The following classification of living
organisms is based on a
division into five Kingdoms used by Lynn Margulis and Karlene Schwartz
in their
book Five Kingdoms, An Illustrated Guide to the Phyla of Life
on Earth (W.H.Freeman
& Co., 1998). The listing only includes the highest ranks of
classification,
the Kingdoms and the Phyla. There are no objective definitions of
either of
these terms, but the Kingdom is essentially a top-down category
representing the
division of living things into reasonably self-evident categories,
animals,
plants, bacteria etc. The Phylum (pl. Phyla) is more of a bottom-up
category and
represents a group of organisms which appear to be similar to each
other in
terms of one or more substantial and significant features, such as the
possession of a back-bone or its precursor. Each Phylum is also
considered to
represent a coherent group in terms of evolutionary history. Where
possible, an
everyday language name of the group or of a typical representative or
some other
simple description is included for each Phylum.
WARNING:
Current on-going work involving genetic
finger-printing has provoked
controversy about some of the traditional ideas about the relationships
between
organisms at the level considered in this presentation. See, for
example:
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/mg19426083.100-evolution-hacking-back-the-tree-of-life.html
ALSO:
There are other systems of classification, see for example
Classification
Lab
A
good place to look for
more detailed information is the>Diversity
of Life Web Index
SUPERKINGDOM PROKARYA
KINGDOM BACTERIA
Subkingdom
ARCHAEA
Phylum l Euryarchaeota
– methane producers and salt
lovers
Phylum 2 Crenarchaeota – hot-acid lovers
Subkingdom EUBACTERIA
Phylum 3 Proteobacteria
– purple bacteria
Phylum 4 Spirochaetae – spirochetes
(corkscrew bacteria with internal
flagella)
Phylum 5 Cyanobacteria – oxygenic
photosynthesizers
Phylum 6 Saprospirae – fermenting gliders
Phylum 7 Chloroflexa – green nonsulphur
phototrophs
Phylum 8 Chlorobia – green sulphur
phototrophs
Phylum 9 Aphragmabacteria – wall-less
bacteria
Phylum 10 Endospora – bacilli and
related formers of internal spores
Phylum 11 Pirellulae – stalked,
protein-walled bacteria
Phylum12 Actinobacteria – fungus-like
bacteria
Phylum 13 Deinococci – radioresistent,
tiny spheroidal bacteria
Phylum 14 Thermotogae – thermophilic
fermenters
SUPERKINGDOM EUKARYA
KINGDOM PROTOCTISTA
Phylum 1 Archaeprotista
– flagellate amoebas
Phylum 2 Microspora – microsporans
Phylum 3 Rhizopoda – amoebas without
flagellae
Phylum 4 Granuloreticulosa – foraminifera
and relatives
Phylum 5 Xenophyophora – large deep-sea
benthic protoctists
Phylum 6 Myxomycota – plasmodia1 slime
molds
Phylum 7 Dinomastigota – dinoflagellates
Phylum 8 Ciliophora – ciliates
Phylum 9 Apicomplexa – symbiotrophs with
apical complex
Phylum l0 Haptomonada – Coccoliths and
other yellow-brown planktonic
unicells
Phylum 11 Cryptomonada – flattened
asymmetric unicells, usually
photosynthetic and motile
Phylum 12 Discomitochondria –euglenoids
Phylum 13 Chrysomonada –golden brown algae
Phylum 14 Xanthophyta – yellow green algae
Phylum 15 Eustigmatophyta – green eyespot
flagellate algae
Phylum 16 Diatoms –photosynthetic algae
with silica shells
Phylum 17 Phaeophyta – brown algae
Phylum 18 Labyrinthulata – slime nets
Phylum 19 Plasmodiophora – symbiotrophs
with multinudeate protoplasts
Phylum 20 Oomycota – egg moulds;
zoosporic conjugators
Phylum 21 Hyphochytriomycota –fresh water
osmotrophs with single
anteriorly directed undulipodium
Phylum 22 Haplospora – –
unicells in tissues of marine animals
Phylum 23 Paramyxa – nesting cells in
tissues of marine animals
Phylum 24 Myxospora –in tissues of fish,
sipuculans, and annelids
Phylum 25 Rhodophyta – red algae
Phylum 26 Gamophyta –conjugating green
algae
Phylum 27 Actinopoda – sun animalcules
Phylum 28 Chlorophyta – green algae
(plant ancestors)
Phylum 29 Chytridiomycota – chytrid water
molds (fungal ancestors)
Phylum 30 Zoomastigota – zoomastigotes,
opalinids, choanomonads (animal
ancestors)
KINGDOM ANIMALIA
Subkingdom
PARAZOA
Phyluml Placozoa
– trichoplaxes
Phylum 2 Porifera – sponges
Subkingdom EUMETAZOA
Phylum 3 Cnidaria
– hydroids, medusas and jellyfish
Phylum 4 Ctenophora – comb jellies
Phylum 5 Platyhelminthes – flatworms
Phylum 6 Gnathostomulida – jaw worms
Phylum 7 Rhombozoa – dicyemids and
heterocyemids
Phylum 8 Orthonectida – orthonectids
Phylum 9 Nemertina – ribbon worms
Phylum10 Nematoda –thread worms, round
worms
Phylum11 Nematomorpha –Gordian worms,
horsehair worms
Phylum 12 Acanthocephala – thorny-headed
worms
Phylum 13 Rotifera – rotifers
Phylum 14 Kinorhyncha – kinorhynchs
Phylum 15 Priapulida – priapulids
Phylum 16 Gastrotricha – gastrotrichs
Phylum 17 Loricifera – loriciferans
Phylum 18 Entoprocta – entoprocts
Phylum 19 Chelicerata – horseshoe crabs,
spiders, and sea spiders
Phylum20 Mandibulata – insects,
centipedes, and millipedes
Phylum 21 Crustacea – crustaceans and
pentastomes
Phylum 22 Annelida – annelid worms
Phylum 23 Sipuncula – peanut worms
Phylum24 Echiura – spoon– worms
Phylum 25 Pogonophora – beard worms, tube
worms
Phylum 26 Mollusca – snails, bivalves,
slugs, squid and octopuses
Phylum27 Tardigrada –waterbears
Phylum 28 Onychophora – velvet worms,
peripatuses
Phylum 29 Bryozoa – moss animals
Phylum 30 Brachiopoda –lampshells
Phylum 31 Phoronida – phoronids
Phylum 32 Chaetognatha – arrow worms
Phylum33 Hemichordata – acorn worms
Phylum34 Echinodermat – sea urchins, sea
stars, or starfish, and sea
cucumbers
Phylum35 Urochordata – sea squirts,
larvaceans and salps, doliolids,
and chain tunicates
Phylum 36 Cephalochordata – lancelets
Phylum37 Craniata – fishes, reptiles,
amphibians, mammals, and birds
Kingdom FUNGI
Phylum
1 Zygomycota – molds
Phylum 2 Basidiomycota – mushrooms,
puffballs, rusts, smuts, and jelly
fungi
Phylum 3 Ascomycota – molds, yeasts, and
lichens
Kingdom PLANTAE
Phylum
1 Bryophyta – mosses
Phylum 2 Hepatophyta – liverworts
Phylum 3 Anthocerophyta – hornworts
thorned liverworts
Phylum 4 Lycophyta – club mosses, and
spike mosses
Phylum 5 Psilophyta – whisk ferns,
Phylum 6 Sphenophyta – horsetails
Phylum 7 Filicinophyta – ferns
Phylum 8 Cycadophyta – cycads
Phylum 9 Ginkgophyta – maidenhair tree
Phylum 10 Coniferophyta – conifers
Phylum11 Gnetophyta –jointfir, ephedra,
and Welwitschia
Phylum 12 Anthophyta – flowering plants
The following diagram places the five
kingdoms in the context of time. It
emphasises the long period during which the only living organisms were
bacteria
and the longer period when the only organisms were bacteria and
protoctista.
