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:
Characters | Phylum |
Single celled animals | Protozoa |
Pore bearers | Porifera |
Common body cavity and digestive cavity | Coelenterata |
Flatworms | Platyhelminthes |
Thread-like worms | Nematoda |
Metamerically segmented animal | Annelida |
Having jointed legs | Arthropoda |
Soft bodied | Mollusca |
Spiny skinned | Echinodermata |
Having notochord | Chordata |
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
- Sub-phylum
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.
Class | Characteristics |
Rhizopoda | with root like pseudopodia |
Ciliata | having cilia |
Flagellata | having flagellum |
Sporozoa | producing spores |
Each Class may further be divided into Superorders or Orders
- Class
- Subclass
- Superorders
- Orders
- Superorders
- Subclass
- Superorders
- Orders
- Superorders
- Orders
- Orders
- Superorders
- Subclass
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 .
ORDER | CHARACTER | EXAMPLE |
Aptera | No wing | Lepisma |
Coleoptera | Horny wings | Beetles |
Lepidoptera | Scaly wings | Butterflies |
Diptera | Two winged | Mosquitoes |
Hymenoptera | Membranous wings | Wasps |
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.
Phylum | Common name |
Acanthocephala | Thorny-headed worms |
Annelida | Segmented worms |
Arthropoda | Insects, crustaceans |
Brachiopoda | Lampshells |
Bryozoa | Moss animals, sea mats, ectoprocts |
Chaetognatha | Arrow worms |
Chordata | Chordates |
Cnidaria | Cnidarians |
Ctenophora | Comb jellies |
Cycliophora | Symbion |
Echinodermata | Echinoderms |
Entoprocta | Goblet worms |
Gastrotricha | Gastrotrich worms |
Gnathostomulida | Jaw worms |
Hemichordata | Acorn worms, hemichordates |
Kinorhyncha | Mud dragons |
Loricifera | Brush heads |
Micrognathozoa | Limnognathia |
Mollusca | Mollusks / molluscs |
Nematoda | Round worms, thread worms |
Nematomorpha | Horsehair worms, gordian worms |
Nemertea | Ribbon worms, rhynchocoela |
Onychophora | Velvet worms |
Orthonectida | Orthonectids |
Phoronida | Horseshoe worms |
Placozoa | Trichoplaxes |
Platyhelminthes | Flatworms |
Porifera | Sponges |
Priapulida | Penis worms |
Rhombozoa | Rhombozoans |
Rotifera | Rotifers |
Sipuncula | Peanut worms |
Tardigrada | Water bears |
Xenacoelomorpha | Acoels, xenoturbellids |
The seven phylums are, Porifera, Cnidaria, Platyhelminthes, Annelida, Mollusca, Arthropoda, and Chordata
Here is how to pronounce phylum