List of animal classes

See also: List of bilateral animal orders

The following is a list of the classes in each phylum of the kingdom Animalia. There are 107 classes of animals in 33 phyla in this list. However, different sources give different numbers of classes and phyla. For example, Protura, Diplura, and Collembola are often considered to be the three orders in the class Entognatha. This list should by no means be considered complete and authoritative and should be used carefully.

Acanthocephala (thorny-headed worms)

• Archiacanthocephala
• Eoacanthocephala
• Palaeacanthocephala (ancient thornheads)
• Polyacanthocephala

Acoelomorpha (simple soft-bodied flatworms)

• Acoela
• Nemertodermatida

Annelida (segmented worms)

• Clitellata (earthworms)
• Polychaeta (bristle worms)
• Sipuncula (peanut worms)

Arthropoda (arthropods: insects, crustaceans, arachnids, centipedes, and millipedes)

See also: List of arthropod orders

Chelicerata^[1]

• Arachnida (spiders, scorpions, and kin)
• Xiphosura (horseshoe crabs)
• Pycnogonida (sea spiders)

Crustacea^[2]

• Branchiopoda (fairy shrimp, tadpole shrimp, water fleas, and clam shrimp)^[3]
• Cephalocarida (horseshoe shrimp)^[4]
• Pentastomida (tongue worms)
• Branchiura (fish lice)
• Mystacocarida
• Copepoda
• Ostracoda (seed shrimp)^[5]
• Malacostraca (crabs, lobsters, crayfish, krill, various shrimp, woodlice, and kin)^[6]
• Thecostraca (barnacles)
• Remipedia

Hexapoda^[7]

• Entognatha (coneheads, two-pronged bristletails and springtails)
• Insecta (insects)

Myriapoda^[8]

• Chilopoda (centipedes)
• Diplopoda (millipedes)
• Pauropoda
• Symphyla (pseudocentipedes)

Brachiopoda ("lamp shells")

• Lingulata
• Craniata
• Rhynchonellata

Bryozoa (moss animals)

• Gymnolaemata
• Phylactolaemata
• Stenolaemata

Chaetognatha (arrow worms)

• Sagittoidea

Chordata (vertebrates, tunicates, and lancelets)

See also: List of chordate orders

Cephalochordata

• Leptocardii (lancelet)

Tunicata

• Appendicularia (larvaceans)
• Ascidiacea (sea squirts, paraphyletic with respect to Thaliacea)
• Thaliacea (salps, pyrosomes, and doliolids)

Vertebrata

Agnatha

Cyclostomata

• Myxini (hagfish)
• Petromyzontida (lamprey)

Gnathostomata

• Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish: chimeras, sharks and rays)

• Osteichthyes
  • Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish, which includes most familiar bony fish)
  • Sarcopterygii
    • Actinistia (coelacanths)
    • Dipnoi (lungfish)
    • Tetrapoda
      • Amphibia (amphibians)
      • Amniota
        • Mammalia (mammals)
        • Aves (birds)
        • Reptilia (reptiles, paraphyletic with respect to Aves)

Cnidaria (marine stinging animals)

• Octocorallia
• Hexacorallia
• Ceriantharia
• Cubozoa (box jellyfish)
• Hydrozoa (hydroids)
• Myxozoa (marine parasites)
• Scyphozoa (true jellyfish)
• Staurozoa (stalked jellyfish)
• Polypodiozoa (marine parasites)

Cycliophora (tiny marine animals)

• Eucycliophora

Dicyemida (rhombozoa)

• Dicyemida

Echinodermata (starfish, sea urchins, sand dollars, sea lilies, and others)

See also: List of echinodermata orders

Crinozoa

• Crinoidea (sea lilies and feather stars)

Asterozoa

• Asteroidea (star fish)
• Ophiuroidea (brittle stars)

Echinozoa

• Echinoidea (sea urchins)
• Holothuroidea (sea cucumbers)

Entoprocta

• Entoprocta

Gastrotricha (hairybacks)

• Gastrotricha

Gnathostomulida (jaw worms)

• Gnathostomulida

Hemichordata

• Enteropneusta (acorn worms)
• Pterobranchia

Kinorhyncha (mud dragons)

• Allomalorhagida
• Cyclorhagida

Loricifera

• Loricifera

Mollusca (mollusks)

• Aplacophora
• Bivalvia (clams, mussels, scallops, and kin)
• Cephalopoda (octopuses, squids and cuttlefish)
• Gastropoda (snails and slugs)
• Monoplacophora
• Polyplacophora (chitons, or sea cradles)
• Scaphopoda (tusk shells)

Micrognathozoa

• Micrognathozoa

Nematoda (roundworms)

• Chromadorea
• Enoplea
• Secernentea

Nematomorpha (horsehair worms)

• Gordioidea
• Nectonematoida

Nemertea (ribbon worms)

• Anopla
• Enopla

Onychophora (velvet worms)

• Onychophora

Orthonectida

• Orthonectida

Placozoa

• Polyplacotomia^[9]
• Uniplacotomia^[9]

Platyhelminthes (flatworms)

• Cestoda (tapeworms and relatives)
• Monogenea
• Trematoda (flukes)
• Turbellaria (e.g. Dugesia)

Porifera (sponges)

• Calcarea (calcareous sponges)
• Demospongiae
• Hexactinellida (glass sponges)
• Homoscleromorpha

Priapulida (priapulid worms)

• Halicryptomorpha
• Priapulimorpha
• Seticoronaria

Rotifera (rotifers)

• Bdelloidea
• Monogononta
• Seisonidea

Tardigrada (tardigrades, water bears, or moss piglets)

• Eutardigrada
• Heterotardigrada

Xenoturbellida

• Xenoturbellida

References

1. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. "ITIS Standard Report Page: Chelicerata". www.itis.gov.
2. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. "ITIS Standard Report Page: Crustacea". www.itis.gov.
3. Regents of the University of California. "Introduction to Brachiopoda". www.ucmp.berkeley.edu.
4. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-10-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2014-10-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
6. Conlan, Kathleen E.; Bousfield, Edward. "Malacostracan | crustacean". www.britannica.com.
7. "ITIS Standard Report Page: Hexapoda". www.itis.gov. Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
8. "ITIS Standard Report Page: Myriapoda". www.itis.gov. Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
9. Tessler, Michael; Neumann, Johannes S.; Kamm, Kai; Osigus, Hans-Jürgen; Eshel, Gil; Narechania, Apurva; Burns, John A.; DeSalle, Rob; Schierwater, Bernd (2022-12-08). "Phylogenomics and the first higher taxonomy of Placozoa, an ancient and enigmatic animal phylum". Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 10. doi:10.3389/fevo.2022.1016357.