![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Nerr0878.jpg/640px-Nerr0878.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Ambulacraria
Clade of deuterostomes containing echinoderms and hemichordates / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ambulacraria /ˌæmbjuːləˈkrɛəriə/, or Coelomopora /siːləˈmɒpərə/, is a clade of invertebrate phyla that includes echinoderms and hemichordates;[1] a member of this group is called an ambulacrarian. Phylogenetic analysis suggests the echinoderms and hemichordates separated around 533 million years ago.[2] The Ambulacraria are part of the deuterostomes, a clade that also includes the many Chordata, and the few extinct species belonging to the Vetulicolia.
Ambulacrarians | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Various sea stars and sea urchins among mussel shells in the rocky intertidal zone of Kachemak Bay, southern Alaska, United States | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Subkingdom: | Eumetazoa |
Clade: | ParaHoxozoa |
Clade: | Bilateria |
Clade: | Nephrozoa |
Superphylum: | Deuterostomia |
Clade: | Ambulacraria Metschnikoff, 1881 |
Phyla | |
The two living clades with representative organisms are:
- Echinodermata (sea stars, sea urchins, brittle stars, sea cucumbers, feather stars, sea lilies, etc.)
- Hemichordata (acorn worms, Pterobranchia, and possibly graptolites)
(These together sometimes are called the lower deuterostomes.[3])
Whether the Xenacoelomorpha clade is the sister group to the Ambulacraria remains a contentious issue, with some authors arguing that the former should be placed more basally among metazoans,[4][5][6] and other authors asserting that the best choices of phylogenetic methods support the position of Xenacoelomorpha as the sister group to Ambulacraria.[7][8]