Vertebrates are members of the
subphylum Vertebrata (within the phylum
Chordata), specifically, those chordates with
backbones or
spinal columns. About 57,739
species of vertebrates have been described. Vertebrata is the largest subphylum of chordates, and contains many familiar groups of large land animals.
Fish (including
lampreys, but traditionally not
hagfish, though this is now disputed),
amphibians,
reptiles,
birds, and
mammals (including
humans) are vertebrates.
Anatomy and morphology
Characteristics of the subphylum are a
muscular system that mostly consists of paired masses, as well as a
central nervous system which is partly located inside the backbone (if one is present). The defining characteristic of a vertebrate is considered the
backbone or
spinal cord, a brain case, and an internal skeleton, but the latter do not hold true for
lampreys, and the former is arguably present in some other
chordates. Rather,
all vertebrates are most easily distinguished from
all other chordates by having an unequivocal head, that is,
sensory organs - especially
eyes are concentrated at the fore end of the body and there is pronounced
cephalization. Compare the
lancelets which have a mouth but no true head, and "see" with their entire back.
Physiology
Ecology and life history
Evolutionary history
Vertebrates started to evolve about 530 million years ago during the
Cambrian explosion, which is part of the
Cambrian period (first known vertebrate is
Myllokunmingia). According to recent molecular analysis
Myxini (hagfish) also belong to Vertebrates. Others consider them a sister group of Vertebrates in the common taxon of
Craniata.
Taxonomy and classification
Classification after Janvier (1981, 1997), Shu
et al. (2003), and Benton (2004).
[1]
- ::* Class †Placodermi (Paleozoic armoured forms)
- ::* Class Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish)
- ::* Class †Acanthodii (Paleozoic "spiny sharks")
- :* Superclass Osteichthyes (bony fish)
- ::* Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish)
- ::* Class Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish)
- :::* Subclass Coelacanthimorpha (coelacanths)
- :::* Subclass Dipnoi (lungfish)
- :::* Subclass Tetrapodomorpha (ancestral to tetrapods)
- :* Superclass Tetrapoda (four-limbed vertebrates)
- :::* Class Amphibia (amphibians)
- ::* Series Amniota (amniotic embryo)
- :::* Class Sauropsida (reptiles and birds)
- ::::* Class Aves (birds)
- :::* Class Synapsida (mammal-like reptiles)
- ::::* Class Mammalia (mammals)
Etymology
Their name derives from the bones of the spinal column (or
vertebral column), the
vertebrae.
References
Bibliography
See also
External links
| The subject of this article has been identified by the Missing Encyclopedic Articles project as being a high priority for [ expansion]. |
The Cambrian is a major division of the geologic timescale that begins about 542 ± 1.0 Ma (million years ago) at the end of the Proterozoic eon and ended about 488.3 ± 1.7 Ma with the beginning of the Ordovician period (ICS, 2004).
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T. thynnus
Binomial name
Thunnus thynnus
Linnaeus, 1758
The northern bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus
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Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885
Typical Classes
See below
Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Craniata
Janvier 1981
Subphyla
Cephalaspidomorphi (disputed)
Myxini
Vertebrata
Craniata (sometimes Craniota) is a proposed clade of chordate animals that contains the vertebrates (subphylum Vertebrata) and Myxini (hagfish) as living
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Baron Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier (August 23 1769–May 13, 1832) was a French naturalist and zoologist. He was the elder brother of Frédéric Cuvier (1773–1838), also a naturalist.
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In life, a subphylum is a taxonomic rank intermediate between phylum and superclass. The rank of subdivision in plants and fungi is equivalent to subphylum.
Not all phyla are divided into subphyla.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885
Typical Classes
See below
Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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The Vertebral Column (singular: vertebra) are the individual irregular bones that make up the spinal column (aka ischis) — a flexuous and flexible column.
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vertebral column (backbone or spine) is a column of 34 vertebrae, the sacrum, intervertebral discs, and the coccyx situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by spinal discs. It houses the spinal cord in its spinal canal.
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species is one of the basic units of biological classification. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.
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Petromyzontiformes
Family: Petromyzontidae
Subfamilies
Geotriinae
Mordaciinae
Petromyzontinae
A lamprey (sometimes also called lamprey eel
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Myxini
Order: Myxiniformes
Family: Myxinidae
Genera
Eptatretus
Myxine
Nemamyxine
Neomyxine
Notomyxine
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Amphibia
Linnaeus, 1758
Subclasses and Orders
Order Temnospondyli - extinct
Subclass Lepospondyli - extinct
Subclass Lissamphibia
Order Anura
Order Caudata
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Sauropsida*Goodrich, 1916
Subclasses
Synonyms
Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane, and members of the class
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Linnaeus, 1758
Orders
About two dozen - see section below
Birds (class Aves) are bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate animals.
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MammaliaLinnaeus, 1758
Subclasses & Infraclasses
- Subclass †Allotheria*
- Subclass Prototheria
- Subclass Theria
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The muscular system is the biological system of an organism that allows it to move. The muscular system in vertebrates is controlled through the nervous system, although some muscles (such as the cardiac muscle) can be completely autonomous.
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The central nervous system (CNS) represents the largest part of the nervous system, including the brain and the spinal cord. Together with the peripheral nervous system, it has a fundamental role in the control of behavior.
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Backbone may mean:
- Vertebral column, of a vertebrate organism
- Backbone chain, in polymer chemistry, the framework of the molecule
- Backbone Entertainment, a video game development company
- Backbone network, the top level of a hierarchical network
..... Read more. spinal chord is a thin, tubular bundle of nerves that is an extension of the central nervous system from the brain and is enclosed in and protected by the bony vertebral column.
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Petromyzontiformes
Family: Petromyzontidae
Subfamilies
Geotriinae
Mordaciinae
Petromyzontinae
A lamprey (sometimes also called lamprey eel
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885
Typical Classes
See below
Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Senses are the physiological methods of perception. The senses and their operation, classification, and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields, most notably neuroscience, cognitive psychology (or cognitive science), and philosophy of perception.
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Eyes are organs of vision that detect light. Different kinds of light-sensitive organs are found in a variety of organisms. The simplest eyes do nothing but detect whether the surroundings are light or dark, while more complex eyes can distinguish shapes and colors.
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Cephalization is an evolutionary trend, whereby nervous tissue, over many generations, becomes concentrated toward one end of an organism. This process eventually produces a head region with sensory organs.
Cephalization is intrinsically connected with a change in symmetry.
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Cephalochordata
Owen, 1846
Class: Leptocardii
Families
Asymmetronidae
Branchiostomidae
The lancelets (subphylum Cephalochordata, traditionally known as amphioxus
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)