Phylum Porifera

A stove-pipe sponge

Sponges are animals of the phylum Porifera (/prfr/; meaning "pore bearer"). They are
multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate
through them, consisting of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. Sponges
have unspecialized cells that can transform into other types and that often migrate between the main
cell layers and the mesohyl in the process. Sponges do not have nervous, digestive or circulatory
systems. Instead, most rely on maintaining a constant water flow through their bodies to obtain food
and oxygen and to remove wastes.
Phylum Cnidaria

Pacific sea nettles, Chrysaora fuscescens

Cnidaria (/nadri/[4]) is a phylum containing over 10,000[5] species of animals found exclusively in
aquatic and mostly marine environments.

Phylum Platyheminthes

Bedford's flatworm, Pseudobiceros bedfordi

The flatworms, or Platyhelminthes, Plathelminthes, or platyhelminths (from

the Greek , platy, meaning "flat" and (root: -), helminth-, meaning worm)[2] are
a phylum of relatively simplebilaterian, unsegmented, soft-bodied invertebrates.
Phylum Nematoda

Caenorhabditis elegans,
a model species of roundworm

The nematodes /nmtodz/ or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. They are a diverse
animal phylum inhabiting a very broad range of environments. Nematode species can be difficult to
distinguish, and although over 25,000 have been described, [

Phylum Annelida

Glycera sp.

The annelids (also called "ringed worms" or "segmented worms"), formally

called Annelida (from Latin anellus "little ring"[2]), are a large invertebrate phylum, with over 17,000

modern species includingragworms, earthworms and leeches.[3] Various forms specialise in their
respective ecologies; some in marine environments as distinct as tidal zones and hydrothermal
vents, others in fresh water, and yet others in moist terrestrial environments.
Phylum Mollusca

Tonicella lineata,
a polyplacophoran or chiton,
anterior end towards the right

The molluscs or mollusks[note 1] /mlsks/ compose the large phylum of invertebrate animals known
as the Mollusca. Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. Molluscs are the
largest marinephylum, comprising about 23% of all the named marine organisms. Numerous
molluscs also live in freshwater and terrestrial habitats.

Phylum Echinodermata

A brittle star,

Echinoderms (Phylum Echinodermata from Ancient Greek, , echinos "hedgehog" and

, derma "skin")[2] are a phylum of marine animals. The adults are recognizable by their
(usually five-point)radial symmetry, and include such well-known animals as starfish, sea
urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, as well as the sea lilies or "stone lilies".[3] Echinoderms
are found at every ocean depth, from theintertidal zone to the abyssal zone. The phylum contains
about 7000 living species,[4] making it the second-largest grouping of deuterostomes (a
superphylum), after the chordates (which include the vertebrates, such as birds, fishes, mammals,
and reptiles). Echinoderms are also the largest phylum that has no freshwater or terrestrial (landbased) representatives.

Phylum Arthropoda

Molting Cicada

An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton (external skeleton),

a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda, and include
the insects,arachnids, myriapods, and crustaceans. Arthropods are characterized by their jointed
limbs and cuticle made of -chitin and/or calcium carbonate.The arthropod body plan consists
of segments, each with a pair of appendages. The rigid cuticle inhibits growth, so arthropods replace
it periodically by moulting. Their versatility has enabled them to become the most species-rich
members of allecological guilds in most environments. They have over a million described species,
making up more than 80% of all described living animal species, some of which, unlike most
animals, are very successful in dry environments. They range in size from microscopic plankton up
to forms a few meters long.