm, and body cavity. E Blastopore becomes mouth. The gut and body cavity have been secondarily lost or highly modified in the acoelomate and pseudocoelomate taxa of the protostomes. F Blastopore becomes anus. |
This page was written and maintained by Jack R. Holt/Carlos A. Iudica. Last revised: 01/21/2008