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Unit Xi. Phylum Chordata Phylum Chordata

1. The phylum Chordata includes 45,000 species of animals with backbones or notochords. 2. Chordates are characterized by having a notochord, dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, postanal tail, and endostyle/thyroid gland at some stage of development. 3. Chordates are divided into three subphyla: Cephalochordata (lancelets), Urochordata (tunicates), and Craniata (vertebrates with skulls).

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Delfin Urbano Jr.
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274 views3 pages

Unit Xi. Phylum Chordata Phylum Chordata

1. The phylum Chordata includes 45,000 species of animals with backbones or notochords. 2. Chordates are characterized by having a notochord, dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, postanal tail, and endostyle/thyroid gland at some stage of development. 3. Chordates are divided into three subphyla: Cephalochordata (lancelets), Urochordata (tunicates), and Craniata (vertebrates with skulls).

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Delfin Urbano Jr.
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© © All Rights Reserved
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GENERAL ZOOLOGY Unit XI – Phylum Chordata

Katrina G. Gepilano
Instructor, CAS-DNAS

UNIT XI. PHYLUM CHORDATA

PHYLUM CHORDATA (kor-dat’ah) (L. chorda, cord)


 45,000 species, its members have been very successful at adapting to aquatic and terrestrial
environments throughout the world.
 90% have backbones (Subphylum Craniata)
 Also includes two groups of invertebrates: lancelets (Subphylum Cephalochordata) and tunicates
(Subphylum Urochordata)

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
1. Bilaterally symmetrical, deuterostomate animals
2. A unique combination of five characteristics present at some stage in development: notochord,
pharyngeal slits or pouches, dorsal tubular nerve cord, postanal tail, and an endostyle or thyroid
gland
3. Complete digestive tract
4. Ventral, contractile blood vessel (heart)

CLASSIFICATION
I. Subphylum Cephalochordata (lancelets) (sef”a-lo-kor-dat’ah)
 Body laterally compressed and transparent; fishlike; all five chordate characteristics persist
throughout life. Amphioxus (Branchiostoma).
II. Subphylum Urochordata (tunicates) (u”ro-kor-da’tah)
 Notochord, nerve cord, and postanal tail present only in free-swimming larvae; adults
sessile, or occasionally planktonic, and enclosed in a tunic that contains some cellulose;
marine. Examples: sea squirts or tunicates.
A. Class Ascidiacea (as-id”e-as’e-ah)
 All sessile as adults; solitary or colonial; colony members interconnected by stolons. Sea
squirts (Ascidia, Ciona).
B. Class Appendicularia (a-pen”di-ku-lar’e-ah) (Larvacea) (lar-vas’e-ah)
 Planktonic; adults retain tail and notochord; lack a cellulose tunic; epithelium secretes a
gelatinous covering of the body. Appendicularians ( Fritillaria).
C. Class Thaliacea (tal”e-as’e-ah)
 Planktonic; adults are tailless and barrel shaped; oral and atrial openings are at opposite
ends of the tunicate; muscular contractions of the body wall produce water currents.
Salps (Salpa, Thetys).
III. Subphylum Craniata (craniates) (kra”ne-ah’tah)
 Skull surrounds the brain, olfactory organs, eyes, and inner ear. Unique embryonic tissue,
neural crest, contributes to a variety of adult structures including sensory nerve cells, and
some skeletal and other connective tissue structures.
A. Class Myxini (hagfishes)
 Fishlike; skull consisting of cartilaginous bars; jawless; no paired appendages; mouth with
four pairs of tentacles; olfactory sacs open to mouth cavity; 5 to 15 pairs of pharyngeal
slits; ventrolateral slime glands.
B. Class Cephalaspidomorphi (lampreys)
 Fishlike; jawless; no paired appendages; cartilaginous skeleton; sucking mouth with teeth
and rasping tongue.
GENERAL ZOOLOGY Unit XI – Phylum Chordata
Katrina G. Gepilano
Instructor, CAS-DNAS

C. Class Chondrichthyes (kon-drik’thi-es) (sharks, rays, chimaeras)


 Fishlike; jawed; paired appendages and cartilaginous skeleton; no swim bladder.
D. Class

Acinopterygii (ak’tin-op’te-rig-e-i) (ray-finned fishes)


 Bony fishes having paired fins supported by dermal rays; basal portions of paired fins not
especially muscular, tail fin with approximately equal upper and lower lobes (homocercal
tail); blind olfactory saca; pneumatic sacs function as swim bladder.
E. Class Actinistia (coelachanths, tetrapods)
F. Class Dinpoi (lungfishes)
 Bony fishes having paired fins with muscular lobes; pneumatic sacs function as lungs; atria
and ventricles at least partially divided

G. Class Amphibia (am-fib’e-ah) (salamanders, frogs, toads, caecilians)


 Skin with mucoid secretions; possess lungs and/or gills; moist skin serves as respiratory
organ; aquatic developmental stages usually followed by metamorphosis to an adult.

H. Class Reptilia (rep-til’e-ah) (tuataras, lizards, snakes, turtles, crocodiles)


 Dry skin with epidermal scales; amniotic eggs; terrestrial embryonic development. Snakes,
lizards, alligators.

I. Class Aves (a’vez) (birds)


 Feathers used for flight; efficiently regulate body temperature (endothermic); amniotic
eggs.
J. Class Mammalia (mah-ma’le-ah) (mammals)
 Bodies at least partially covered by hair; endothermic; young nursed from mammary
glands; amniotic eggs.

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GENERAL ZOOLOGY Unit XI – Phylum Chordata
Katrina G. Gepilano
Instructor, CAS-DNAS

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