Classification of Life
(New Classification by Lynn Margulis and Karlene V. Schwartz, 1997)
I. Superkingdom: Prokarya (Prokaryotae)
A. Kingdom: Bacteria (Prokaryotae, Procaryotae, Monera) - (Precam-R)
Subkingdom: Archaea - Methanogens, Halophils, and Thermoacidophils
Subkingdom: Eubacteria – true bacteria, Gram-negative walls, No walls, Gram-positive walls
Phylum: Cyanobacteria – Blue-green algae, stromatolites
II. Superkingdom: Eukarya (Eukaryotae)
A.Kingdom: Protoctista (formerly Protista) - one celled organisms, eukaryotic organisms
Phylum: Granuloreticulosa
Class: Foraminifera (Cam-R) fusulinids, nummulites, and foraminifera
Phylum: Actinopoda
Class: Phaeodaria – (formerly Radiolaria) Class: Polycystina - (formerly Radiolaria) (Cam-R) opaline silica test
Phylum: Chrysomonada (Chrysophyta) Silicoflagellates (Jur. - R)
Phylum: Diatoms (Bacillariophora) - Diatoms - silica tests (Cret-R)
Phylum: Haptomonada (Coccolithophora) - Coccolithophores (E.Jur-R)
Phylum: Dinomastigota (Dinophyceae) - Dinoflagellates (Sil-R)
Phylum: Ciliophora - paramecium and other ciliates.
Phylum: Rhodophyta - Red algae
Phylum: Phaeophyta - Brown algae - seaweed and kelps
Phylum: Chlorophyta - Green algae - (Proterozoic? - R)
B.Kingdom: Animalia - other wise noted these organisms have a calcium carbonate shell
Subkingdom: Parazoa
Phylum: Porifera - sponges - spongin, calcium carbonate or silicate spicules - radial symmetry, if any. (Cam-R)
Subkingdom: Eumetazoa
Phylum: Archaeocyatha - extinct sponge-like, conical cup shaped organisms (Cam.)
Phylum: Cnidaria - (Coelenterata) - septum, calyx, growth lines, tabulae, corallite, corallum, and radial symmetry.
Class: Hydrozoa - hydras
Class: Scyphozoa - jellyfish
Class: Anthozoa - corals & sea anemones
Order: Tabulata - honey comb corals (Ord-Perm)
Order: Rugosa - horn coral (Tetracoral) (Ord-Perm)
Order: Scleractinia - modern reef coral, (Trias-R)
"Superphylum": Lophophorates – they possess a lophophore.
Phylum: Bryozoa - moss animals (Ord-R) always colonial, zoarium, and aperture.
Phylum: Brachiopoda (Cam-R) - beak, hinge line, plication, growth line, fold, sulcus, bilateral symmetry, inarticulate or articulate shells, some of phosphatic composition.
Class: Inarticulata - calcium phosphatic shell (E.Cam-R)
Class: Articulata - teeth and sockets, thick shells (E.Cam-R)
Phylum: Mollusca - soft-bodied organism
Class: Bivalvia - clams, oysters (Pelecypoda) (E.Cam-R), growth line beak, pallial line, pallial sinus, muscle scar, hinge teeth bilateral symmetry parallel with hinge line.
Class: Gastropoda - snails, conches (E.Cam-R) aperture, and whorl
Class: Cephalopoda - octopus, squid (Cam-R), nektonic, suture, septa, chamber, planispiral coil
Subclass: Nautiloidea (nautiloids) (Cam-R)
Subclass: Ammonoidea (ammonites) (Dev. - Cret.)
Subclass: Coleoidea (internal shell cephalopods)
Order: Belemnoidea (belemnites) (E. Miss. - Eocene)
Order: Sepiida - cuttlefish ( )
Order: Teuthoidea (squids) (Jur. - R)
Order: Octopoda - Octopus (Creta. - R)
- Polyphyletic worm groups: flatworms (platyhelminths), roundworms (nematodes), segmented worms (annelids e.g. polychaetes)
"Superphylum": Arthropoda - jointed-appendages, segmented, bilateral symmetry, chitin (Cam. -R)
Phylum: Trilobita (Cam-Perm) - axial lobe, pleural lobe, cephalon, thorax, pygidium
Phylum: Chelicerata (Arachnoidea, Merostomata) - horseshoe crab, spiders, scorpions, eurypterids, ticks & mites (Ord-R)
Class: Merostomata (Ord. - R)
Order: Eurypterida - eurypterids (M. Ord.-Perm)
Order: Xiphosura - Horseshoe crabs (Cam-R)
Class: Arachnida - scorpions, spiders, ticks, and mites (Sil-R)
Phylum: Crustacea (Cam-R) - ostracods, lobsters, crabs, barnacles
Class: Cirripedia - barnacles (Sil-R)
Class: Ostracoda - ostracods (Cam-R)
Class: Malacostraca - Lobsters, shrimp, crabs
Order: Decapoda - Shrimp, Lobsters, and crabs, crayfish (Perm. - R)
Order: Isopoda - Sow Bugs (Trias. - R)
Phylum: Mandibulata (Uniramia) (Sil - R)
Class: Myriapoda
Order: Chilopoda - centipedes (Carb. - R)
Order: Diplopoda - millipedes (Sil - R)
Class: Hexapoda (Insecta) - fly, beetle, butterfly, dragonfly, crickets, grasshoppers, etc (E.Dev. - R)
Phylum: Echinodermata - 5-fold radial/bilateral symmetry
Subphylum: Asterozoa (Eleutherozoa) – lack stem or stalk.
Class: Asteroidea - starfish (Ord-R) mobile, predacious
Class: Ophiuroidea – brittle stars
Class: Echinoidea - sand dollar, sea urchin (Ord-R) ambulacral area, and interambulacral area
Subphylum: Crinozoa – stemmed or stalked forms
Class: Crinoidea - sea lilies (Ord-R) attached, stem, calyx, arms, and columnals
Class: Blastoidea (Ord-Perm) attached, calyx, plate, ambulacral area
Phylum: Hemichordata – acorn worms, graptolites
Class: Graptolithina - graptolites (Camb-Penn)
Phylum: Conodontophora (Conodonta) - calcium phosphate, conodonts. (Cam - Late Tria.)
Superphylum": Acraniate Chordates
Phylum: Urochordata – tunicates, sea squirts
Phylum: Cephalochordata – amphioxus, lancelets
Phylum: Craniata - bilateral symmetry, bone and/or cartilage
Subphylum: Vertebrata – now only subphylum in Craniata
Superclass: Agnatha - jawless fish (Cam-R)
Class: Cyclostomata – lampreys, hagfish
Class: Ostracoderms – bony skin fish
Superclass: Gnathostomata – jawed animals
Class: Acanthodii - primitive jawed, spiny fish (Dev - Perm)
Class: Placodermi - archaic jawed fish (Sil-Perm)
Class: Chondrichthyes - shark, skate, ray (Dev-R) cartilaginous fish
Class: Osteichthyes - bony fish, crossopterygians (Sil-R)
Class: Choanichthyes – Lungfish,
"Tetrapods" – four footed gnathostomes
Class: Amphibia - frogs, salamanders, labyrinthodonta (Dev-R)
Class: Reptilia - turtle, snake, lizard, and alligator, dinosaur (Penn-R)
Class: Aves – (feathered reptiles?) birds, Archaeopteryx - (Jur) (Trias-R)
Class: Mammalia - (Trias-R)
Subclass: Prototheria - duck-billed platypus, spiny anteater
Subclass: Theria – marsupials - opossum, placentals - dog, opossum, man, horse
C.Kingdom: Plantae - plants soft tissue (Precam-R)
"Superphylum": Bryata – nonvascular plants
Phylum: Bryophyta - mosses (Dev. - R)
Phylum: Hepatophyta – liverworts
"Superphylum": Tracheata – vascular plants
P hylum: Psilophyta - leafless vascular plant (M. Paleozoic – R.)
Phylum: Lycophyta - club mosses, Lycopsids (Sil. - R)
Phylum: Sphenophyta (Arthrophyta) - horsetails and sphenopsids, (Dev. - R)
Phylum: Filicinophyta (Polypodiophyta, Pterophytes) - true ferns, Pteropsids (Dev. - R)
"Phylum-Group": Gymnosperms – naked-seed plants
Phylum: Lyginopteriodopsida - seed ferns, (Dev. - Jur.)
Phylum: Cycadophyta - cycads, (Trias. - R)
Phylum: Ginkgophyta - maidenhair tree, ginkgo (Penn. - R)
Phylum: Coniferophyta - conifers, (Dev.? - R)
Phylum: Gnetophyta - (Perm. - R)
Phylum: Anthophyta (Magnoliophyta, Angiospermophyta) - flowering plants, angiosperms (Cret.-R)
Subphylum: Monocotyledones (Liliopsida) - monocotyledonous plants - bananas, cattails, coconut palm, grasses, maize, crocus (Cret. - R)
Subphylum: Dicotyledones (Magnoliopsida) - dicotyledonous plants - roses, sunflowers, maples, pumpkins, grapes, peas, and other flowering plants (Cret. - R)
D.Kingdom: Fungi - mushrooms, fungus, soft tissue (? -R)
Phylum: Zygomycota - Molds
Phylum: Basidiomycota - Mushrooms, Smuts, Rusts, and Jelly fungi
Phylum: Ascomycota – Blue-green molds, Yeast, and Lichens
Margulis, Lynn and Karlene V. Schwartz, 1997, Five Kingdoms: An Illustrated Guide to the Phyla of Life on Earth, W.H. Freeman & Company, ISBN 0-613-92338-3
Thanks to John R. Anderson, Department of Geology, Georgia Perimeter College
Dunwoody, GA 30038 |