General Zoology Outline

This is a general outline for the material that we will cover in class. Click on the hyperlinked text to learn more about the specified topic. The organism names in parentheses are examples within each group. (This is not a complete list – we will discuss these organisms and others in both lecture and lab.)

Click here for evolutionary tree

I.  Kingdom Protista – Probably the most important statement we can make about the kingdom Protista is that it is polyphyletic and not a kingdom at all; as a matter convenience, unicellular eurkarytic organisms have typically been grouped together and called protists.

Subkingdom Protozoa – the unicellular animal-like protists

1.  Phylum Sarcomastigophora – the flagellates and the amebas

a. Subphylum Mastigophora – the flagellates

1. Class Phytomastigophorea – (Euglena, Volvox, dinoflagellates)

2. Class Zoomastigophorea – (Trypanosoma, Giardia, choanoflagellates)

b. Subphylum Sarcodina – the amebas

1. Superclass Actinopoda – (heliozoans, radiolarians)

2. Superclass Rhizopoda – (Amoeba, Arcella, Difflugia, foraminiferans)

2. Phylum Apicomplexa – (Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium)

3.  Phylum Ciliophora – the ciliates (Paramecium, Stentor, Blepharisma)

II.  Kingdom Animalia

A. Phylum Porifera – the sponges

1. Class Calcarea – (Grantia = Scypha = Sycon)

2. Class Hexactinellida – (glass sponges)

3. Class Demospongiae – (Spongilla, bath sponges)

                       B.  Phylum Cnidaria

                                    1.   Class Hydrozoa – (Obelia, Gonionemus, Hydra, Physalia physalis)

                                    2.   Class Syphozoa – the true jellyfish (Aurelia, "stinging nettle")

3. Class Anthozoa – the "flower" animals (corals, Metridium)

C. Phylum Ctenophora “comb-bearing” – (comb jellies)

                       D.  Phylum Platyhelminthes – the flatworms

1. Class Turbellaria – (Planaria)

2. Class Monogenea – (Polystoma, Gyrodactylus)

3. Class Trematoda – the flukes (Schistosoma, Fasciola, Clonorchis)

4. Class Cestoidea – the tapeworms (Diphyllobothrium, Taenia, Dipylidium caninum)

E. Phylum Rotifera “wheel-bearing” – (rotifers)

                       F.  Phylum Nematoda – the roundworms (Trichinella, Ascaris, hookworm)

                       G.  Phylum Mollusca

1.  Class Monoplacophora – (Neopilina)

2. Class Polyplacophora – (chiton)

3. Class Scaphopoda – (tooth shell)

4.  Class Gastropoda "stomach foot" – (snails, slugs, limpets, abalone)

5.  Class Bivalvia "two valves"– (clams, oysters, mussels)

6. Class Cephalopoda "head foot" – (squid, octopus, cuttlefish, nautilus)

                       H.   Phylum Annelida – the segmented worms

1.  Class Polychaeta "many hairs" – (clamworms)

2.  Class Oligochaeta "few hairs" – (earthworms)

3.  Class Hirudinea – (leeches)

                       I.  Phylum Arthropoda

                                            1.  Subphylum Chelicerata

                                                      a. Class Meristomata – (horseshoe crab)

                                                      b. Class Arachnida – (spiders, ticks, scorpions)

                                            2.  Subphylum Crustacea – (lobster, shrimp, crab, crayfish)

                                            3.  Subphylum Uniramia

                                                      a. Class Chilopoda – (centipedes)

                                                      b. Class Diplopoda – (millipedes)

                                                      c. Class Insecta – (butterflies, ants, crickets, roaches)

                                                              *You may need to know some insect Orders.

                       J.  Phylum Echinodermata –"spine skin"

1.  Class Asteroidea – (sea stars)

2.  Class Ophiuroidea – (brittle stars)

3.  Class Echinoidea – (sea urchins, sand dollars)

4.  Class Holothuroidea – (sea cucumbers)

5.  Class Crinoidea – (sea lilies, feather stars)

K. Phylum Hemichordata “half-string” – (acorn worms)

                       L.  Phylum Chordata

                                            1.  Subphylum Urochordata "tail cord" – (tunicates)

                                            2.  Subphylum Cephalochordata "head cord" – (Amphioxus)

                                            3.  Subphylum Vertebrata – "backboned"

a. Superclass Aganatha – "without jaws"

1. Class Myxini – (hagfishes)

2. Class Cephalospidomorphi – (lamprey)

                                                      b.  Superclass Gnathostomata – "jawed mouth”

                                                                       1.  Class Chondrichthyes

cartilaginous "fish" – (sharks, rays)

                                                                       2.  Class Osteichthyes

                                                                             bony fish – (perch, trout…)

                                                                       3.  Class Amphibia

Orders: Anura, Caudata, Gymnophiona

                                                                       4.  Class Reptilia

                                                                             Orders: Squamata, Testudines, Crocodilia

                                                                       5.  Class Aves

Orders: Lots

                                                                       6.  Class Mammalia

                                                                             Orders: Lots

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