Different Types of Phylum and Characteristics, Classes

The taxon, ‘Phylum’ is the largest group. There are several such Phyla constituting the animal kingdom.

Members of a Phylum are recognized by certain distinctive features as shown below with different types of phylum and their characteristics.

Different Types of Phylum and Characteristics:

Apart from one specific character, the members of the Phylum may also show other common characters as well. Since a Phylum comprises enormous varieties of animals, it is further subdivided as given below:

Phylum
• Sub-phylum
  • Classes
Sub-phylum
• Classes
Classes

OR

Phylum
• • Classes
• Classes
Classes

OR

Phylum
• Superclass
• Classes
Superclass
Classes

Classes of Phylum:

A Class is the next level in the hierarchy. There are only few Classes in a Phylum. The members of each Class are identified by some specific character. Thus for example the Phylum : Protozoa comprises four Classes as follows.

Each Class may further be divided into Superorders or Orders

Class
• Subclass
  • Superorders
    • Orders
Subclass
• Superorders
  • Orders
Superorders
• Orders
Orders

OR

Class
• Orders
Orders

An Order is another level in the taxonomic hierarchy. It is marked by some specific feature. A Class may have several Orders. For example, the Class : Insecta is subdivided into nearly 29 Orders. Each Order is identified by a specific character .

and the Order is subdivided into Families

10 Major phylum’s of Animal Kingdom:

There are total 34 to 36 phylum’s and total number of phylum’s under animal kingdom vastly explained but nine or 10 or described extent species and they are:

Phylum – Porifera
Phylum – Coelenterata (Cnidaria)
Phylum – Ctenophora
Phylum – Platyhelminthes
Phylum – Aschelminthes (Nemotoda) Annelida
Phylum – Arthropoda
Phylum – Mollusca
Phylum – Echinodermata
Phylum – Hemichordata
Phylum – Chordata

Total Number of Phylums:

There are total of 34 known phylums based on different species and some on extrapolations to numbers of not previously known species , below is the phylum name along with their common names.