Animal Phyla and Key Evolutionary Traits: Notes on Invertebrates and Vertebrates

Choanoflagellates

Flagellated unicellular organisms, protists, choanocytes (cells with flagella)

Metazoa

Multicellular animals

Porifera

Sponges, have pores. NO tissues/organs + collar

Eumetazoa

Animals with specialized tissues

Cnidaria

Radial symmetry, gastro. cavity, diploblastic, stinging

ECM (Extra-Cellular Matrix)

Specialized tissues/proteins outside of the cells

Bilateria

Bilateral, triploblastic animals

Acoela

Aka Acoelomates, beings w/o coelom. (They lost it)

Echinodermata

Spiny, calcium-carbonate endoskeleton, 5-part symmetry, bilateral, water vascular system.

Chordata

Notochord, dorsal hollow nerve chord, pharyngeal gill slits, muscular post-anal tail (DNPP)

Spiralia

Animals with bilateral symmetry and having an endoderm, mesoderm, and exoderm

Coelom

Fluid-filled space between body wall/digestive tube, provides added structure

Rotifera

No morphological similarities/traits, does have bilateral/protostome parts

Mollusca

Mantle (hard secretion), foot, some have radula (teeth rack)

Annelida

Segmented body, has true coelom (eucoelomate)

Ecdysozoa

Bilateral, triploblastic, protostome development. Primary trait is molting.

Nematoa

Roundworm, has cuticle, water/land, always parasitic (heartworm)

Edysis

Molting/shedding

Arthropoda

Eucoelomate, joints and 3-segment appendages, chitin exoskeleton (limited growth)