Ecdysozoa
Superphylum of protostomes including arthropods, nematodes and others / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Ecdysozoa?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Ecdysozoa (/ˌɛkdɪsoʊˈzoʊə/) is a group of protostome animals,[4] including Arthropoda (insects, chelicerata (including arachnids), crustaceans, and myriapods), Nematoda, and several smaller phyla. The grouping of these animal phyla into a single clade was first proposed by Eernisse et al. (1992) based on a phylogenetic analysis of 141 morphological characters of ultrastructural and embryological phenotypes.[5] This clade, that is, a group consisting of a common ancestor and all its descendants, was formally named by Aguinaldo et al. in 1997, based mainly on phylogenetic trees constructed using 18S ribosomal RNA genes.[6]
Ecdysozoa | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Subkingdom: | Eumetazoa |
Clade: | ParaHoxozoa |
Clade: | Bilateria |
Clade: | Nephrozoa |
(unranked): | Protostomia |
Superphylum: | Ecdysozoa Aguinaldo et al., 1997 |
Phyla | |
A large study in 2008 by Dunn et al. strongly supported the monophyly of Ecdysozoa.[7]
The group Ecdysozoa is supported by many morphological characters, including growth by ecdysis, with moulting of the cuticle – without mitosis in the epidermis – under control of the prohormone ecdysone, and internal fertilization.[8]
The group was initially contested by a significant minority of biologists. Some argued for groupings based on more traditional taxonomic techniques,[9] while others contested the interpretation of the molecular data.[10][11]