User:Ahalda/bilateria

There are two main superphyla (main lineages) of Bilateria. The deuterostomes include the echinoderms, hemichordates, chordates, and possibly a few smaller phyla. The protostomes include most of the rest, such as arthropods, annelids, mollusks, flatworms, and so forth. There are a number of differences, most notably in how the embryo develops. In particular, the first opening of the embryo becomes the mouth in protostomes, and the anus in deuterostomes. Many taxonomists now recognize at least two more superphyla among the protostomes, Ecdysozoa (molting animals) and Lophotrochozoa. Within the latter, some researchers also recognize another superphylum, Platyzoa, while others reject the Platyzoa monophyly. The arrow worms (Chaetognatha) have proven particularly difficult to classify, with some taxonomists placing them among the deuterostomes and others placing them among the protostomes. The two most recent studies to address the question of chaetognath origins support protostome affinities.

A modern consensus phylogeny for bilateria is shown below, although the position of certain clades within the metazoa are still controversial and the tree has changed considerably between 2000 and 2010. . Nodes marked with * have received broad consensus. A prominent alternative tree is championed by Nielsen (2001).